Cyberspace and the “First Battle” in 21st-century War

Authors

• Robert A. Miller, Information Resources Management College, National Defense University
• Daniel T. Kuehl, Information Resources Management College, National Defense University

Files

Description

Wars often start well before main forces engage. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, combat often began when light cavalry units crossed the border. For most of the 20th century, the “first battle” typically involved dawn surprise attacks, usually delivered by air forces.¹ While a few of these attacks were so shattering that they essentially decided the outcome of the struggle or at least dramatically shaped its course—the Israeli air force’s attack at the opening of the June 1967 Six-Day War comes to mind—in most cases the defender had sufficient strategic space—geographic and/or temporal—to recover and eventually redress the strategic balance to emerge victorious. The opening moments of World War II for Russia and the United States provide two examples.

Document Type

Policy Brief

Topic(s)

Information Operations, Military Strategy, Strategic Competition

Publication Date

9-2009

Publication

Defense Horizons

Publisher

National Defense University Press

City

Washington, DC

Keywords

cyberspace, cyber warfare, cyber operations, information warfare, information operations, cyber deterrence, strategic competition, military strategy, first battle, cyber attacks, network warfare, national security, cyber conflict, offensive cyber capabilities, defensive cyber operations, critical infrastructure, command and control, strategic surprise, 21st-century warfare

Recommended Citation

Miller, Robert A. and Kuehl, Daniel T., "Cyberspace and the “First Battle” in 21st-century War" (2009). Defense Horizons. 17.
https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/defense-horizons/17