Science of war has entered the cyber age. Imagine what will happen if all computers based utilities, people have come too rely so much on, stop responding or computer stop recognizing domain names or vital information regarding national security is compromised through computers and communication networks. This is not just a hypothetical war game scenario rather a strong possibility to which empirical observations of the recent past point out. Any soundless, invisible but determined cyber action could paralyse an entire nation without mobilizing a single soldier.
In is in this context that information warfare should be discussed and the role of computer chips in war related fields viewed.
Cyber warfare is different than the conventional war in many ways: Attrition and manoeuvres that used to be the main objectives in conventional wars are being replaced in computer age by emphasize on control. Physical forces' attempt to exhaust, annihilate the enemy and capture and hold grounds in conventional wars is being exchanged with actions intended to paralyse the opponents. Defensive measures are not easy to implement in the cyber world and the attack favours the aggressor. By nature the settings of cyber warfare are international as compared to fighting in confines of limited war zones, sectors and on borders.
Information systems have always been vital for any professional military might. Since the advent of computers and the Internet, there have been amazing changes in the ways of handling and using information: collecting, storing, processing, and distributing information. Like corporate world and even individual members of society, military commands are also taking advantage of the medium at all levels and computers and networks dependence is growing.
War weaponry that might have started with one to one use of force and hurdling of stones on adversaries have changed into attacks by precession guided and capable of mass destructions warheads launched across log distances through independently target able re-entry vehicles, camera fitted smart bombs or even nuclear warheads. Soldiers in today's conventional armies are already making use of computer chips: Global Positioning Systems, Range Finders, eteorological Measuring and sophisticated Fire Control Systems. What is more, "microwave cannons, plasma guns, sensing devices and even mechanical bugs that can swarm and explode around the enemy, body heat powered combat dresses and digital helmets are turning up" reads Defence Journal's report, which is making it difficult to draw a line between conventional and cyber wars. But this is not about how computer chips are serving soldiers in battlefields. It is about how computers and the Internet have become a new weapon in the military's arsenal that need not mobilize the physical forces; virtual battlefield, virtual warfare but no less seismic in any sense as for as their potentials to inflict casualties and loses are concerned.
Loren Thompson, a defence analyst writes, (Now) "warfare is less and less about pushing men and machines around the battlefields and more and more about pushing electrons and photons." Students of military history know how war doctrine, threat perceptions and defence strategies changed when mechanization started after the First World War and armoured fighting vehicles were introduced in the military inventories in the Second Word War. And again when the United States unleashed an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. One time use of nukes produced the theory of nuclear deterrence that has been working fine ever since. Proponents of theory argue that the primary reason that kept the USA and the former USSR from testing their nukes on each other during the long period of cold war was nuclear deterrence; consequences were clear to every one. Now the computers are poised to bring basic changes in the war doctrine once again.
Cyber warfare is not entirely untested. The power of computer was proved in the Gulf War. Intelligence about enemy forces gathered by spy satellites and unmanned reconnaissance planes were transmitted through digital communication systems, followed by effective attacks with precision guided missiles. Later, cyber war methodologies had become much more sophisticated by the time the US and her allies waged an air war against Yugoslavia. By then the computer gurus in the Pentagon were able to gain access to Belgrade's advanced computer based Air Defence System, upload misleading messages and download sensitive data. And during the bombing of Serbia by NATO forces in April 1999, virus carrying emails and denials of service as well as piracy computer attacks were launched against hundreds of civil installations and military facilities in a number of NATO countries. Yet other reports are that "South Korean military intelligence agency is speculating cyber attacks from North Korea. South Korea is among the world's one of the leading Internet countries and there are many computer networks that can be targeted. According to foreign experts, although North Korea could be operating a group of hackers and online terrorism from the North could pose a serious threat, but Seoul's assessment of the 'reclusive' nation's cyber warfare potential may be an exaggeration." Many other serious cyber skirmishes are on record. These cyber scuffles offer bleak examples of what could happen in the event of information warfare.
Like snipers and scouts of Infantry or observers of Artillery, computer hackers can act as cyber vanguards. They are surely working around the clock and around the world to find and take advantage of vulnerabilities in networks and penetrate to steal information and do more damage or just keeping an offensive vigilance.
