I recently read an article in the Washington Post that I thought you might be interested in. The article, published on March 27, 2012, discusses the current debate over U.S. military rules of engagement for launching cyberattacks on our enemies.
While some have argued that commanders on the battlefield should have this authority, the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command — General Keith Alexander — has come down on the side of requiring presidential authority to launch cyberattacks. I personally believe that the authority should be scaled depending on the origin and nature of the threat. Battlefield commanders should have the authority to defend their troops from cyberattack without having to go too far up the chain of command, especially in time-critical situations.
— Bob