An Cosantóir

strategic review | 21 For instance, if State 'X' threatens State 'Y' with a physical attack, such as an air strike or naval bombardment, unless it ceases its online aggressions, what facilities would it target to deter further attacks? The dispersion of cyber attacks or attackers over a network is the main im- pediment to an effective response. Most impor- tantly, the danger of escalation where a state or states equipped with nuclear weapons is involved must be factored in when consider- to credibility problems surrounding such retaliatory threats. Secondly, although they pose a grave threat to personal and options. These considerations lead ing such the creation of new high-tech branches in some of the most advanced militaries in the world. The establishment in 2009 of US Cyber Com- mand (USCYBERCOM) and its sub components in the US Army and Navy is a testament to its impact and the seriousness with which cyber warfare is being taken in the halls of the Penta- gon. Academically, US military schools are also brushing up on the new battlefield, and the US Naval Academy has just announced a cyber warfare course as a require- ment for its cadets and future officers. Ireland will not be immune or isolated from the effects of cyber warfare. After all, this battle space is not constrained by geographical or physical bound- aries. Access to such a space is immediate from New York to Beijing, provided internet access is available. www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE national financial and economic wellbeing, cyber attacks have so far amounted to nothing more than delivering a sanctioning ef- fect rather than direct warfare or attack in the traditional military sense. Their role is currently seen as primarily espionage, along- side the disruption to services both within and outside state con- trol. Until it becomes possible to upload a tank or ground forces (think The Matrix) onto the cyber field with the ability to mount an 'electronic occupation' cyber warfare is limited in its overall battlefield application. However, it must be stressed that this does not make the arena unimportant or irrelevant. A compari- son must be drawn to air power in its genesis, where traditional military officers underestimated its potential and revolutionising effect on warfare. Cyber warfare's potential to shape policy is already evident with Currently, Ireland is home to some of the world's largest and most techno- logically sophisticated multinational companies who have a major interest in having a secure environment in which to do business. Although not critical to the state's infrastructure in the military sense, the threat of cyber attacks on commercial activities, if not taken seriously, has the potential to disrupt the economic and financial wellbeing of the state. A battlefield where the only sound international relations from Dublin City University (DCU). He is a recent graduate of MSc Strategic Studies at the University of Aberdeen and a member of the Institute for Interna- tional and European Affairs (IIEA). is the endless tapping of keyboards and the measure of defeat is sig- nalled by the 'blue screen of death' (BSoD) resembles a challenge the likes of which have never been seen before. In the coming years the thresholds of cyber technology and warfare will be challenged and changed allowing the emergence of some type of order and concepts of battle. The hope is that this balance will not destroy the very nature and purpose of the internet itself - the movement of information. Robert Tarrant holds a BA in

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