Such events have brought in the new philosophy that the nation's security is depends upon her ability to withstand cyber warfare. More connected countries, lucrative cyber targets, are investing huge amounts in an effort to place invincible firewalls - at least that is what they would like to think -- around their sensitive national assets. During his first term, President Bush had signed National Security Presidential Directive number 16 that called for a national policy on the rules of engagement for using cyber warfare as a weapon and now America has an operational plan for information warfare in place. Billions of dollars spent, The US National Strategy sets out five key priorities for the public and private sectors to secure cyber space: "Set up a security response system; Identify threats and vulnerabilities; Increase awareness and training; Secure the government's cyber space; Increase national and international security co-operation." The Department of Homeland Security that was "envisioned as a means to bring together all of homeland security agencies under one central umbrella to better plan and execute our security efforts" is also functional now.
Reports are that China and India are also in process of preparing their own cyber warfare strategies. India has set up Internet Security Centre at the cost of 20 million dollars to prevent cyber attacks on her sensitive military and civil installations. India has also signed an agreement with France to collaborate in several areas including cyber security. After "ninety-five percent of network management centres connected with Internet in China have been attacked or invaded by domestic or foreign hackers, with banks, securities and other financial institutions being major targets," the Chinese are also actively working to consolidate their cyber defence.
What forms cyber warfare can take is a surprise future holds for those interested in military history? At the moment one can only imagine threats and calculate risks. Communications networks can be the easiest targets. One country clogging up computers of the adversary that handle war logistics, shutting down the civil utilities that are computer based, crushing computers at military headquarters, jamming radar sites and or interfering with hostile air traffic or simply downing commercial websites are some other cyber actions. All or some of these actions can effectively neutralize the enemy.
In less connected countries like Pakistan where the infrastructure is not very resilient, many of the casualties of any possible cyber war may be in the private sector. But the impacts of any cyber 'figment' or the Internet and the World Wide Web's blockade on the civil life, national economy or military machine may not be difficult to understand.
What should be done? Indigenous research, extensive debate to prepare every one involved - every one will literally be involved – and preparing to live up to any eventuality are some starting points. Threat to national security should be perceived afresh. Possible lines of defence and early warning systems should be planned. Military strategists and planners need to think about how a cyber attack could affect war efforts or peacetime economy. Nation have to dedicate, at policy level, at the private sector level, and academia will have to invest increasing resources to deal with the complexity of how to address issues of threat to national interests and cyber security.
The preparation in line with the time is also essential for protecting national sovereignty and integrity.
In is in this context that information warfare should be discussed and the role of computer chips in war related fields viewed.
Cyber warfare is different than the conventional war in many ways: Attrition and manoeuvres that used to be the main objectives in conventional wars are being replaced in computer age by emphasize on control. Physical forces' attempt to exhaust, annihilate the enemy and capture and hold grounds in conventional wars is being exchanged with actions intended to paralyse the opponents. Defensive measures are not easy to implement in the cyber world and the attack favours the aggressor. By nature the settings of cyber warfare are international as compared to fighting in confines of limited war zones, sectors and on borders.
Information systems have always been vital for any professional military might. Since the advent of computers and the Internet, there have been amazing changes in the ways of handling and using information: collecting, storing, processing, and distributing information. Like corporate world and even individual members of society, military commands are also taking advantage of the medium at all levels and computers and networks dependence is growing.
War weaponry that might have started with one to one use of force and hurdling of stones on adversaries have changed into attacks by precession guided and capable of mass destructions warheads launched across log distances through independently target able re-entry vehicles, camera fitted smart bombs or even nuclear warheads. Soldiers in today's conventional armies are already making use of computer chips: Global Positioning Systems, Range Finders, eteorological Measuring and sophisticated Fire Control Systems. What is more, "microwave cannons, plasma guns, sensing devices and even mechanical bugs that can swarm and explode around the enemy, body heat powered combat dresses and digital helmets are turning up" reads Defence Journal's report, which is making it difficult to draw a line between conventional and cyber wars. But this is not about how computer chips are serving soldiers in battlefields. It is about how computers and the Internet have become a new weapon in the military's arsenal that need not mobilize the physical forces; virtual battlefield, virtual warfare but no less seismic in any sense as for as their potentials to inflict casualties and loses are concerned.
Loren Thompson, a defence analyst writes, (Now) "warfare is less and less about pushing men and machines around the battlefields and more and more about pushing electrons and photons." Students of military history know how war doctrine, threat perceptions and defence strategies changed when mechanization started after the First World War and armoured fighting vehicles were introduced in the military inventories in the Second Word War. And again when the United States unleashed an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. One time use of nukes produced the theory of nuclear deterrence that has been working fine ever since. Proponents of theory argue that the primary reason that kept the USA and the former USSR from testing their nukes on each other during the long period of cold war was nuclear deterrence; consequences were clear to every one. Now the computers are poised to bring basic changes in the war doctrine once again.
Cyber warfare is not entirely untested. The power of computer was proved in the Gulf War. Intelligence about enemy forces gathered by spy satellites and unmanned reconnaissance planes were transmitted through digital communication systems, followed by effective attacks with precision guided missiles. Later, cyber war methodologies had become much more sophisticated by the time the US and her allies waged an air war against Yugoslavia. By then the computer gurus in the Pentagon were able to gain access to Belgrade's advanced computer based Air Defence System, upload misleading messages and download sensitive data. And during the bombing of Serbia by NATO forces in April 1999, virus carrying emails and denials of service as well as piracy computer attacks were launched against hundreds of civil installations and military facilities in a number of NATO countries. Yet other reports are that "South Korean military intelligence agency is speculating cyber attacks from North Korea. South Korea is among the world's one of the leading Internet countries and there are many computer networks that can be targeted. According to foreign experts, although North Korea could be operating a group of hackers and online terrorism from the North could pose a serious threat, but Seoul's assessment of the 'reclusive' nation's cyber warfare potential may be an exaggeration." Many other serious cyber skirmishes are on record. These cyber scuffles offer bleak examples of what could happen in the event of information warfare.
Like snipers and scouts of Infantry or observers of Artillery, computer hackers can act as cyber vanguards. They are surely working around the clock and around the world to find and take advantage of vulnerabilities in networks and penetrate to steal information and do more damage or just keeping an offensive vigilance.
Such events have brought in the new philosophy that the nation's security is depends upon her ability to withstand cyber warfare. More connected countries, lucrative cyber targets, are investing huge amounts in an effort to place invincible firewalls - at least that is what they would like to think -- around their sensitive national assets. During his first term, President Bush had signed National Security Presidential Directive number 16 that called for a national policy on the rules of engagement for using cyber warfare as a weapon and now America has an operational plan for information warfare in place. Billions of dollars spent, The US National Strategy sets out five key priorities for the public and private sectors to secure cyber space: "Set up a security response system; Identify threats and vulnerabilities; Increase awareness and training; Secure the government's cyber space; Increase national and international security co-operation." The Department of Homeland Security that was "envisioned as a means to bring together all of homeland security agencies under one central umbrella to better plan and execute our security efforts" is also functional now.
Reports are that China and India are also in process of preparing their own cyber warfare strategies. India has set up Internet Security Centre at the cost of 20 million dollars to prevent cyber attacks on her sensitive military and civil installations. India has also signed an agreement with France to collaborate in several areas including cyber security. After "ninety-five percent of network management centres connected with Internet in China have been attacked or invaded by domestic or foreign hackers, with banks, securities and other financial institutions being major targets," the Chinese are also actively working to consolidate their cyber defence.
What forms cyber warfare can take is a surprise future holds for those interested in military history? At the moment one can only imagine threats and calculate risks. Communications networks can be the easiest targets. One country clogging up computers of the adversary that handle war logistics, shutting down the civil utilities that are computer based, crushing computers at military headquarters, jamming radar sites and or interfering with hostile air traffic or simply downing commercial websites are some other cyber actions. All or some of these actions can effectively neutralize the enemy.
In less connected countries like Pakistan where the infrastructure is not very resilient, many of the casualties of any possible cyber war may be in the private sector. But the impacts of any cyber 'figment' or the Internet and the World Wide Web's blockade on the civil life, national economy or military machine may not be difficult to understand.
What should be done? Indigenous research, extensive debate to prepare every one involved - every one will literally be involved – and preparing to live up to any eventuality are some starting points. Threat to national security should be perceived afresh. Possible lines of defence and early warning systems should be planned. Military strategists and planners need to think about how a cyber attack could affect war efforts or peacetime economy. Nation have to dedicate, at policy level, at the private sector level, and academia will have to invest increasing resources to deal with the complexity of how to address issues of threat to national interests and cyber security.
The preparation in line with the time is also essential for protecting national sovereignty and integrity.