Cyberspace in Multi-Domain Battle Lieutenant General Paul M Nakasone Major Charlie Lewis For months a nation state has covertly infiltrated a neighboring state's critical networks while massing armored forces along its common border with a US ally While the adversary prepares to launch a massive cyber-attack on its neighbor state its tanks are readied to roll over the border Nearby a U S Division engaged in an allied training exercise prepares to become the first line of defense against aggression Unknown to the adversary Allied and US forces have hardened their networks and at the first indication of aggression have temporarily cut power to a nearby city to deceive the enemy Simultaneously a U S Navy warship fires an Electro Magnetic Pulse EMP missile at the adversary disabling their electronic systems Facing a numerically superior enemy Allied forces take advantage of the window of opportunity created by the EMP weapon to engage the crippled and confused enemy forces across multiple domains T oday United States superiority in any domain is no longer a guarantee The continued low barriers to entry and use of relatively inexpensive cyberspace technologies may create advantages across any domain as well as the human dimension Domination in any domain no longer makes for a successful military operation Instead leveraging multiple domains at specific points of opportunity creates the competitive advantage required to defeat adversaries on future battlefields Recognizing this new paradigm the Army and Marine Corps developed the MultiDomain Battle Concept to deter and defeat enemies 1 Multi-domain battle is not a new concept Throughout history militaries have attempted to conquer their enemies by coordinating simultaneous attacks by land and sea and later by air The harnessing of the electromagnetic spectrum and the advent of modern communications technologies have allowed militaries with advanced warfighting capabilities to seize the advantage by engaging in multiple domain battle To win across a 21st-century multi-domain battlefield the Army and Joint Force must first aggressively defend its networks deliver cyberspace effects against its adversaries and 2017 15 CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 15 3 9 17 10 41 PM CYBERSPACE IN MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLE integrate cyber capabilities for the future fight across all domains Lieutenant General Paul M Nakasone assumed command of U S Army Cyber Command on Oct 14 2016 A native of White Bear Lake Minnesota the general is a graduate of Saint John's University in Collegeville Minnesota where he received his commission through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps LTG Nakasone has held command and staff positions across all levels of the Army with assignments in the United States the Republic of Korea Iraq and Afghanistan Prior to his appointment as Commander of U S Army Cyber Command LTG Nakasone commanded the Cyber National Mission Force at U S Cyber Command LTG Nakasone is a graduate of the U S Army War College the Command and General Staff College and the Defense Intelligence College He holds graduate degrees from the U S Army War College the National Defense Intelligence College and the University of Southern California During the early stages of World War II Great Britain found itself exposed and threatened by imminent invasion from Nazi forces The British military faced losing to a tactically superior and larger force while the German Army marched across much of Europe virtually unchecked German Wolfpack Uboat tactics closed shipping lanes prevented critical resupply impacted commerce and rendered the once great British Navy vulnerable The British military faced invasion and defeat to the tactically superior and larger German force a fact painfully played out alongside French and Belgian allies during the Battle of Dunkirk and the fall of France Despite falling behind in three domains the British development of radar at the end of the interwar period and utilizing integrated air and land defenses during the Battle of Britain proved pivotal Using the electromagnetic spectrum the British removed the element of surprise from the Lu#waffe 2 Instead of waiting until spotters identified German aircra# by sight the British employed an integrated air defense system that included radar which provided a crucial over-the-horizon warning British Army anti-aircra# batteries sat with rounds loaded while Royal Air Force fighters launched from airfields to engage the enemy in air-to-air combat Radar allowed the British to maintain air superiority over the mainland and protect their naval defenses thwarting Germany's invasion plans As evidenced by the British actions on land sea air and the electromagnetic spectrums combining efforts across multiple domains creates relative advantages that ultimately lead to victory In preparing for a variety of conflicts the Army and Marine Corps recognize that emphasizing one domain may lead to losses in battle Instead fighting across 16 THE CYBER DEFENSE REVIEW CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 16 3 9 17 10 41 PM LIEUTENANT GENERAL PAUL M NAKASONE MAJOR CHARLIE LEWIS multiple domains including cyberspace increases the effectiveness of US forces while adding complexity to the battlefield Success in this new concept relies heavily on the integration of cyberspace operations which this paper defines A NEW WAY OF THINKING A Cyber Operations Officer Charlie Lewis currently