Vanguard Magazine

26 DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com and information sYstems the complexities of fielding in cyberspAce tactical communication The conTrol of miliTary operaTions ThroughouT The specTrum of conflicT is enabled Through The deploymenT of an effecTiVe TacTical communicaTions and informaTion sysTem (Taccis). Sponsored Content PersPectiVe T he planning, deployment and operation of a modern TacCIS is already a complex undertak- ing; the challenges and threats of operating in today's cyberspace adds further complexity and militaries must address this complexity to exercise effec- tive command and control of deployed forces. However, if managed correctly, these challenges brought about by the cyber domain, can be mitigated. In fact, a TacCIS that is built and deployed cor- rectly, can not only manage, but exploit opportunities, to address current and fu- ture adversaries head-on. In 2016, NATO recognized cyberspace as the fifth domain for military operations and many nations around the world have done the same. While it might be the youngest domain, it's not new, and has quickly evolved to be the most dynamic, fast-paced, and unpredictable domain. The cyber threat landscape is quickly growing beyond IT network level vulnera- bilities and attack vectors, with two emerg- ing concepts driving its expansion: a larger, multi-dimensional attack surface created by making cyberspace the fifth dimension and the evolution of hybrid warfare where cyber threats are used in conjunction with the more traditional land, sea, air and space based threats. Rapid advances in technology are creat- ing somewhat of a paradox in the defence and security space. On the one hand, they have fueled mission system capabilities, re- sulting in increased situational awareness and the ability to create entire communi- cation networks when all other communi- cation capabilities have failed or simply do not exist. On the other hand, "bad actors" continue to exploit cyberspace for different motivations, including accessing informa- tion for commercial gain or mounting at- tacks against critical national infrastructure. "An adversary may attack in cyberspace without causing physical harm, without breaching perimeter control, or without being detected by traditional electronic warfare sensors. These challenges exist on top of another set brought forward by considerations related to reactive, de- fensive and active cyber operations. The increased complexity introduced by cyber- space is directly driving a shift into how tactical communications operate across all five domains," said Richard Fawcett, Di- rector of Strategy, General Dynamics Mis- sion Systems–Canada. Understanding the threat Cyberspace can be less geographically con- strained than other domains, so distance and reach must be viewed differently to traditional environments when consider- ing cyberspace operations. According to one cyber expert, however, it is important not to fall into the trap of considering the introduction of cyberspace as significantly changing existing military doctrine and the role of defence operations. BY RICHARD FAWCETT AND ALkARIM AMLANI

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