I just returned from Hawaii where our DHS team had investigated the SCADA electrical power grid attacks that were launched against President-elect Obama. Based on our findings, our team urged the Secret Service to ban all high-tech devices at the inauguration, especially laptops and Blackberries and iPhones. Our team collectively believes China may go so far as to launch kamikaze hacker attacks against Obama before his swearing-in ceremony. These so-called "seppuku hackers" will find it very easy to accomplish their mission with all those Internet-enabled devices in such close proximity to Obama.

This threat may sound like a SCADA attack in the movie "Eagle Eye," but Air Force network warfare experts like myself know you can weaponize the Internet if you bring a "critical mass" of Internet-enabled devices in close proximity to your target. That's what China tried to accomplish in Hawaii, but there were just too few people with high-tech toys near Obama's island retreat. China's military hackers failed to acquire a critical mass of Internet-enabled devices in close proximity to him.

Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House Chief of Staff, agreed with most of our team's recommendations and has ordered the Air Force's cyberspace security detail to enforce a ban on all laptops, Blackberries, and wi-fi hotspots at the inauguration. However, he refused to block 3G phones, choosing instead to let the NSA monitor them for terrorist coordination activities.

Let me point out that two members on our team disagree strongly with the recommendations we made to the Secret Service. First of all, they don't believe USAF should be ordered to use its cyber weapons against the U.S. populace. Second, they worry that our enemies (e.g., China) will learn about some of the top secret network warfare weapons that will be available to the President, should he wish to launch a preemptive retaliatory network strike. But USAF and NSA have received their marching orders, and they'll do what they're told. There's no use arguing the point.

So please don't feel bad if you're walking around the National Mall on inauguration day, and your Blackberry suddenly dies, or your laptop won't boot up, or your iPhone makes a short click while you're talking to someone, or you can't acquire an IP address on your favorite wi-fi hotspot. It's not an attack on the United States. It's being done by our very own U.S. military inauguration details to protect the life of the incoming President.

See you at the inauguration!