conference paper

A framework for relating cyberspace operations to the cognitive and physical domains

Smith T.; Woolley P.; Mills R.; Raines R.

Publication year: 2007
Source / journal: iciw 2007 2nd international conference on i-warfare and security
Country of origin: USA
Language: English
Authors’ affiliations: Air Force Institute of Technology, Fairborn, OH, United States, Fairchild AFB WA, United States
Import source: Scopus export

Abstract

The United States Air Force recently released a new mission statement adding cyberspace as an area of operations to achieve military goals and objectives. The ability to clearly articulate exactly what is and what is not cyberspace will greatly simplify the assignment of roles and missions, as well as the development of cyber warfare doctrine. With that said, there remains much debate about what cyberspace really is, and whether it is truly a domain in which warfare can be waged. In this paper we offer a new perspective on cyberspace that addresses many of the stumbling blocks of previous definitions. We begin with the network centric warfare model that identifies physical, cognitive, and information domains. By focusing on information flows, we develop a model of cyberspace which does not stand on its own but rather is part of a larger whole that encompasses both virtual and physical domains. We go on to show how this framework overcomes limitations of existing cyberspace definitions and will also help clarify discussions about cyber roles and missions, organizational responsibilities, and force development.

Author keywords

cyber warfare, information warfare theory