Nothing New Under the Sun: Benefiting from the Great Lessons of History to Develop a Coherent Cyberspace Deterrence Strategy
Abstract
Thousands of cyberspace attacks occur each day and the likelihood of a significant incident in the near future is high. However, the development of a coherent cyberstrategy has been slow in coming. This delay often emanates from the perception that cyberspace represents such a pervasive revolution in the conduct of warfare that successful deterrence strategies of the past are not applicable. Currently, the benefits of committing malicious actions in cyberspace far outweigh the risk of punishment. The thesis of this paper is that the U.S. government can follow a path to an effective cyberspace deterrence strategy by examining key periods in its past, countering the contemporary hypothesis that the unique nature of cyberspace alters warfare in such a way that historical approaches to deterrence no longer apply. Today, existing threats in cyberspace are the most pressing and compelling test of our thinking, and the 10 principles of cyberspace deterrence gleaned from the historical analysis of warfighting set the foundation for a solution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 12, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA562304
Entities
People
- Andrew P. Hansen
Organizations
- National Defense University