Do the Principles of War Apply to Cyber War?

Abstract

The purpose of this monograph is to examine whether the Principles of War, as defined in the U.S. military's "Joint Publication 3-0, Joint Operations," can be applied to cyber war. Since 2005, the U.S. military has recognized cyber conflict as a new domain in which to conduct military operations. Consequently, to ensure future success on the battlefield, commanders need to understand cyberspace operations and how these operations fit within the Principles of War. This paper first examines the history of the Principles of War. Such an examination is relevant because U.S. cyber policy and strategy are currently being developed, and the United States also is standing up a United States Cyber Command for the first time in history. Having carefully examined the Principles of War and their application to cyber operations, the author contends that the current Principles of War do apply to cyber war, and there is no need to create new Principles of War to apply exclusively to the cyber domain.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 21, 2010
Accession Number
ADA522972

Entities

People

  • David B. Farmer

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Areas
  • Computer Networks
  • Cyber Defense Techniques
  • Cyber Warfare
  • Cyberattacks
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Cyberterrorism
  • Information Systems
  • Military Applications
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies

Technology Areas

  • Cyber
  • Cyber - Legality in Cyberspace