We were tasked with reading the article “Social Cybersecurity – An Emerging National Security Requirement” and summarizing a respond to the article.  I tend to agree with the premise of the article that technology in the modern, hyperconnected world allows a variety of actors (good and bad depending on your point of view) to manipulate marketplaces and opinions on a global level and that it is changing the battlefield in terms of what one might think when they consider warfare between nation states.  As noted in the article the Russia media chief has stated their belief that “information wars are … the main type of war” and I think that events in the age of the internet, 24 hour news and social media would prove his point.  Social cybersecurity is defined in the article as “humans using technology to hack other humans” and this again is what we have seen in real world events such as the Russian manipulation attempts at influencing American elections and news cycles among many other examples.  The article does a great job of illustrating how NATO and its allies were aware of the importance of social cybersecurity and the Russian strategy as far back as 2013 as well as how information was the key component of the Arab Spring and other conflicts around the globe in the past decade.  If the U.S. is to maintain a strong military and national defense the article states that it is critical to shift away from physical warfare to the human and information aspect.  As information has flowed more freely in the internet age the ability to push a narrative has become more easily manipulated by anyone and as such this is a huge opportunity for any actor (good or bad) to try and win the hearts and minds of a populace in any modern war.  In conclusion the article states that the biggest threat to the United States is external influence via social warfare with the aim to “drive a wedge between us and the society we defend as well as civil leadership” and I completely agree.  This will be an important piece of national security for any nation state for the foreseeable future and the United States would do well to be proactive in the realm of social cybersecurity.