Principles of War for Cyberspace
Abstract
As the United States Air Force develops doctrine, education, and organization for cyberspace, we need to consider the traditional principles of war and how/if they apply to cyberspace, and under what situations, so we can develop a conceptual foundation for effective cyberspace warfighting doctrine. Most importantly, we should understand the cyberspace domain requires a new and different way of thinking to develop the most useful doctrine, education, and organizational structures. We must avoid falling into the trap of merely rewording existing air and space doctrine by simply replacing "air" or "space" with "cyber." When developing principles of war for cyberspace, I assert we should look to Clausewitz for guidance when kinetic force-on-force effects seem to be required, but also look to Sun Tzu for guidance because intelligence, deception, and the relationship between things in cyberspace requires a different way of thinking; where force-on-force is often less effective toward achieving our objective than appropriate non-kinetic methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 15, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA555471
Entities
People
- Steven E. Cahanin
Organizations
- Air War College