Essay On Cyberspace

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IS CYBERWAR REAL?
By Maj Patrick Nyirishema, SC 02

Over the last 2 decades, the Internet has grown to become the dominant global medium for communication, information exchange and business. As a communications platform, it has enabled global connectedness, hence increasing the pace of globalization. This has effectively turned cyberspace into a new strategic common, the same way the sea is for global trade and international movement of goods. Modern militaries now consider cyberspace as a fifth domain, along with the traditional domains of sea, land, air and space.

The US Department of Defense defines cyberspace as ‘a global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures, including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers.’ Without dwelling on the semantics and definitions, suffice to say that cyberspace is a broader term than the Internet. However, it should also be noted that the Internet forms the bulk of cyberspace.

In modern economies, national critical infrastructure such as energy systems, transportation systems, water systems and financial systems are controlled by computer systems, which effectively makes them part of cyberspace. Any disruption to the smooth running of computer systems that control national critical infrastructure would have significant (and in some cases strategic) consequences for the nation concerned. Dealing with potential cyber threats has therefore become a high priority for national security and defense institutions across the world.

In the last decade, there has been systematic militarization of cyberspace by governments. This had slowly been building up un...

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...nd then suddenly cross a threshold into strategic effect.” This uncertainty requires actors to act with speed. William J. Lynn compares cyber warfare with manoeuvre warfare and says speed and agility, surprise and economy of force are key characteristics of war applicable to Cyberwar the same way they are in conventional wars.

It can be concluded that there are marked differences as well as similarities between the conduct of Cyberwar and conventional war, owing to the unique characteristics of cyberspace. Cyberwar is peculiar but real. For armies to equip themselves with Cyberwar capabilities calls for a different approach in the way they recruit cyber warriors, the way they train them and how they employ cyber weapons capability. There are policy and strategy questions to be answered by every country, which seeks to acquire and employ Cyberwar capabilities.

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