“The most important of strategic lines are those which concern the communications. Communications dominate war,” wrote Sir Alfred T. Mahan. Modern strategic lines of communications are embedded in and dependent upon cyberspace. Protection of these lines and ensured access to them should thus be of paramount concern for national security. In Mahan's seminal work, he observed that “war is a business of positions.” Just as he advocated over a century ago for control over the sea lines of communication, today's “business of positions” is control over the networks of communication. Seaborne trade still matters greatly, but information and communications passed through global cyber networks is critical for the modern environment.

SUMMARY OF THE BOOK

A2/AD operations have a long and rich military history, as the ability to exclude an enemy from a particular area can be a strategic advantage in a conflict. The principle behind A2/AD operations is that preventing the enemy from reaching the battlefield can negatively impact its ability to maximize capabilities and can lead to a defeat, even if the enemy is the militarily stronger force. US policy has focused on this concept (under a variety of names) for over a decade, but has not yet linked it to strategic access to cyberspace, despite consistently acknowledging the importance of “assured access” to cyberspace as a critical enabler to modern military operations.

Strategic A2/AD operations in cyberspace can be achieved through degradation or destruction of the physical network and infrastructure that underpins cyberspace. The physical infrastructure of cyberspace can be degraded and destroyed in a way that would prevent an adversary from accessing the domain or, if the enemy is already present, diminish its capacity to fully utilize its capabilities. Satellites and fiber optic cables are essential to this communications network and can be damaged or destroyed by physical assault. EMPs can wreak havoc within the electromagnetic spectrum, thereby interrupting an essential part of the domain. Physical attacks on infrastructure could have short- or long-term effects, depending on the type and location of infrastructure targeted, redundancies within the system, and the type of attack that takes place.