If he can hack their system then so can any country/group in the world that wants to. Instead of turning the guns on the hacker, who inly exploited poor security, they should turn them on the people in charge of the systems.

How was he able to do this? Could it have been prevented? Was this due to laziness and incompetence on behald of the security services or their software and hardware suppliers?

What if he were a Russian/Chinese/Terrorist hacker, what would they do then?

theres Got to be Something Wrong with Titled Fellow whose involved in HomoSexual Rape. You Know Meep Loute, I'm Bit Old for Blojoi.

As Far AS demand to Get Fried, It isn't term to renegoiate, Simply defendant has Right to ONE Fry & NO More.

Smartie Pants should have hacked Some Hon Critters computer. Or Better Yet, Blo.wn It up. Hahahahhh.
drashek

Simply tresspassing and snooping around?
He might not get life, but it truly is serious when he knows where he is 'snooping around'; it's more than wandering around your next door neighbours backyard while he's gone, he's actually actually browsing around a country's defence network... it doesn't matter if it's his own country's or any one elses.
Let an average citizen of any country enter their own county's military bases, it's not allowed, that's why there's a guard at the gate. Now we're talking about a foreign national trying it.

If he does time, then dependent on his behaviour, he'll be released. The American's or British military may try to hire him. You can bet that he'll be monitored in case 'someone else' attempts to recruit his services

Read:
http://www.itsecurity.com/features/top-10-famous-hackers-042407/ 
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hackers/interviews/anon.html

I think this is totally out of whack. All he did was the virtual equivalent to walking onto an open military base and snoop around - that's not even breaking and entering, simply trespassing. How many trespassers get life? 

They should think themselves lucky it was a bored geek from an allied country and not a terrorist. This man needs paying!

The US and other governments are coming down way too hard on hackers, all because their pride got hurt and they're being made to look like the incompetent morons they are...

Instead of sending this man to jail, you'd think someone would give him a job, the best defence against a hacker, is a hacker...

By making an example of Gary, the US government risks making a hero & martyr to aspirational techies everywhere.

Face it, he will NEVER see the light of day as a "free" man. Nor should he. How DARE he pillage and plunder around someone else's computer? He is getting what all "hackers" deserve, a due sentence for his not-so-harmless crimes.

And as far as his treatment in a U.S. prison, he should have thought of the possible consequences BEFORE he started his criminal rampage. And don't pretend those kinds of activities don't happen in British gaols.

You do the crime, you serve the time.

mine is a question. why was our military left in a vunerable position,could not it have came from someonne in a country that hates us?

The problems that computer users have with spam e-mails and computer hackers, then I don't have a problem if this person spends the rest of his life behind bars in the USA.
In the UK we should treat these people as the criminals they are and put them away for a very long time.