Understanding strategic cyber conflict

Page Content

Research Areas: Policy, Law and Management

Principal Investigator: Samuel Liles

What you think you know about cyber conflict and warfare within cyberspace likely only reflects a few small elements of the actual conflict domain. Current unclassified research into this topic balances the conflict on the artificially restrictive metaphors of previous military theory. Sponsored research into this topic also reflects the biases and needs of the sponsoring agencies. As a example signals intelligence agencies focus on networks and human intelligence agencies focus on social media and human interactions within the domain.

This research is based on the concept of finding the strategic seams where the various military domains have ignored interactions that might not be obvious. Examples of focus on the weapon rather than domain abound. Similarly where the cyber domain has metaphorical allegories in the current domains focus is tight. What has not happened is research into the principles and elements of cyberspace where there is no metaphorical mission space in other domains currently.

An artifice of this research is to take a position that cyberspace is a natural domain that is exploited through human made tools (e.g. submarines, and spaceships). Though information technologies abound that increase the defensive posture and offensive capability within cyberspace there is very little research being done that explains how those assets can be utilized. Determining impacts, integration, and consequence of particular cyberspace conflict strategies is an overall goal of this research. A result of this research is to enhance policy and doctrine decision makers understanding of cyber conflict. 

 

Keywords: conflict, warfare