Cyber Power: Operational Mechanisms, Constraints and Strategic Consequences

Lennart Maschmeyer

2019 - present

Traditional security scholars are familiar with two basic mechanisms states use to get what they want: diplomacy and warfare. Cybersecurity scholars have attempted to explain cyber conflict through these lenses, yet cyber operations have proven ineffective at either. Current scholarship suggests cyber operations operate in a different strategic space, but still lacks a theoretical framework of the mechanism of action. Consequently, the strategic role of cyber operations remains unclear. This study aims to fill this lacuna through two main contributions. First, it establishes the mechanisms of action at the operational level of cyber conflict empirically. Second, it develops a conceptual framework to link cyber operations to their strategic heritage in intelligence and covert operations. By identifying their strategic advantages and operational constraints through detailed empirical research, it builds strong foundations for a robust conception of cyber power that clarifies the strategic role of cyber operations and is capable of explaining some of their most puzzling practical aspects. Like traditional covert operations, cyber operations are a secret means of producing desired outcomes. Does this mean cyber operations fall into the same strategic bracket as traditional covert operations? Or has the availability of new information technologies caused more fundamental changes in the way states compete? If so, what are the strategic implications for traditional conflict? The project strives to answer these questions through in-depth comparative historical research that examines how covert operations and cyber operations are deployed strategically, and in interplay with diplomatic efforts and force.