Journal Article - Small Wars Journal
Twilight Zone Conflicts: Employing Gray Tactics in Cyber Operations
In an opening that would perhaps make Rod Serling proud: There is a fifth dimension of warfare known to man as cyberspace — it is a dimension of infinite possibilities, representing an uncertain middle ground between peace and war. An amorphous realm, wherein actors are strategically employing gray tactics via cyber operations in 'twilight zone conflicts.' And while gray tactics like information operations, sabotage and economic coercion are not new to the pages of history, the medium for leveraging such tactics is.
Here, the impetus for applying a new terminology — twilight zone conflicts — is to recast how policy makers and the defense community might evaluate gray strategy cyber campaigns. A term which deftly captures the paradoxical appeal of gray tactics in cyberspace, as well as society's hopes for cooperation in this domain and its fears of conflict. This article therefore explores the emergence of gray tactics in cyber operations, their utility as a political instrument, and reasons that twilight zone conflicts are no longer a mere science fiction fantasy....
Continue reading: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/twilight-zone-conflicts-employing-gray-tactics-in-cyber-operations
For more information on this publication:
Please contact
Cyber Project
For Academic Citation:
Malekos Smith, Jessica. “Twilight Zone Conflicts: Employing Gray Tactics in Cyber Operations.” Small Wars Journal, (October 27, 2016) .
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Analysis & Opinions
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
To Enhance National Security, the Biden Administration Will Have to Trim an Exorbitant Defense Wish List
Analysis & Opinions
- Project Syndicate
Is Nuclear Proliferation Back?
Analysis & Opinions
- Project Syndicate
American Greatness and Decline
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Report
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Arctic Climate Science: A Way Forward for Cooperation through the Arctic Council and Beyond
Paper
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It
In an opening that would perhaps make Rod Serling proud: There is a fifth dimension of warfare known to man as cyberspace — it is a dimension of infinite possibilities, representing an uncertain middle ground between peace and war. An amorphous realm, wherein actors are strategically employing gray tactics via cyber operations in 'twilight zone conflicts.' And while gray tactics like information operations, sabotage and economic coercion are not new to the pages of history, the medium for leveraging such tactics is.
Here, the impetus for applying a new terminology — twilight zone conflicts — is to recast how policy makers and the defense community might evaluate gray strategy cyber campaigns. A term which deftly captures the paradoxical appeal of gray tactics in cyberspace, as well as society's hopes for cooperation in this domain and its fears of conflict. This article therefore explores the emergence of gray tactics in cyber operations, their utility as a political instrument, and reasons that twilight zone conflicts are no longer a mere science fiction fantasy....
Continue reading: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/twilight-zone-conflicts-employing-gray-tactics-in-cyber-operations
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Analysis & Opinions - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
To Enhance National Security, the Biden Administration Will Have to Trim an Exorbitant Defense Wish List
Analysis & Opinions - Project Syndicate
Is Nuclear Proliferation Back?
Analysis & Opinions - Project Syndicate
American Greatness and Decline
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Arctic Climate Science: A Way Forward for Cooperation through the Arctic Council and Beyond
Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It