US supports Ukraine with 'offensive' cyber operations
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US Cyber Command's top general says US cyber operations in Ukraine have involved offense, defense, and information activities.
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US Army General Paul Nakasone
On Wednesday, the top US cyber official confirmed that the US has engaged in offensive cyber operations in support of Ukraine in the face of Russia.
According to US Army General Paul Nakasone, "We've conducted a series of operations throughout the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations." He did not say what the goals of these operations were.
Nakasone is the director of the National Security Agency and the commander of US Cyber Command. Despite the lack of specifics, his disclosure is unusual and noteworthy, given that US officials generally avoid openly addressing America's offensive cyber capabilities.
Biden's "cautious" support
Furthermore, the Biden administration has struck a cautious balance between assisting Ukraine and not escalating hostilities with Russia.
During his interview with Sky News, Nakasone complimented Ukraine for its capacity to rebuff Russian cyber strikes and chastised opponents who said that reports of Moscow's cyber operations against the country were exaggerated.
"If you asked the Ukrainians, they wouldn't say it's been overblown," he said. "If you take a look at the destructive attacks and disruptive attacks that they've encountered — you wrote about it in terms of the attack on [satellite company] Viasat — this is something that has been ongoing."
Read next: US, Germany to supply advanced weapons to Ukraine
Russia is taking "specific preparatory steps" to carry out devastating assaults, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. Speaking specifically on cyber issues, he stated that Russia's strikes are getting "more destructive as the war keeps going poorly."
"We've seen the Russian government taking specific preparatory steps towards potential destructive attacks, both here and abroad," Wray told a Boston College cyber security conference, The Wall Street Journal reported.
US arms support to Ukraine
In addition to the cyber activities confirmed by Nakasone, the US has helped Ukraine with weapons and other forms of aid, although there are constraints.
President Joe Biden addressed the limits of US involvement on Tuesday night, emphasizing his long-held belief in a New York Times op-ed that the US prefers to keep its forces out of the battle.
Biden also attempted to tidy up his ambiguous notion of regime change, which irritated some Western friends after his March statement that Putin "cannot remain in power."
"As much as I disagree with Putin, and find his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to bring about his ouster in Moscow," Biden wrote.
"So long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not be directly engaged in this conflict, either by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine or by attacking Russian forces."
