Maritime Cyberpower Projection

UK military doctrine recognises five operating environments, Maritime, Land, Air, Space and Cyberspace. These are not regarded as totally separate warfighting arms as demonstrated by the use of amphibious troops, maritime aviation and the use of satellite derived communications and intelligence illustrating how naval forces can utilise the distinctive attributes of other environments in the projection of seapower. This paper examines the as yet unexplored area of how cyberspace can be used as a mechanism by which the maritime environment can generate cyberpower to influence a target population afloat or ashore. The maritime and cyber environments have many similar characteristics such as their dependence on manufactured resources to exploit their potential and that their size prevents them from being under the total control of a single power, but that temporary regional control is vital for trade, communication or to achieve an effect on an adversary’s behaviour. By examining the components of cyberspace that are dependent upon the maritime environment, methods to identify the components that can project the new concepts of maritime cyberpower and cyber seapower are explored with particular emphasis on addressing the potential cyber vulnerabilities of ship systems