To Deal With Such a threat, the Pentagon is working out worldwide staffing and emergency procedures to cope with vulnerabilities that could be caused by computer mix-ups, according to the memo from the Joint Chiefs of Staff dated Sept. 10.
 
The document, sent to U.S. commanders worldwide, spelled out five alert levels to streamline the Defense Department’s response. The highest, “Y2K Posture Level One,” would reply to  “widespread” systems failures sparked by the century date change. It assumes that civilian authorities would seek military help to cope with disruptions.
 
In such a case, “deliberate information operations attacks and opportunistic engagements by hostile forces are possible,” it said. “Information operations attacks” refers to computer-based efforts to knock out critical electronic infrastructure such as financial networks or military data banks.
 
“Opportunistic engagements” means surprise attacks timed to cash in on any Y2K-related confusion in the United States, the world’s most technologically dependent nation. Under such a Y2K-alert level, “strict” caps on communications throughout the Defense Department might be imposed, presumably for fear of playing into the hands of a foe seeking to take advantage of Y2K-related disruptions, the document said.