Overview
- At RSAC 2026 in San Francisco, four former leaders of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command said the country is slipping in cyberspace and urged a stronger, shared response.
- Paul Nakasone said the nation has grown numb to large-scale intrusions and argued the president decides when a cyberattack warrants a physical response.
- Mike Rogers called for clear thresholds for retaliation, such as loss of life or damage to health and safety infrastructure, to guide when the U.S. hits back.
- Tim Haugh warned that China has copied U.S. methods and pre-positioned access inside critical infrastructure, raising the risk of real-world disruption.
- The panel pressed for deeper government–industry cooperation to carry out the White House’s new cyber strategy, warning that brain drain and the lack of federal privacy or cyber laws slow progress.