Cyber in War: Assessing the Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Utility of Military Cyber Operations

摘要

The study analyzes the use of cyber capabilities in war and conflict situations. The research question is: What good is cyber in war? What is the utility of military cyber operations in conflict situations and what obstacles exist? The paper analyzes a small set of cases where cyber capabilities have been used for military purposes. Using the ‘three levels of warfare’ heuristic, the study outlines the potentials and operational restrictions of military cyber operations. The analysis proposes a set of variables and hypotheses, such as the timing of use of cyber capabilities and the operational complexity of a cyber operation, for further theory building.