Digital Commons Network^™

Urban Security: From High-Intensity Crime To Large-Scale Combat Operations And Everything In Between, John P. Sullivan, Ph.D., Nathan P. Jones, Ph.D., Daniel W. Argomedo, Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Disrupting Deterrence Signaling: Examining The Fifth Wave Of Technology’S Impact, Brendan Balestrieri

Journal of Strategic Security

A critical component of deterrence is signaling, or how states communicate desired images of themselves and their intentions.[i] While scholars advocate for a re-examination of classical deterrence theories in light of the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems, some view the impact of AI and autonomy as a force that will diminish human agency as a component of deterrence and interactions between nations. This article argues the contrary and posits that the emergence of AI and autonomous systems will magnify the importance of human agency by enabling decision-makers to more accurately gauge credibility, will-to-fight factors, and the …

Extended Space Deterrence: Providing Security Assurance In Space, Kiseok Michael Kang

Journal of Strategic Security

Many U.S. allies are increasingly dependent on space-based platforms for their military and economic activities. At the same time, the counterspace threats from U.S. adversaries such as China and Russia are rapidly intensifying. The United States has provided extended deterrence to its allies through its overwhelming nuclear and conventional capabilities for decades. The question arises as to whether the time-tested logic of extended deterrence is applicable in the space domain. This research argues that U.S. extended deterrence in space—relying on the traditional mechanism of deterrence-by-punishment—is ineffective due to the unique nature of outer space.

How Putin's Cyberwar Failed In Ukraine, Austen D. Givens, Max Gorbachevsky, Anita C. Biernat

Journal of Strategic Security

As Russian military forces surged across the Ukrainian border in February 2022, cybersecurity analysts shared predictions about the ways in which the Russian government would use cyberattacks to thwart Ukrainian defenses. Some government agencies and private sector organizations forecast that the Russians would launch a blitz of devastating electronic attacks against Ukrainian critical infrastructure targets, such as electrical power plants and air traffic control networks, crippling the country. While Russian cyberattacks have played a role in the conflict, their effects to date have been significantly less than what some analysts anticipated. But why? This article examines how analysts’ most extreme …

Modern Cognitive Operations And Hybrid Warfare, Yuriy Danyk, Chad M. Briggs

Journal of Strategic Security

Concepts of cognitive warfare and operations are explored in the context of hybrid warfare, including how cyber technologies promote greater asymmetric opportunities for influence, control, and undermining of one’s adversary. Research areas are analyzed in the interconnection with hybrid cognitive operations. The purpose of the article is to study the features and theoretical and applied substantiation of cognitive actions in cyberspace and through cyberspace and their possible consequences within the framework of hybrid conflicts.

Digitized Statecraft In Multilateral Treaty Participation: Global Quasi-Legislative Behavior Of 193 Sovereign States. By Takashi Inoguchi And Lien Thi Quynh Le. Singapore: Springer Nature, 2021., Melisa Perut, Etel Solingen, Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Russian And U.S. News Media Coverage Of Ukrainian Biological Laboratories, February – March 2022, Annie E. Sundelson, Marc Trotochaud, Noelle Huhn, Tara Kirk Sell

Journal of Strategic Security

Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, narratives about U.S.-funded biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine began circulating in both Russian and U.S. news. We sought to characterize news media coverage of this topic and to understand potential differences in coverage between different news sources. 401 news media items from Russian and U.S. news sources covering Ukrainian biological laboratories between February 24 and March 24, 2022 were analyzed for content and framing tactics based on theories of risk perception, persuasion, and misinformation/disinformation. Results showed strong differences between U.S. mainstream news coverage and Russian news coverage and similarities between U.S. hyper-partisan right …

Russian Disinformation On Nato Expansion And The War In Ukraine, Cody Schuette

Journal of Strategic Security

Following years of grievances, Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 and sparked the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. Conversations between Soviet and Western leaders in the final days of the Cold War are at the center of the Kremlin’s justification for these actions. Russia claims the West exploited a weakened Russian state by rapidly expanding NATO in former Soviet and Warsaw Bloc nations, despite a promise not to expand. This research seeks to answer how Russia’s NATO-expansion justification for invading Ukraine is inconsistent with the historical record. Findings reveal that the West never provided assurances on …

Taiwan’S Asymmetrical Defense: Policies And Alternatives, Shang-Su Wu

Journal of Strategic Security

In view of the increasingly serious threats by China’s rising military power, Taiwan has been compelled to adjust its strategy towards asymmetrical warfare owing to its inferior military capabilities. Taiwan does not have a better alternative to an asymmetrical strategy because it cannot return to a symmetrical strategy or move to a strategy centered on people’s war. Through its indigenous defense industry and an external arms supply by Washington, Taipei has built up considerable capabilities for sea denial against Beijing’s sophisticated platforms that are indispensable for thwarting invasion. These denial capabilities enhance the island’s defense, but Taiwan’s various conditions represent …

Creating Light At Tunnel’S End: Ukraine’S Post-War Urban Recovery, Russell W. Glenn

Journal of Strategic Security

The US response to Iraq’s recovery in the aftermath of 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom suffered from an initial conclusion that it was the country’s petroleum infrastructure rather than its electrical networks that were in greater need of recovery resources. The resulting misallocation of resources delayed power restoration to much of the country and frustrated those in affected regions.

Whether the cause is war or a catastrophe sparked by Mother Nature, accurately identifying and correctly prioritizing post-disaster requirements is fundamental to an effective and efficient response. Ukraine has demonstrated a commendable ability to repair war damage even as conflict continues, but …

Decision Advantage: Intelligence In International Politics From The Spanish Armada To Cyberwar. By Jennifer E. Sims. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022., Adam D.M. Svendsen

Journal of Strategic Security

This article provides an annotated review essay of Jennifer E. Sims’ book, Decision Advantage (2022). She communicates several valuable insights into how intelligence manifests in international affairs. Qualities are accomplished through Sims’ development of the concept and theory of ‘decision advantage’ in a variety of intelligence contexts, articulated via a series of different historical case studies ranging chronologically from the Spanish Armada to Cyberwar. Alongside acknowledging intelligence systems and engineering, notions of ‘intelligence power’ and ‘intelligence advantage(s)’ emerge as central, together with ideas of agility and adaptability amongst exponents. While undeniably forming a useful start, what Sims’ work ultimately discloses …

Understanding Pakistan’S Nuclear Security Regime, Tahir Azad, Karl Dewey

Journal of Strategic Security

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 there has been renewed attention on the security and protection of civilian nuclear infrastructure. This has been a long-standing issue in Pakistan, where the security of the country’s nuclear estate has attracted considerable international attention for decades. However, rather than looking at Pakistan’s civilian estate, assessments have instead prioritised the security of the country’s nuclear arsenal. They have also been widely divergent: Western analysts have raised serious concerns over Pakistan’s ability to secure sensitive nuclear materials, the country’s domestic instability and its poor non-proliferation history. In contrast Pakistani officials downplay these risks, …