Military Review English Edition May-June 2014 | Page 31
UTILITY OF CYBERPOWER
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nuclear technology pursuits. Similar to strategic
bombing’s inability to collapse morale in World
War II, cyberattacks often rely on unpredictable
second order effects. 25 If Rear Adm. Wylie is
correct in that war is a matter of control, and “its
ultimate tool … is the man on the scene with a
gun,” then operations through cyberspace can only
deliver a lesser form of control.26 Evgeny Morozov
quipped, “Tweets, of course, don’t topple governments; people do.”27
Cyberattacks risk unintended consequences.
Just as striking a military installation’s power
system may have cascading ramifications on a wider
population, limiting effects through interconnected
cyberspace is difficult. Marksmanship instructors
teach shooters to consider their maximum range and
what lies beyond their targets. Without maps for all
systems, identifying maximum ranges and what lies
beyond a target through cyberspace is impossible.
Defending against cyberattacks is possible.
The current offensive advantage does not make
MILITARY REVIEW
May-June 2014
all defense pointless. Even if intrusions from
sophisticated, persistent attacks are inevitable,
certain defensive measures (e.g., physical security
controls, limiting user access, filtering and antivirus software, and firewalls) do offer some protection. Redundancy and replication are resilience
strategies that can deter some would-be attackers
by making attacks futile.28 Retaliatory responses
via cyberspace or other means can also enhance
deterrence.29 Defense is currently disadvantaged,
but offense gets no free pass in cyberspace.
Expectations and
Recommendations
The advantages and limitations of using cyberpower inform expectations for the future and several
recommendations for the military.
Do not expect clear, comprehensive policy
soon.30 Articulating a comprehensive U.S. strategy for employing nuclear weapons lagged 15
years behind their first use, and the timeline for
29