Is it possible to deter adversaries in the cyber domain—and if so, how? What should the US Department of Defense be learning from the role of cyber in the war in Ukraine? How do activities in the cyber domain overlay on—and influence—irregular warfare?
In Episode 81 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, our guests tackle these and other vexing questions presented by the increasing prominence of cyberspace as a warfighting domain. This is third episode produces as part of the IWI Project on Cyber. It features a rich and insightful discussion with 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.
Together, they take a holistic look at the United States’ various cyber policies and strategies, focusing specifically how US interests and strategic objectives apply to the Department of Defense. They go on to describe cyber’s role in integrated deterrence before taking an expansive look at how cyber capabilities impact the strategic landscape—and how cyber activities play out against the backdrop of a shifting and increasingly competitive strategic environment.
(Note: Since recording this episode the Department of Defense has released this unclassified fact sheet with information on the classified DoD Cyber Strategy.)
You can hear the full episode, hosted by Matt Moellering and Adam Darnley-Stuart, below. And be sure to subscribe to the Irregular Warfare Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss an episode!
Image credit: Staff Sgt. Renee Seruntine, US Army National Guard