TY - CONF

T1 - The Projection of Cyberpower from the Maritime Environment

AU - Venables, Adrian

PY - 2016/6/30

Y1 - 2016/6/30

N2 - Cyberspace and cyberpower are terms that are now commonly used in a range of operational contexts, but are accepted as being notoriously difficult to define and measure. This paper builds on previous research to describe a novel method to model cyberspace in three dimensions and applies it to the maritime environment. The unique properties of cyberspace have been acknowledged as a means to project power and influence, the aim of which is ultimately to alter the behaviour of a target audience. As such nations exercise power by controlling the physical connections to cyberspace at their borders by limiting access through filtering or censorship. However, these connections may be vulnerable to attack or bypassed entirely in order to directly engage with populations that are prevented from accessing information deemed subversive or contrary to government policy. The ability of maritime forces to be mobile, yet able to maintain a persistent presence in an operational environment is a well-established technique for utilising both the hard power attributes of coercion and threats and the soft power qualities of persuasion and cultural attraction to achieve a desired end state. By combining the strengths of the maritime operating environment with the characteristics of cyberspace, a method is proposed by which cyberpower can be used to directly target a local audience as part of a wider information operations campaign. When used with techniques to determine the effectiveness of web based commerce, this provides a means to measure the overall success of a campaign of maritime cyberpower projection.

AB - Cyberspace and cyberpower are terms that are now commonly used in a range of operational contexts, but are accepted as being notoriously difficult to define and measure. This paper builds on previous research to describe a novel method to model cyberspace in three dimensions and applies it to the maritime environment. The unique properties of cyberspace have been acknowledged as a means to project power and influence, the aim of which is ultimately to alter the behaviour of a target audience. As such nations exercise power by controlling the physical connections to cyberspace at their borders by limiting access through filtering or censorship. However, these connections may be vulnerable to attack or bypassed entirely in order to directly engage with populations that are prevented from accessing information deemed subversive or contrary to government policy. The ability of maritime forces to be mobile, yet able to maintain a persistent presence in an operational environment is a well-established technique for utilising both the hard power attributes of coercion and threats and the soft power qualities of persuasion and cultural attraction to achieve a desired end state. By combining the strengths of the maritime operating environment with the characteristics of cyberspace, a method is proposed by which cyberpower can be used to directly target a local audience as part of a wider information operations campaign. When used with techniques to determine the effectiveness of web based commerce, this provides a means to measure the overall success of a campaign of maritime cyberpower projection.

KW - cyberpower

KW - Maritime security

M3 - Conference paper

T2 - Maritime/Air Systems and Technologies

Y2 - 21 June 2016 through 23 June 2016

ER -