What are Military Cyberspace Operations Other Than War?

Abstract

NATO has recognized cyberspace as a domain of military operations, with the Cyberspace Operations Centre as the focal point for coordinating and directing effects in cyberspace in the context of Alliance operations and missions. Yet many of the threats nations face in cyberspace deliver their effects below the level of conventional armed conflict, involve systems and capabilities outside the span of military control, and do not lend themselves to traditional military response options. As concerns over the defense of critical national infrastructures and other non-military targets such as election systems and social media increase, however, many are calling for the military to take on a greater role in cyberspace outside the context of armed conflicts. This paper looks at calls for greater military involvement in cyberspace below the level of conventional armed conflict, in the context of previous doctrinal work on military operations other than war. It attempts to derive a set of equivalent principles that could be applied to military cyberspace operations performed below the level of armed conflict; it then assesses these functions in terms of whether the military should take a leading or supporting role, and what kinds of tasks, relationships, and authorities might be involved. The aims of this paper are to identify the appropriate roles for the military in cyberspace operations below the level of conflict and to highlight the importance of cross-functional coordination with civil authorities in performing these roles.