The battlefield is no longer just playing out on land, sea or in the air. Increasingly, military and terrorist activities are happening in cyberspace. These could include cyberattacks on critical systems or infrastructure such as power plant control systems, hospital and banking databases, and communications systems. For national security, states are strengthening their defensive cyber capabilities and encouraging the private sector and civilians to do the same. Many militaries around the world have established some form of cyber branch within their operations, such as the US Army Cyber Command, for example.

Space equipment, such as satellites, is critical for communications, data transfer, Earth observation, reconnaissance and navigational positioning. These space systems are connected to Earth through cyber connections. Increasingly, space equipment is being targeted by cyberattacks. Although traditional warfare using physical means of attack is not happening in space, cyberattacks on enemy equipment are occurring.

In this video, CIGI Senior Fellow and retired Canadian Armed Forces Brigadier-General Robert Mazzolin explains how, in recent years, militaries and alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have established space and cyber branches to address these new operational domains. The current legal frameworks do not properly address these new threats or prevent warfare from spilling into outer space. “Without clear rules and norms, and the threat of hard-to-attribute cyberattacks, there is going to be distrust among nations and unpredictability. This will have geopolitical peace and security consequences,” explains Mazzolin.

The cyber and space domains have become equal branches of modern militaries because of their strategic importance. Learn more about these critical areas by reading Robert Mazzolin’s essay, “Responding to the Cybersecurity Challenges of the New Space Environment,” here: https://www.cigionline.org/articles/r...

Cybersecurity and Outer Space
A CIGI Essay Series
is available here: https://www.cigionline.org/space-gov