serves as the Executive Officer of the U S Army's Cyber Training Battalion at Fort Gordon Georgia Commissioned in the Field Artillery he first served as Fire Support Officer to Company Commander with 3rd Brigade 101st Airborne Division Following graduate school he taught as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at USMA serving as Department Executive Officer his last year Most recently he directed the Cyber Leader College at the U S Army Cyber School His military education includes the Army's Ranger Airborne Air Assault Pathfinder and Combat Diver schools Charlie is a 2004 graduate of the United States Military Academy and holds a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University He is an Assistant Editor for Army Cyber Institute's The Cyber Defense Review and a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations He recently served as a Madison Policy Forum Cybersecurity Fellow Chief of Staff of the Army General Mark Milley offered we are on the cusp of a fundamental change in the character of war Changes in technology geopolitics and demographics are shi#ing how American forces fight wars 3 Preparing now to allow the Army to meet simultaneous challenges across all domains is imperative if we hope to avoid first battle losses The velocity of future conflict demands that we not wait for our adversaries to adopt new techniques and technologies 4 American technological overmatch has ceded territory to near-peer adversaries regional threats and non-state actors 5 According to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford the proliferation and rapid development of technologies makes it easy for not only Russia and China to close the American advantage but also for smaller actors to frustrate U S interests 6 7 Even as the Joint Force uses robotics as force multipliers improved radio-frequency weapons and continues exploitation of vulnerabilities in weapons systems adversaries will keep pace and do the same 8 Swarming formations of robots micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and various other technologies will create confusion and overwhelm US decisionmaking in future battles 9 Adversarial technological adoption can render US firepower impotent no matter how powerful before crossing the line of departure unless the military prepares for new technologies 2017 17 CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 17 3 9 17 10 41 PM CYBERSPACE IN MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLE Advancing the proven success of combined arms in a joint environment the MultiDomain Battle Concept envisions future ground combat forces providing commanders options across multiple domains to deter and defeat adversaries while working with a variety of different partners This concept will apply combined arms maneuver across all domains to create multiple dilemmas for the enemy 10 Dominance across all domains all the time is not required Instead Commanders will maneuver within each domain at a given point in time to create windows of opportunity and temporary domination to gain the advantage 11 Multi-Domain operations rely on interdependent networks that also serve as the base for the cyberspace domain 12 Presenting both opportunities and vulnerabilities cyberspace serves as a significant option for strategic operations 13 It is up to our cyber forces to prepare for victory across the information environment DEFENSE OF NETWORKS DATA AND WEAPON SYSTEMS Well before any battlefield engagement on land or in air Army Cyber forces enter combat against an enemy set to disrupt US network operations Small elements of cyber defenders protect tactical networks responding to breaches of integrated air defense systems Soldiers continue to update systems ensuring each weapon and tactical warfighter possesses the latest patches or logical armor Back at Fort Gordon Cyber Protection Teams defend broader swathes of networks remotely hunting for advanced persistent threats and maintaining the strategic picture to defend cyber key terrain to enable mission command ST To win across a 21 century multi-domain battlefield the Army and Joint Force must first aggressively defend its networks Without the network there is no Multi-Domain Battle The sinew of maneuver across all domains is the network 14 Army forces are not just reliant on the network for communication and operations the network is also the weapon system upon which all cyber forces project power Failure to defend the network exposes cyberspace's base of operations Like its old coastal artillery mission the Army must recognize that defending well in one domain requires defense across all others Admiral Harry B Harris Jr described the Army's role as defending the sea from land 15 Coastal artillery enhanced the ability of other domains to deny access to the enemy by protecting logistics hubs seaports and airbases 16 Cyber forces protect the network through layered defenses while also securing air sea and land force communications Complexity with serial defense in-depth hinders enemy operations while enabling friendly maneuver Cross-domain defense starts with each domain defending itself first Because what was once a minor nuisance--cyber-attacks--can now inflict damage with significant military 18 THE CYBER DEFENSE REVIEW CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 18 3 9 17 10 41 PM LIEUTENANT GENERAL PAUL M NAKASONE MAJOR CHARLIE LEWIS implications effectively operating and defending the network must be the first priority