The U.S. and Australia issued a joint statement that says they both interpret the 1951 ANZUS Treaty among the U.S., Australia and New Zealand to mean that if one country suffers a cyberattack it will consult with the other in deciding how to deal with it.

In the past the treaty has resulted in Australia sending troops to help fight the Vietnam War and to supplement U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.

This is the first cooperative international expression of the U.S. tenet for cyberwarfare that says cyberattacks may warrant physical, military retaliation.

CALL TO ARMS:

"This is the ," said U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, "and our ability to work together is extremely important to the challenge of being able to counter this very significant emerging threat."