31 January 2023

Offensive Cyberspace Operations

LtCol Arun Shankar

Offensive cyberspace operations (OCO) play a crucial role in every phase of modern warfare from competition to conflict to stability. Generally, geographic combatant commanders, U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), or Service-level components hold the authority to use these weapons. Though there are methods for MAGTF commanders to request OCO support from these agencies, they can be arduous and time-consuming. In practice, this often leads to the assumed unavailability of this resource and suboptimal outcomes at the MAGTF level. This article proposes a simple mathematical model that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze opportunities when a further delegation of this authority might prove fruitful. Implications of these findings to law and policy are also presented.

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