Top US officials and ten former White House advisors took part in a comprehensive war game simulating the effects and the aftermath of a crippling attack on the US digital infrastructure.

The results were anything but reassuring. The scenario starts when a bunch of basketball fans downloads a free app to their smartphones. Since it's free, they probably weren't using the iPhone, so this is one thing we can't blame on the Jobs mob. The app contained spyware which quickly spread across the mobile network, turning some 60 million phones into overpriced paperweights.

This was just the start. Soon, the almighty internet buckled under the strain of the attack. Financial markets and commerce collapsed and most of the US found itself without power. The Amish didn't seem to mind much and just went about their business. The White House even considers deploying the Army into US cities. Well, it's not like they would have anything better to do since there are no phones or internet.

Eventually, the US manages to pinpoint the origin of the attack to Russia and implicates an individual in Sudan as the main culprit. Retired Air Force Charles F. Wald, who played Defense secretary in the war game and obviously never watched Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, called for military retaliation if any government is involved in the attack. Other panel members, such as John D. Negroponte, called for a more diplomatic, or should we say sane approach and wanted to negotiate with the perpetrators. Jamie Gorelick suggested that intelligence agencies should kidnap the perpetrators and offer them a cup of tea in a cozy third world prison. "We have authority to do renditions," she said.

At the end of the simulation, the panel did not come up with ingenious plan to stop the attack, and being former White House advisors we really can't say we are surprised that they managed to get nothing done. Well, apart from threatening to bomb Russia. Also, it is not very surprising or reassuring for that matter that they agreed to advise the president to federalize the National Guard even if governors objected and deploy guardsmen and US Army troops to guard the power infrastructure and prevent unrest.(And seize iPhones at gunpoint. sub.ed.)

At least we can find solace in the fact that this lot are no longer White House advisors.

More here.