In Light of The American Departure From Afghanistan, Does Network-Centric Warfare Adequately Prepare The United States to Address Future Cyber Activities by The Taliban?

Abstract

The issue considered in this article is whether the United States is prepared adequately to address the cyber activities of the Taliban in the future in light of the recent American departure from Afghanistan. The first section defines and discusses cyber espionage, cyber sabotage, cyber terrorism, and cyber warfare. The following section outlines the notion of network-centric warfare and its relationship to the various cyber-attacks. The third section contains a brief history of the Taliban, cumulating in assessing the current political situation in Afghanistan. The paper’s final section describes what adequate preparedness means for individuals, corporations, and the government. The paper concludes that the Taliban are not likely to be a cyber threat to the United States in the short term. However, as time progresses and the Taliban consolidates their political power, effectively defeating the Islamic State and insurgents in Panjshir, the United States will likely experience cyber attacks from the Taliban.