US Must Defend Digital Infrastructure to Secure Future National Security

National defense, traditionally understood through geographical boundaries and physical assets, is undergoing a fundamental shift due to technological advancements, compelling the United States to reconsider its approach to national security. The growing reliance on privately owned digital infrastructure, such as data centers and cloud-computing systems, located both domestically and internationally, means that the battlefront of future conflicts may no longer be confined to physical borders.

Recent events underscore this evolving threat landscape. In March, Iranian strikes targeted Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers and infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. According to reports, these attacks disrupted cloud services, causing power and connectivity issues and a prolonged recovery process. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later publicly claimed responsibility for targeting an AWS cloud-computing facility in Bahrain in April, distinguishing it as a deliberate attack on commercial computing infrastructure supporting U.S. interests.

This incident serves as a critical warning for Washington. The U.S. military, financial institutions, healthcare providers, communication networks, and energy sectors increasingly depend on this privately operated digital infrastructure. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), crucial for both economic growth and national defense, further amplifies this reliance, demanding immense computing power and data capacity housed in these facilities.

The federal government already acknowledges the national security implications of critical infrastructure, broadly defining it as systems whose failure could have a debilitating impact. However, national security strategies have lagged behind the rapid technological transformation of the economy and military. While power plants and ports were once obvious strategic assets, the logic now extends to the digital infrastructure powering modern society.

The Trump administration has recognized the importance of data center infrastructure for the internet, cloud computing, AI, and national security. To build on this, Congress is urged to establish a designation for exceptionally important American-owned or American-controlled digital infrastructure. This designation would be narrowly applied, requiring facilities to meet stringent standards for ownership, control, cybersecurity, physical security, supply-chain integrity, and cooperation with U.S. national security agencies. Such a framework would allow the government to identify a select number of facilities whose disruption would pose a significant threat to national or economic security, including those supporting military operations, financial markets, critical communications, government systems, or vital AI capabilities.

This designation would not grant these facilities sovereign status but would establish a clear policy that intentional attacks on strategically vital infrastructure carry consequences. This deterrence aims to make adversaries reconsider the risks of attacking such assets. Potential responses could range from sanctions and asset freezes to diplomatic measures and defensive cyber operations, with further actions authorized by Congress depending on the circumstances and attribution.

The stakes are significantly raised by AI, which is becoming integral to intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, logistics, and military planning. An attack on the infrastructure supporting AI systems, rather than the AI itself, could cripple a nation's strategic advantage. This highlights the vulnerability that arises from increasing dependence on AI without adequately protecting its underlying infrastructure.

Adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran are already demonstrating their willingness to leverage cyber operations and attacks against infrastructure as instruments of state power. They understand that disrupting critical services through attacks on power grids, telecommunications, financial systems, or computing infrastructure can be as effective as traditional military actions.

Expanding national security doctrine to encompass digital infrastructure is therefore crucial. Congress is called upon to create a framework for identifying essential digital assets, and the administration should collaborate with allies to develop reciprocal protections for overseas infrastructure. Companies operating designated facilities must also adhere to high security standards. The ultimate goal is to establish deterrence by making the cost of attacking vital digital infrastructure sufficiently clear to outweigh any perceived benefit for adversaries.