A hard truth in Munich: Cyber defense runs through Silicon Valley

At the Munich Cyber Security Conference, former U.S. Cyber Command/NSA chief Paul Nakasone and Germany’s BND representative Dag Baehr emphasized that modern sovereignty and deterrence increasingly depend on privately controlled infrastructure—largely owned by U.S. firms—and urged closer public‑private collaboration to address visibility and speed in cyber operations; the discussion also highlighted European “digital sovereignty” tensions, the Trump administration’s push to expand industry roles in offensive cyber activities, and the resulting governance and accountability questions for allies.