There are no front lines in an information war, no fiery explosions. The enemy's camp is a cube on the other side of the globe. Six months from now China sends an invasion armada steaming across the straits of Taiwan. The still-green Bush White House faces a fresh national security crisis. To discourage Washington from coming to Taiwan's aid, the People's Liberation Army information warfare units quietly take aim at the U.S. network infrastructure.
Investors fly into a panic.
Then an air traffic control tower at O'Hare goes offline, diverting hundreds of flights to Detroit, Indianapolis, and St. Louis, shuttering the nation's busiest airport for three days. Dallas loses power for 24 hours. The Grand Coulee Dam's spillway opens, causing flooding along the Columbia River. Most likely, no. The U.S. Department of Defense, to be sure, is also honing its skills.