Cyberspace in Peace and War [Hardback]

Cyberspace in Peace and War presents a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity, cyberwar, and cyber terrorism. From basic concepts to advanced principles, Libicki examines the sources and consequences of system compromises, addresses how cybersecurity policies can strengthen countries defenses--leaving them less susceptible to cyberattack, and explores cybersecurity in the context of military operations, highlighting unique aspects of the digital battleground and strategic uses of cyberwar. He provides the technical and geopolitical foundations of cyberwar necessary to understand the policies, operations, and strategies required for safeguarding an increasingly online infrastructure.

Cyberspace in Peace and War guides readers through the complexities of cybersecurity and cyberwar and challenges them to understand the topics in new ways.



The world typically remembers the space race as the Cold War competition between the USSR and the United States, beginning with the Soviet launch of the first satellite (Sputnik I) in 1957 and culminating in the U.S. moon landing in 1969. But even before Sputnik, the United States had already taken important steps outside of the public eye. The Eisenhower administration quietly worked to establish a precedent for peaceful satellite flight over international borders and to use space-based surveillance systems to gain information that would minimize the chance of a surprise Soviet attack. The Air Force, convinced that space would ultimately become a realm of combat, conducted initial studies about hypersonic armed vehicles that could skim the upper atmosphere or even orbit the planet. For the supporters of armed space exploitation, as for many Americans in general, deterrence dictated preeminence. High-profile Soviet space accomplishments suddenly made these issues seem more urgent and transformed the degree to which the debate was made public.

Between 1954 and 1961 military planners and political leaders competed to cultivate public attitudes that would support their plans for seizing the initiative in space security issues. Key Air Force figures such as Chief of Staff Gen. Thomas White labored hard for the development of armed flight technologies that could traverse both air and space environments. The Air Force's flagship vehicle for controlling aerospace was the Dynamic Soarer space glider bomber, a heat-resistant single-seat space shuttle meant to conduct reconnaissance, bombing, and other missions to ensure American superiority--and peace. In contrast, President Eisenhower envisioned non-weaponized satellite reconnaissance systems as the best tools to ensure peace. In keeping with the low-profile but important roles that CIA actions and U.S. Information Agency initiatives played overseas, Eisenhower's policy relied on space reconnaissance happening quietly and behind the scenes.

The Other Space Race is the story of how neither policy was fully realized. By examining the important but largely forgotten period of research between 1954 and 1961, Nicholas Michael Sambaluk provides a more meaningful context for understanding space security policy and space history.

In a world in which cyberspace is becoming every country's center of gravity, the issue of cyberwar can no longer be ignored.Cyberspace in Peace and War is the first comprehensive, instructional guide to the challenge of cyberwar: how to conduct it but, more importantly, how to avoid it using a mix of cybersecurity policies coupled with deterrence, escalation, signaling, and norms strategies. The result of over twenty years of analysis and assessment by author Martin C. Libicki, this text should be of particular interest to those concerned with the current and future challenges that face the digital frontier. Though written from a U.S. perspective, the principles discussed are globally relevant.

Cyberspace in Peace and War presents a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity, cyberwar, and cyber terrorism. From basic concepts to advanced principles, Libicki examines the sources and consequences of system compromises, addresses how cybersecurity policies can strengthen countries defenses--leaving them less susceptible to cyberattack, and explores cybersecurity in the context of military operations, highlighting unique aspects of the digital battleground and strategic uses of cyberwar. He provides the technical and geopolitical foundations of cyberwar necessary to understand the policies, operations, and strategies required for safeguarding an increasingly online infrastructure.

Cyberspace in Peace and War guides readers through the complexities of cybersecurity and cyberwar and challenges them to understand the topics in new ways.