of all operations 17 Threats against our networks eclipse current potential gains achieved through offensive cyberspace operations Moreover as we look for greater capabilities within cyberspace we become even more vulnerable to adversary intrusions and preemptive strikes 18 The importance of effectively operating and defending our networks cannot be overstated The enemy seeks information and each user on the Department of Defense Information Network DoDIN provides an avenue of approach to their objective Securing the DoDIN not only allows ground forces to communicate across domains but it also allows offensive cyberspace operations to maneuver into enemy terrain Unity of command across cyberspace allowing for both the operation and defense of the network will better integrate defenses within cyberspace The velocity of future conflict demands that we do not wait for our adversaries to adopt new techniques and technologies Fortifying the network affords commanders opportunities in other domains by enabling mission command Various warfighting components from aviation to fires must communicate with land forces while maneuvering to access information on adversaries the terrain and the disposition of friendly forces Gaining and maintaining a decisive advantage in conflict requires accurate and timely decisions based on information gathered 19 The network allows for the sharing and consolidation of data across various organizations commands and even domains Intelligence reporting orders targeting and execution commands will not happen unless there are strong and secure lines of communication The synchronization and integration necessary to win across a multi-domain battlespace cannot occur without the network DELIVERING EFFECTS AGAINST OUR ADVERSARIES Army Cyber operators move through enemy networks Enemy battle plans disappear while supply trains fumble through traffic jams created by incorrect orders and railroad signals Adversarial forces receive confusing messages about their leaders abandoning them via social media while preparing their equipment Enemy observation drones crash due to signal jamming from electronic warfare forces at the front lines One domain can create temporary windows of advantage for another 20 Extending the battlefield over multiple domains provides commanders options to exploit vulnerabilities when they appear as opposed to engaging based on linear constructs 21 Just as the British exploited the electromagnetic spectrum with radar to grow their engagement area during the Battle of Britain in 1940 cyberspace must do the same today 22 Delivering effects against the enemy through the network and across the 2017 19 CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 19 3 9 17 10 41 PM CYBERSPACE IN MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLE information environment empowers US commanders while increasing the complexity of the battlefield for the adversary who will not know where Army cyber forces lurk in their networks One of the goals of the Department of Defense's DoD Cyber Strategy is the need to maintain viable cyber options integrated into plans to achieve precise objectives 23 To meet this goal cyber forces project power through cyberspace in support of various levels of command From development to employment cyberspace effects must connect to commander's intent and objectives Cyber forces must use their diverse problem-solving skills to anticipate requirements and create tools and capabilities to meet requirements Unlike artillery shells or bombs cyber tools are limited and may even be a one-time use system While ground forces can call for multiple artillery rounds to destroy a power transformer cyber forces may have one opportunity to deliver their capability to destroy the same piece of equipment Commanders must synchronize their use during the right window to apply resources wisely within the cyberspace domain The network is also the weapon system upon which all cyber forces project power Beyond networks attacking through the electromagnetic spectrum provides another option Electronic warfare successfully supported recent Russian land operations in Crimea and demonstrated how swarming of threats across multiple domains confuses an enemy 24 Currently electronic warfare capabilities reside at the tactical level providing ground commanders responsive and flexible options to conduct an electronic attack support or protect Using the equipment and talent located within their formation commanders can incorporate fires through the electromagnetic spectrum to support their maneuver operations By jamming enemy communications at a given point while also masking their own signatures ground forces can move freely across the battlefield No matter what method of operation within cyberspace gaining a temporary advantage in conjunction with combined arms maneuver increases the adversaries' complexity Cyber forces must deliver effects in creative ways to maintain this advantage INTEGRATED CAPABILITIES US forces maneuver to regain border towns lost to enemy forces US aircra# race overhead and artillery screams past their buildings but the munitions only land on the vehicles camouflaged outside of the town As an enemy detachment keys their microphone to report activity a message comes across their computer telling them to surrender and providing the current grid of every soldier in that town US troops maneuver closer releasing a swarm of drones Electronic warfare operators start spoofing the size