Strategy is involved in the running of every government, and the United States is no exception. To take things further, each country has a so-called Grand Strategy, which is the highest type of strategy, and comprises a balance between ends and means, beyond military victories. In order to link regular strategy with an overarching grand strategy, there are numerous criteria. Some include a cohesive list of geopolitical challenges, the provision of a strategic narrative, and the integration of military, economic, and political means. The connection between grand strategy and cyber strategy is important because it dictates the country’s actions and determines whether or not they are cohesive or contradictory.
In this paper, we examine the United States cyber strategy in order to determine if a grand strategy is visible, through three case studies under the Obama administration, as well as interviews and the examination of cyber strategy documents. These sources show that the military, economic, and political actions have operated largely independent of each other, failing to push a single general agenda. Furthermore, this paper presents a cyber strategy that can be integrated in the United States’ grand strategy, recommending strong defensive and offensive cyber capabilities while promoting open Internet access and open markets to encourage innovation.
