The high-tech capabilities of America’s weaponry system have not been compromised due to the cyber hacking emanating from China, the Pentagon said today amid a report that Chinese hackers breached the designs of critical US weapons systems.
“Suggestions that cyber intrusions have somehow led to the erosion of our capabilities or technological edge are incorrect,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
“We maintain full confidence in our weapons platforms,” he said.
“The Department of Defence takes the threat of cyber espionage and cyber security very seriously, which is why we have taken a number of steps to increase funding to strengthen our capabilities, harden our networks, and work with the defence industrial base to achieve greater visibility into the threats our industrial partners are facing,” Little said.
The Washington Post in a lead report yesterday said that according to a secret Defence Science Board Chinese hackers have compromised the blueprints for at least two dozen critical weapons systems, such as the V-22 Osprey and the F/A-18 and F-22 fighter jets.
The White House said, any intrusion into the cyber security is taken very seriously by the Obama Administration.
This is an issue that the USA has continuously raised by the Chinese leadership and US President Barack Obama would again take up the matter when he meets his Chinese counterpart next month.
“Cyber-security is a key priority of this administration. It is a key concern that we have. It is an issue that we raise at every level in our meetings with our Chinese counterparts and I’m sure will be a topic of discussion when the President meets with President Xi in California in early June,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.