Washington

IF you read the newspapers on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, you would have been led to believe that Japan was poised to attack — but in Southeast Asia, not Pearl Harbor. Few experts believed that Japan was prepared to take on the United States; war, they believed, was not necessarily imminent.

“In view of the presence of new British naval strength at Singapore and powerful American squadrons in the rear of any southward Japanese expedition, it is believed there is no immediate likelihood of a large-scale invasion or bombing,” The Times quoted an Australian official as saying.

On this anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, it’s worth remembering that enemies will attack at a time of their choosing.

In fact, they rely on surprise.

A storm is surely gathering again, and we must resist the false sense of calm. The attack is not a matter of if, but when. It will not be launched from aircraft carriers, missile silos or massed armies. It will come through cyberspace and will strike our most vital computer systems, those that manage our electricity grids, oil and gas pipelines, telecommunications networks and financial markets.