Discussion on Cyber Policy within the Department of Defense in the Irregular Warfare Podcast
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is focusing on its cyber capabilities to deter adversaries and maintain a strategic advantage in the digital domain. In the latest episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, titled "Episode 81," hosts Matt Moellering and Adam Darnley-Stuart delve into this topic with guests Ms. Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, and Dr. Erica Lonergan, an assistant professor at the Army Cyber Institute at West Point and coauthor of the book "Escalation Dynamics in Cyberspace."
The discussion provides a holistic look at the United States' various cyber policies and strategies, addressing the increasing prominence of cyberspace as a warfighting domain. The episode is accessible on multiple podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and others. It can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, and print media for sharing.
The guests describe how cyber plays a role in integrated deterrence, a strategy that combines cyber with conventional military, economic, diplomatic, and intelligence tools to impose costs on adversaries across multiple domains. The discussion also covers the DoD's focus on active defense and resilience, offensive cyber operations, and the importance of alliances and partnerships in enhancing collective defense.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine offers valuable lessons about the evolving nature of cyber warfare, especially in irregular and hybrid conflict contexts. The episode highlights several important points about cyber warfare’s role and implications:
- Cyber as a Force Multiplier in Hybrid Warfare: Cyber operations have been used to disrupt communications, target critical infrastructure (power grids, transportation), and conduct espionage alongside kinetic operations.
- Influence on Morale and Information Environment: Cyberattacks targeting civilian infrastructure and digital services aim to undermine public morale and government legitimacy. Simultaneously, cyber-enabled information operations shape narratives and influence both domestic and international perception.
- Challenges of Attribution and Response: Ukraine and its allies have struggled with attribution delays, complicating immediate retaliatory or diplomatic responses. Nonetheless, cyber attacks have reinforced the importance of rapid attribution capabilities and building resilient digital infrastructures.
- Civil-Military Integration: A significant lesson is the integration of civilian infrastructure and the military cyber defense posture. Ukraine has mobilized civilian IT volunteers and private-sector expertise for cyber defense, demonstrating the value of whole-of-society approaches.
- International Solidarity and Capacity Building: Support from allied nations—including intelligence sharing, training, and provision of cyber tools—has been crucial for Ukraine, illustrating how partnerships multiply cyber defense capacity in irregular conflicts.
Since recording the episode, the Department of Defense has released an unclassified fact sheet with information on the classified DoD Cyber Strategy. The episode is associated with an image credit by Staff Sgt. Renee Seruntine, US Army National Guard.
In summary, the US DoD deters cyber adversaries through a multi-domain, integrated approach combining defense, offense, partnerships, and strategic communication. The war in Ukraine demonstrates cyber’s critical role as part of hybrid warfare, illustrating its impact on infrastructure, morale, and the information environment, while underscoring the importance of rapid response, attribution, and multi-stakeholder defense. In irregular warfare, cyber operations provide powerful asymmetric tools that reshape strategic landscapes by enabling nuanced conflict methods below traditional war thresholds.
- The Department of Defense (DoD) employs a multi-domain, integrated strategy that utilizes technology and cybersecurity to deter cyber adversaries, combining defensive measures with offensive operations and strategic alliances.
- In the realm of irregular warfare, cyber strategy plays a pivotal role as an asymmetric tool, reshaping the strategic landscape by enabling nuanced conflict methods below traditional war thresholds, as demonstrated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
