Explores dimensions of the nascent potential theatre of conflict, cyberspace, including the “use and limits of power” and policy planning & implications. Libicki’s general conclusion is that “cyberspace is its own medium with its own rules.” This is due, he argues, to a number of differences between cyber and traditional forms of warfare. These include, (a) that attacks occur due in large part to the exploitation of system vulnerabilities, not use of force, and therefore are unlikely to be decisive, (b) a lack of “permanent” results or effects, (c) ambiguities regarding who can attack and why, and (d) the motivations behind and repeatability of cyber-attacks. Because of these differences, “deterrence and warfighting tenets do not translate reliably into cyberspace” and any attempt to transfer policy dimensions and constructs from different forms of warfare will likely fail and further impede policy development and planning. The author also discusses implications for the U.S. Air Force, and emphasizes the importance of constructing “cyber defense goals, architectures, policies, strategies, and operations.”
