Cyberspace Domain: A Warfighting Substantiated Operational Environment Imperative

Abstract

In 2001, Joint Publication (JP) 3-0 identified five warfighting domains. The document contained the commonly accepted four operational environments, but added a new domain: "information." This landmark inclusion started an intense debate within the Joint community. Previous clarity on the commonly accepted operational environment's roles and functions became blurred. Those who advocated information as a warfighting domain advanced its common understanding, yet could not reach doctrinal consensus. Discussions about how to describe, organize, and use the United States' information capabilities to support the Department of Defense's (DoD) strategic and operational objectives and national security goals remain contentious and ambiguous. This inability to develop consensus led to the re-characterization of information in the current JP 3-0, "Joint Operations," from a warfighting domain to an "environment." However, this change did not resolve the fundamental issue and the information domain debate continues unabated. The recently published "National Military Strategy for Cyberspace Operations" (NMS-CO) again officially codified its understanding of "information," now defined as cyberspace, as a warfighting domain. It acknowledges the JP 3-0 information domain change to environment, but emphasizes that "treating cyberspace as a domain establishes a foundation to understand and define its place in military operations." The DoD has expended considerable effort in a "piece meal" strategy that updates information-related doctrine based on new technology instead of developing a comprehensive cyberspace strategy. This paper argues that a clear consensus is needed to establish a "cyberspace domain" where JFCs conduct war "as an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will." Advancing the proposed NMS-CO's cyberspace domain definition clarifies information operation's roles and functions, thereby enabling information superiority.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 25, 2008
Accession Number
ADA479775

Entities

People

  • Olen L. Kelley

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Command And Control
  • Communication Systems
  • Computer Networks
  • Cyber Warfare
  • Cyberspace
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Information Operations
  • Information Systems
  • Information Warfare
  • Military Applications
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Cyber