These attacks, directed against both the public and private sectors, are the product of a heterogeneous network of state and non-state actors whose actions are motivated by a host of factors.

Helping to ensure that the federal government achieves a high level of competency on cybersecurity issues is an imperative for the next U.S. Congress.

Indicative of how important cybersecurity has become, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell raised this issue for the first time in February 2008 as part of his testimony on the 2008 Annual Threat Assessment.

When asked if he believed the United States was prepared to deal with cybersecurity threats to the civilian and military infrastructure, McConnell noted that the country is "not prepared to deal with it. The military is probably the best protected, the federal government is not well protected, and the private sector is not well protected. So the question is: How do we take some of the things that we've developed for the military side, scale them across the federal government? And then the key question will be: How do we interact with the private sector?"

Properly answering these questions begins with developing cyber-strategic leadership skills in the U.S. government and private sector.

Even as Washington wrestles with issues concerning organization, authorities, responsibilities and programs to deal with cyber competition, it must place more emphasis on developing leaders who are competent to engage in these issues.

This will require a professional development system that can provide a program of education, assignment and accreditation to develop a corps of experienced, dedicated service professionals who have an expertise in the breadth of issues related to the cyber environment. This program must be backed by effective public-private partnerships that produce cutting-edge research, development and capabilities to operate with freedom, safety and security in the cyber world.

What is at stake is the heartbeat of America. Over the past quarter-century, the cyberspace domain has rapidly expanded to dominate almost every aspect of human interaction. Americans now depend on cyberspace more than ever to manage their banking transactions, investments, work and personal communication, shopping, travel, utilities, news and even social networking.

(Part 2: Focusing on the threat)

(James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is assistant director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and senior research fellow for national security and homeland security in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Davis Institute, at The Heritage Foundation. Eric Sayers is a research assistant in the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation.)

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)

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