A Theater-Level Perspective on Cyber
Abstract
Most U.S. military cyber professionals will tell you that defense is the main effort and that providing secure and reliable communication is job one. In practice, however, most cyber discussions focus on sophisticated computer hackers conducting exploitation (espionage) or attack (sabotage) operations. The reasons for this seeming contradiction include cyber espionage intrusions, industrial-scale intellectual property theft, and denial-of-service attacks that cost millions of dollars and naturally capture headlines and the imagination. Likewise, the potential for cyber attacks to disrupt infrastructure with kinetic- like consequences provides fodder for books and articles that bridge reality. Still, the military's main effort must be to provide, operate, and defend the ability to command and control (C2) forces. If we fail at this task, the commander's mission will likewise fail. Effective command, control, communications, and computer systems define the modern American way of war. This requires highly technical systems, consuming large amounts of bandwidth to support the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission requirements that feed the C2 system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA618537
Entities
People
- J. M. Hicks
Organizations
- National Defense University