By Peace Onyishi, Warrior Cyber Analyst Contributor
Defense systems are made up of several different technologies and tactics intended to fend off different types of threats, such as missile attacks. These systems, which can include air and missile defense capabilities on land, sea, air, and space, are vital to national security. To protect against incoming missiles, especially intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and other ballistic missiles, nations like the United States, Russia, India, France, Israel, Italy, the United Kingdom, China, and Iran have developed highly advanced missile defense systems.
The security of ballistic missiles is a critical concern, especially with regards to defense systems. NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) is a crucial part of Alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense framework, aimed at countering the proliferation of ballistic missiles that pose a threat to NATO perimeter and territory.
Autonomous defense systems have been in existence for years and work with the concept of artificial intelligence. They receive signals, analyze data, launch attack and defense without necessarily being manned. It boasts of efficiency and ease of use, however, careful steps are being taken by the Pentagon to ensure humans are in the decision-making loop when it comes to the application of lethal force. At the same time, there may be purely defensive, non-lethal applications of AI able to increase precision, speed and accuracy regarding missile defense, something which requires advanced cybersecurity and reliable AI.
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In situations where humans could have mistakenly classified a civilian as a combatant, computers can potentially intervene and offer more precise discernment. AI is required to make quick, precise decisions in a variety of military tasks, such as recognising tanks on the battlefield and controlling autonomous vehicles and aircraft. But there is a great deal of risk associated with using artificial intelligence in military applications, something the Pentagon is working intensely to address. When developing policies for purchasing and managing the present generation of self-powered weapons, it remains mandatory to comprehend how autonomous machines might malfunction because new systems present the potential for new kinds of errors.
Achieving an important equilibrium in faith between a self-driving machine and the person that depends on it is difficult, especially considering that mistakes will inevitably occur. Though their use has changed, the automatic capabilities of the Patriot missile are still in use seventeen years after the shootdown of the Tornado. According to the U.S. Army’s air and missile defense manual, air threats like planes, helicopters, and cruise missiles can only be activated manually in order to mitigate the likelihood of fratricide. In manual mode, automated systems continue to track and identify targets, but the decision of whether and when to fire is made by a human.
A set of AI ethics guidelines created by the Defence Innovation Board was made publicby the Department of Defence in February 2020. “Traceability” is one of these characteristics; it emphasizes that the necessary staff will possess a suitable comprehension of the technology, which includes an accountable and open-ended information approach. The Department of Defense is investing in testing, assessment, endorsement, and authentication techniques for AI in order to promote understanding and guarantee that nondeterministic systems can be audited.
It is better left to imagination the many things that could go wrong if the cybersecurity
of missile defense systems gets compromised. AI can expedite cyberattacks using advanced tools like machine learning and automation, potentially leading to coordinated attacks against individuals or organizations. In some cases, the inconsistent use of multifactor authentication in missile defense systems can leave networks vulnerable to unauthorized access and cyber threats.
While AI offers significant benefits in enhancing threat detection, incident response, and authentication in conjunction with cybersecurity for ballistic missile defense systems, it also introduces challenges like adversarial AI, cybersecurity risks, and potential physical security vulnerabilities that need to be addressed to ensure robust defense mechanisms.
Peace Onyishi is a cybersecurity specialist contributing as a Warrior Cyber Analyst
