War in the 21st

This is the first of several parts. The first part is a bit grim, but I think accurate.

A. Warfare of this century will take at least three forms.  (a) The classical battle between opponents in an open death conflict.  (b) The terrorist war of subterfuge and secret demolition.  (3) The electronic war of information, deceit, and deception.  This later new warfare is unlike that of the entire history of humanity.  It is disjointed, distanced, disconnected, and distributed in nature.  Leaders accustomed to confronting their opponent on the field will be surely defeated.  They cannot conceive of a battle without visible personality or at any rate a hidden lethal opponent secreted in a cave.  They cannot survive an unknown and unseen and undiscoverable enemy.   Such are the enemies of the great powers of the day.  Hidden, intelligent, vicious, subtle, disconnected they all are.  It is conducted on a twenty-four hour basis, every day, probing, stealing, and disrupting. They are commanded by countries with outward smiles of conciliation, some with small armies, but all with venomous intent.  Even while their leaders are toasting the other’s health at a world summit, the battle rages.   It will not stop.  Welcome to World War III - the forever war.

More modern advocates can use the third type of war upon its own citizenry, first in the name of national security, and then for more personal purposes.  Where there is power at hand, a purpose evolves to apply it. Human nature, this is.

Internationally:  Now if you believe your government is pristine, honorable,and gentlemanly, you can be well assured some other government, even corporation, is hacking into yours.   Whatever they take, you will probably never know.  You may lose your job; your country may lose its customers;  your rights and vital data may be stolen; your children may see a bleak future.  But no blood will be spilled. 

Whatever will the conscientious objector do?

Hacking is a pejorative word implying naughty and malicious.  It is more.  Hacking is now a fundamental tool of modern warfare.

Virus.  Multiple choice question.  What is the world's worst computer virus?
a. The virus that is undetectable.
b. The virus that mutates frequently - changing its signature making it nondiscoverable by even the best virus detection software.
c. The virus no one knows about.
d. All of these.  

Access.  You may say only the government has access to your information, but do you know who has access to the government? Times, they are a changing.