Conflict and Cooperation in the Global Commons: A Comprehensive Approach for International Security

9. Shaping the Outer Space and Cyberspace Environments

155 CHAP TER 9 Shaping the Outer Space and Cyberspace Environments MARC J. BERKOWITZ The space and cyberspace capabilities that power our daily lives and military operations are vulnerable to disruption and attack. —National Security Strategy The international security environment is uncertain, dynamic, complex, and dangerous. This is due in part to the emergence of outer space and cyberspace as new arenas of competition and conflict. In the twenty-first century the United States and its allies must be able to deter and, if necessary, to fight and win wars in multiple domains (land, sea, air, space, and cyber) and modalities (irregular , conventional, and nuclear).1 The bipolar structure that characterized international relations during most of the last century was transformed by dramatic and disruptive changes in the aftermath of the Cold War. Today there is a diffusion of political, military, and economic power in the international system. This structural shift is altering power relationships and the dynamics of international politics. Although the changed security environment eased tension between the United States and Russia, it unleashed latent forces of instability around the world. Absent the restraints imposed by the superpowers and their associated blocs, cautious of miscalculations that might ignite the powder trail to global thermonuclear war, state and nonstate actors are more assertive in pursuing their interests. Political, sociocultural, economic, and other antagonisms have reemerged to fuel crisis and conflict. Conflict remains a prominent feature of international relations. In addition to traditional challenges, asymmetric threats now emanate from subnational groups Shaping the Outer Space and Cyberspace Environments 156 in failed states and ungoverned areas as well as regional powers exploiting modern technology. In an era of hybrid, multimodal warfare involving national and transnational actors, nations must be prepared to address the challenges to security in the space and cyber domains.2 This chapter examines how to shape the space and cyber environments. It discusses the terms of art, the interdependency between space and cyber, and threats to space and cyberspace as domains of the global commons. Finally, it proposes a comprehensive, whole-of-nations approach to protect and execute operations in the space and cyber domains. LEXICON Outer space and cyberspace are separate and distinct domains with unique characteristics . They are cross-cutting domains that utilize the electromagnetic spectrum. Space and cyberspace encompass the terrestrial mediums of land, sea, and air. They potentially flank any terrestrial battlefield. Outer space exists in the void beyond the atmosphere of the earth and other celestial bodies. The space environment is defined as “the environment corresponding to the space domain, where electromagnetic radiation, charged particles, and electric and magnetic fields are the dominant physical influences, and that encompasses the earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere, interplanetary space, and the solar atmosphere.”3 It includes space systems that consist of spacecraft; mission packages; ground stations; data links among spacecraft, mission, or user terminals; launch systems; and directly related supporting infrastructure for space surveillance , battle management, and command and control.4 Cyberspace is described as the “global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures.”5 The information environment is composed of the “aggregate of individuals, organizations, and systems that collect, process, disseminate, or act on information.”6 It includes the Internet, telecommunication networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers.7 As an operational medium, space is characterized by global perspective, reach, speed, and persistence. The cyber medium is characterized by global connectivity, ubiquity, and mobility. In contrast to outer space and other natural (land, sea, air) domains, cyberspace is a human-made domain. Although some orbits in nearearth space are crowded, the majority of the environment is devoid of activity. Cyberspace is a dense, constantly changing environment by comparison. There are also significant differences in the cost of entry to access and operate in the space and cyber domains. Expensive launch vehicles and ranges, ground control systems, and satellites are required to deliver payloads into space and operate on-orbit. Anyone with an inexpensive computer and wireless connections marc j. berkowitz 157 can access the cyber domain. Despite their differences, space and cyberspace are interdependent domains unconstrained by political limits or geographic boundaries.8 SPACE AND CYBERSPACE INTERDEPENDENCY Our economy, society, and way of life rely on access to and use of space and cyberspace . We rely and, in some cases, depend upon space and cyber...