Strategic Impact of Cyber Warfare Rules for the United States

Abstract

Despite the growing complexities of cyberspace and the significant strategic challenge cyber warfare poses on the United States' vital interests few specific rules for cyber warfare exist. The United States should seek to develop and maintain cyber warfare rules in order to establish internationally accepted norms, mitigate damage to critical governmental, commercial and private resources, and help hold belligerent actors accountable. The cyber attacks against Georgia in the summer of 2008 provide a contemporary example of the complexities associated with cyber attack attribution, application of the Law of Armed Conflict's principles of war, and the international community's ineptitude in responding. These along with other justifications exemplify the need for multilaterally prepared cyber warfare rules that will reduce the negative influence cyber warfare presently has on the United States' national interests.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA522001

Entities

People

  • Paul A. Matus

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Computer Networks
  • Computers
  • Control Systems
  • Cyber Warfare
  • Cyberattacks
  • Cyberspace
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • International Law
  • International Relations
  • Internet
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • United States
  • United States Strategic Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Cybersecurity.
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.

Technology Areas

  • Cyber
  • Cyber - Legality in Cyberspace