Dale Meyerrose doesn’t want to scare you, but the U.S. may be on the brink of cyber catastrophe.

"Cyberspace is the soft underbelly of America,” said Meyerrose, the former Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Addressing New York Press Club members on the state of cyber security in America, Meyerrose warned that a cyber attack on private and public networks is imminent.

“This is a story of national importance that often gets pushed aside, and unfortunately, it might take a cyber 9/11 or a cyber Pearl Harbor to really get our attention.”

Even as the White House prepares to release a lengthy report on the state of U.S. cyber security, Meyerrose said the review will not immediately increase the nation’s defenses against cyber threats.

“How can the government respond if 85 percent of the critical infrastructure is in private hands?” he said. “Twelve different agencies that report directly to the president’s office claim control over cyber. Nobody is in charge, and after the report comes out nobody will be in charge. That’s how we have built our government.”

The problem infiltrates all levels of society. Cyber espionage against military and intelligence agencies is a threat, along with more common web headaches like identity theft — of which Meyerrose has been a victim.

President Obama has discussed creating a post of “cyber czar,” but Meyerrose dismisses that idea as a waste of time. Since the Internet is not centralized, federal laws that regulate the web are sparse or ineffective. And government, he said, is not in a position right now to protect it’s citizenry against cyber assaults because there are too many possible targets without enough safeguards.

Defending U.S. cyberspace, Meyerrose said, is not like the war on drugs or the war on terror. Government agencies cannot as easily pinpoint weak spots and then respond. By the time anyone realizes a cyber attack has occurred, it might be too late to defend. And, said Meyerrose, after - or during - an attack, determining who is behind it is another matter all together. As is formulating an appropriate response.

“How will the government attack another government when those who attack us are largely private citizens?,” Meyerrose asked. It’s a question America hasn’t had to answer just yet, he said. And he was cautious to speculate how, when or where a cyber disaster might occur. He just knows America is vulnerable.

“If we put our minds together we can figure out cyberspace,” Meyerrose said. “We can protect ourselves.” And that’s critical, he said, because the Internet touches all aspects of life — from banking and medical care to food supply and energy.

“We have to be careful talking about how it will play out because no one knows,” he said. “That’s what makes this such a complicated issue.”

A retired U.S. Air Force Major General, Meyerrose is now vice president and general manager for Cyberspace Solutions at Harris Corporation. Harris operates three of the nation’s largest secure government networks, including the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, the National Reconnaissance Office Patriot network and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.