The Military Instrument in Cyber Strategy

Democratic states have struggled to address cyberspace threats that occur short of armed conflict, partly because of a reluctance to employ the military instrument of national power short of war and partly because of the prominence of deterrence concepts in defense strategy. The current strategic environment is one in which the national interests of the United States and its allies are at risk in strategic competition. This situation puts a premium on maneuver space for decisionmakers, who will depend in part on military cyberspace operations to help preserve that space. Such operations can contribute to a strategy of integrated cybersecurity, which combines the operational approaches of deterrence, persistence, and anticipatory resilience. Only by bringing all their governmental tools to bear against cyberspace threats in an integrated fashion can democratic states sustain progress in thwarting the strategically impactful cyberspace activity increasingly employed by both criminal groups and rival states short of armed conflict.