Cyber war and strategic thought: Do the classic theorists still matter?

Abstract

Warfare in the future will be different from warfare in the past, but are the classic theorists still viable capable of providing insight into the nature of war, conflict, and policy within the realm of cyber war? While a significant amount of work has been directed towards the possibility of cyber war and explaining what it might look like, there is a limited focus on strategic options which states might select in this emerging field. The chapter first offers a typology to view issues of cyber conflict. Second it offers an examination of possible strategic choices for policy makers based on classic strategic thought. The ideas of Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Jomini, along with more modern theorists such as Douhet and Warden are applied to the ideas of cyber war. The possible ramifications of the application of these strategic options in the cyber realm are then discussed. Classic strategic theorists can provide options for policy makers but significant work still remains to be done.