of the small force confusing enemy leaders who now think it is a battalion Panicked forty enemy combatants surrender their 20 THE CYBER DEFENSE REVIEW CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 20 3 9 17 10 41 PM LIEUTENANT GENERAL PAUL M NAKASONE MAJOR CHARLIE LEWIS defenses A drone developed by an Austin startup flies to each enemy soldier scans their irises confirms accountability and relays directions An Electronic Warfare specialist jams any potential enemy communications as they surrender not to a battalion but instead to an expeditionary cyber team of five personnel From defense to offense capabilities must span cyberspace electronic warfare and information operations Just as British leaders exploited a new technology radar to gain an advantage over the Nazis joint force commanders must do the same today in support of Multi-Domain Battle Developing new cyberspace capabilities starts with framing the problem and then innovating throughout the integration process New DoD initiatives stress the research and development cycle but more is needed to meet the speed and agility required by the Army 25 Over the past decade adversaries created new products spent more money and even pilfered American research to counter traditional US strengths 26 To regain the advantage DoD has undertaken numerous initiatives to accelerate the acquisition process of cyberspace technologies including Defense Innovation Board the Strategic Capabilities Office and the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental DIUx 27 Instead of years in development acquisition the Army hopes to purchase capabilities and deploy them much faster in support of ground forces Cyber forces must use their diverse problem solving skills to anticipate requirements and create tools to meet requirements Equally important force structure and education shi#s must occur to incorporate new technologies Commanders must integrate the opportunities new capabilities provide as rapidly as acquired 28 Preparing commands through professional military education's new emphasis on cyberspace increases Army leaders' understanding of cyber threats and cyberspace capabilities Today opportunities exist to enable commanders with cyber and electronic warfare capabilities against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria along with fulfilling U S Army Europe's call for an urgent operational need to address current warfighting shortfalls The Army's Cyber Electromagnetic Activity CEMA Support to Corps and Below CSCB initiative today demonstrates how cyberspace operations can be integrated into a combined arms maneuver force to succeed at lower echelons 29 Moreover While Electronic Warfare EW personnel provide planning prowess their minimal structure limits operations across the entire cyberspace domain However CSCB efforts integrating EW with Cyber Information Operations and Intelligence personnel equipment and capabilities provide commanders with offensive and defensive cyber capabilities to gain an advantage in a domain previously limited to them 30 Moreover CSCB shows forces how to adapt processes and use their organic Electronic Warfare cells 31 2017 21 CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 21 3 9 17 10 41 PM CYBERSPACE IN MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLE Even with force structure and weapons platforms commanders must also visualize cyber terrain the same way they do land to understand the battlefield 32 From maneuvering forces to de-confliction visualization mitigates conflicts within the military and interagency allowing for a faster response to adversarial actions 33 Finally visualization can lessen one of the main risks in cyberspace crossing into another area of responsibility Authorities constrain operations to limit risk because many cannot see the ultimate effect adding a picture can show full movement on the battlefield and will speed up the approval process One of the goals of the DoD Cyber Strategy is the need to maintain viable cyber options integrated into plans to achieve precise objectives CONCLUSION Confused the enemy retreats well beyond the border US forces overwhelmed their decision-making processes and information flow Key communication devices crashed A numerically inferior US and allied force somehow defeated a well-defended force connected to its logistics bases Fighting over multiple domains created a complex battlefield the enemy could not control or defeat Multi-Domain Battle succeeds when each domain gains the advantage in support of others requiring innovative approaches to integrating cyber operations just as the British did with radar A failure to layer operations across multiple domains creates gaps that adversaries will expose Combining maneuver across domains creates many dilemmas for the enemy The network today is the piece that best ties operations across all domains With the network connecting all domains success within cyberspace is imperative From defending the network as a base to achieving effects against the enemy the Army must prepare to fight in an environment that changes exponentially and will look much different tomorrow Starting with the defense of the network cyberspace protects bases upon which offensive forces can deliver effects through fiber and the spectrum Integrated throughout the levels of command the cyberspace domain's integration in multi-domain conflict will be critical for future Joint Force commanders 22 THE CYBER DEFENSE REVIEW CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 22 3 9 17 10 41 PM LIEUTENANT GENERAL PAUL M NAKASONE MAJOR CHARLIE LEWIS NOTES 1 David Perkins Multi-Domain Battle Joint Combined Arms Concept for the 21ST Century Army Magazine Retrieved on November 22 2016 from https www ausa org articles multi-domain-battle-joint-combined-arms-concept-21st-century 2 Alan Beyerchen From Radio to Radar Interwar Military Adaptation to Technological Change in Germany the United Kingdom and the United States In Military Innovation in the Interwar Period edited by Williamson Murray and Allan R Millett Cambridge Cambridge University Press 1996 265 299 3 General Mark A Milley Changing Nature of War Won't Change Our Purpose AUSA Greenbook 2016-2017 October 2016 15-16 4 First battles comment based on America's First Battles 1776-1965 edited by Charles Heller and William A Stofft 5 Joint Operating Environment 2035 The Joint Force in a Contested and Disordered World Joint Chiefs of Staff Washington D C 14 July 2016 15 6 General Joseph Dunford Posture Statement of General Joseph Dunford Jr USMC 19TH Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Before the 114TH Congress Senate Armed Service Committee Budget Hearing United States Senate Armed Services Committee March 17 2016 7 Joint Operating Environment 2035 The Joint Force in a Contested and Disordered World Joint Chiefs of Staff Washington D C 14 July 2016 15 8 Joint Operating Environment 2035 16-19 9 Paul Scharre Unleash the Swarm The Future of Warfare War on the Rocks retrieved from http warontherocks com 2015 03 unleash-the-swarm-the-future-of-warfare on December 28 2016 10 Albert Palazzo and David P Mclain III Multi-Domain Battle A New Concept for Land Forces War on the Rocks Retrieved from http warontherocks com 2016 09 multi-domain-battle-a-new-concept-for-land-forces accessed November 22 2016 11 Perkins 12 Joint Operating Environment 2035 33 13 Joint Operating Environment 2035 33 14 Chris Telley The Sinews of Multi-Domain Battle RealClearDefense retrieved from http www realcleardefense com articles 2016 12 30 the_sinews_of_multi-domain_battle_110564 html on December 30 2016 15 Harry B Harris Jr Role of Land Forces in Ensuring Access to Shared Domains Speech given to the AUSA Institute of Land Warfare LANPAC Symposium on May 25 2016 16 Eric Lindsey Beyond Coast Artillery Cross-Domain Denial and the Army Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments 17 General Mark Milley Remarks at the AUSA Conference 2016 Association of the United States Army 18 Jacquelyn Schneider Digitally-Enabled Warfare Center for a New American Security retrieved from https www cnas org publications reports digitally-enabled-warfare-the-capability-vulnerability-paradox on August 29 2016 19 Patrick J Murphy and Mark A Milley Record Version Statement by The Honorable Patrick J Murphy Acting Secretary of the Army and General Mark A Milley Chief of Staff United States Army on the Posture of the United States Army United States Senate Committee on Armed Services April 7 2016 20 Perkins 21 Perkins 22 Beyerchen 23 Office of the Secretary of Defense The Department of Defense Cyber Strategy April 2015 14 24 Paul Scharre Commanding the Swarm War on the Rocks retrieved from http warontherocks com 2015 03 commanding-the-swarm on November 25 2016 25 Secretary of Defense Ash Carter Remarks on The Path to an Innovative Future for Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense October 28 2016 retrieved from https www defense gov News Speeches Speech-View Article 990315 remarks-on-the-path-to-an-innovative-future-for-defense-csis-third-offset-strat on December 27 2016 2017 23 CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 23 3 9 17 10 41 PM CYBERSPACE IN MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLE NOTES 26 Bob Work The Third U S Offset Strategy and its Implications for Partners and Allies speech given at the Willard Hotel in Washington D C on January 28TH 2015 retrieved from https www defense gov News Speeches Speech-View Article 606641 the-third-us-offset-strategy-and-its-implications-for-partners-and-allies on December 29 2016 27 Remarks on The Path to an Innovative Future for Defense 28 The Path to an Innovative Future for Defense 29 Formerly Army Cyber's Cyber Support to Corps and Below CSCB is now the overarching effort to combine cyber electronic warfare and Information Operations to tactical forces It incorporates support to select rotations to Combat Training Centers that will guide future Army decisions on doctrine organizational structure training materiel integration logistics personnel and facilities to close known capability gaps across the Army 30 U S Army Cyber Command Integration of cyberspace capabilities into tactical units Army mil retrieved from https www army mil article 163156 on November 25 2016 31 David Vargan Expeditionary cyber aids maneuver commanders Army News Service r etrieved from http www riley army mil News Article-Display Article 933299 expeditionary-cyber-aids-maneuver-commanders on November 25 2016 32 Mark Pomerleau What is ISR in non-physical domains C4ISRNET retrieved from http www c4isrnet com articles what-is-isr-in-non-physical-domains on December 30 2016 33 Mark Pomerleau How can cyber contribute to multi-domain battle C4ISRNET retrieved http www c4isrnet com articles how-can-cyber-contribute-to-multi-domain-battle on December 27 2016 24 THE CYBER DEFENSE REVIEW CDR_V2N1_2017 indd 24 3 9 17 10 41 PM This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu