Cyber Operations

1621 Words4 Pages

The Age of Information has made an approaching infinite amount of data accessible to all but the most disenfranchised. Today, technologists pursue the means and ways to transform these oceans of information into actionable information, knowledge, and situational understanding. US Military commanders, too, are addicted to and reliant on the powerful real-time situational awareness that has been made available to all Soldiers on the battlefield. Capability Set 13 provides the Rifleman Radio and the Nett Warrior System, which provide mission command across all echelons via smart phone like devices, and thus exposes all Soldiers to the cyber domain of warfare. The contested cyber domain delivers this powerful stimulant through the complex and interconnected physical, logical, and social layers. However, with complexity and dependency comes fragility. For the top brass, computer technology is both a blessing and a curse. Bombs are guided by GPS satellites, drones piloted remotely from across the world; fighter planes and warships are now huge data-processing centers; even the ordinary foot-soldier is being wired up. Yet growing connectivity over an insecure internet multiplies the avenues for e-attack; and growing dependence on computers increases the harm they can cause. Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) will continue to expand their effects on operations at the Brigade Combat Team and below through the following four Unified Land Operation tasks: build, operate, and defend the network; attack and exploit adversary systems; gain situational understanding through CEMA; and protect individuals and platforms. General Keith B. Alexander, US Cyber Command’s commander, explained during his US Senate confirmation hearing... ... middle of paper ... ...sha Loder, and Benjamin Sutherland. "Disharmony in the spheres." In Modern Warfare, Intelligence and Deterrence: The technologies that are transforming them, edited by Benjamin Sutherland, 101-102. London: Economist Newspaper Ltd., 2011. Miles, James, Anton La Guardia, Natasha Loder, and Benjamin Sutherland. "Space invaders: China admits shooting down a satellite." In Modern Warfare, Intelligence and Deterrence: The technologies that are transforming them, edited by Benjamin Sutherland, 101-102. London: Economist Newspaper Ltd., 2011. Sutherland, Benjamin. "The computer factor." In Modern Warfare, Intelligenc and Deterrence: The technologies that are transforming them, edited by Benjamin Sutherland, 118. London: Economist Newspaper Ltd, 2011. U.S. Army. FM 3-38 Cyber Electromagnetic Activities Final Draft. Washington D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 2013.

Open Document