Monument’s Tatyana Bolton spoke with Defense One about how the coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets are putting renewed focus on how the United States integrates offensive cyber capabilities into the battlespace — and how prepared federal agencies are for retaliation at home.
“Geography provides no protection against a cyber-enabled adversary,” said Tatyana Bolton, principal and head of Monument Advocacy’s cybersecurity practice. “Iran possesses some of the most creative and dangerous cyber operators in the world, and with the current escalation, their incentive for restraint is significantly reduced.”
“They don’t need to win a naval battle in the Gulf to hurt the U.S. — they can simply hold our power grids, water systems, and hospitals hostage from halfway around the world to force our hand at the negotiating table,” Bolton said. “We must recognize that in 2026, the front line isn’t just in the Middle East — it’s in our own backyard.”