Implications of cyber in anti-access and area-denial counters

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implications and application of anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) strategies to cyber warfare and the approaches needed to defend against such strategies. Traditional A2/AD strategies are used to deny or restrict a military opponent’s access to strategic battle areas. By employing similar methodology to cyber warfare, adversaries can seize control of cyber-dependent platforms, which are then used to negatively affect physical assets and resources. Actively defending against Cyber A2/AD campaigns is especially critical since cyber attacks often occur without the typical warnings and escalation of traditional warfare. Protecting the U.S. against Cyber A2/AD requires a unified cyber defense effort that shares information and resources among intelligence and military teams and civilian infrastructure owners and operators. This paper explores possible approaches and challenges to integrating U.S. cyber defenses, including a deliberation on balancing military assistance against civil liberties and governance concerns. The ability to defend against Cyber A2/AD is dependent on comprehensive preparation. This paper provides a detailed list of actions that the U.S. needs to take in order to successfully prepare itself for a strategic cyber war. The discussion on cyber preparation also includes a summary of geographical areas where Cyber A2/AD activity is anticipated, and lists potential impacts and existing concerns in these areas. A key component to countering Cyber A2/AD is to actively look for threats and react immediately to disrupt the attacks. This can only happen if the cyber defenders are as skilled and as practiced as the attacker. Thus cyber defense training must include exercises, scenarios, and tests that will provide ‘real world’ experiences for trainees. The final section of this paper provides a model scenario that illustrates the stages of a Cyber A2/AD attack and can be used to facilitate further discussion on countering cyber threats.