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76-650: In August 2010 the then Defence Secretary , Liam Fox , asked Lord Levene , a former Chief of Defence Procurement , to chair the Defence Reform Steering Group. The group's remit was to independently review defence and the structure and management of the Ministry of Defence . The group reported in June 2011, with a key recommendation being that a Joint Forces Command (JFC) should be created to manage and deliver specific joint capabilities and to take

152-697: A strategic level . Potential targets in internet sabotage include all aspects of the Internet from the backbones of the web, to the internet service providers , to the varying types of data communication mediums and network equipment. This would include: web servers, enterprise information systems, client server systems, communication links, network equipment, and the desktops and laptops in businesses and homes. Electrical grids , financial networks, and telecommunications systems are also deemed vulnerable, especially due to current trends in computerization and automation. Politically motivated hacktivism involves

228-621: A US drone in the Strait of Hormuz . In addition to retaliatory digital attacks, countries can respond to cyber attacks with cyber sanctions . Sometimes, it is not easy to detect the attacker, but suspicions may focus on a particular country or group of countries. In these cases, unilateral and multilateral economic sanctions can be used instead of cyberwarfare. For example, the United States has frequently imposed economic sanctions related to cyber attacks. Two Executive Orders issued during

304-618: A company or group. The idea of a "cyber Pearl Harbor " has been debated by scholars, drawing an analogy to the historical act of war. Others have used "cyber 9/11 " to draw attention to the nontraditional, asymmetric, or irregular aspect of cyber action against a state. There are a number of reasons nations undertake offensive cyber operations. Sandro Gaycken  [ de ] , a cyber security expert and adviser to NATO , advocates that states take cyber warfare seriously as they are viewed as an attractive activity by many nations, in times of war and peace. Offensive cyber operations offer

380-703: A cyber attack on the Georgian government website, which was carried out along with Georgian military operations in South Ossetia. In 2008, Chinese "nationalist hackers " attacked CNN as it reported on Chinese repression on Tibet . Hackers from Armenia and Azerbaijan have actively participated in cyberwarfare as part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , with Azerbaijani hackers targeting Armenian websites and posting Ilham Aliyev 's statements. Jobs in cyberwarfare have become increasingly popular in

456-581: A defensive and security role to British Overseas Territories and allows the UK to project military power overseas. There is a civilian Director Overseas Bases, appointed in 2018. Director Overseas Bases is a member of Strategic Command's Command Group. The Chief of Defence Intelligence (DI) is the principal adviser on strategic military intelligence issues. DI primarily provides intelligence and advice to inform policy, deployment and research decisions, working alongside other government departments, agencies, allies,

532-472: A large variety of cheap and risk-free options to weaken other countries and strengthen their own positions. Considered from a long-term, geostrategic perspective, cyber offensive operations can cripple whole economies, change political views, agitate conflicts within or among states, reduce their military efficiency and equalize the capacities of high-tech nations to that of low-tech nations, and use access to their critical infrastructures to blackmail them. With

608-586: A multitude of threats towards a nation. At the most basic level, cyber attacks can be used to support traditional warfare. For example, tampering with the operation of air defenses via cyber means in order to facilitate an air attack. Aside from these "hard" threats, cyber warfare can also contribute towards "soft" threats such as espionage and propaganda. Eugene Kaspersky , founder of Kaspersky Lab , equates large-scale cyber weapons , such as Flame and NetTraveler which his company discovered, to biological weapons , claiming that in an interconnected world, they have

684-518: A nation's electrical grid (230,000 customers, Ukraine, 2015 ) or affected access to medical care, thus endangering life (UK National Health Service , WannaCry, 2017 ) have not led to military action. In 2017, Oxford academic Lucas Kello proposed a new term, "Unpeace", to denote highly damaging cyber actions whose non-violent effects do not rise to the level of traditional war. Such actions are neither warlike nor peace-like. Although they are non-violent, and thus not acts of war, their damaging effects on

760-429: A policy perspective. Non-state actors can play as large a part in the cyberwar space as state actors, which leads to dangerous, sometimes disastrous, consequences. Small groups of highly skilled malware developers are able to as effectively impact global politics and cyber warfare as large governmental agencies. A major aspect of this ability lies in the willingness of these groups to share their exploits and developments on

836-406: A protracted period of back-and-forth cyber attacks (including in combination with traditional military action) between warring states. To date, no such action is known to have occurred. Instead, armed forces have responded with tit-for-tat military cyber actions. For example, in June 2019, the United States launched a cyber attack against Iranian weapons systems in retaliation to the shooting down of

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912-402: A system and could lead to the disruption of equipment. Compromise of military systems, such as C4ISTAR components that are responsible for orders and communications could lead to their interception or malicious replacement. Power, water, fuel, communications, and transportation infrastructure all may be vulnerable to disruption. According to Clarke, the civilian realm is also at risk, noting that

988-543: A total of some 30,000 military and civil personnel. The Secretary of State for Defence, Penny Mordaunt , announced in July 2019 that Joint Forces Command would be renamed as 'Strategic Command', dealing with the Ministry of Defence's transformation programme and taking responsibility for a range of strategic and defence-wide capabilities. Strategic Command will integrate fighting across Air, Land, Sea, Cyber and Space and ensure

1064-444: A warfare-like intent." In 2010, the former US National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism, Richard A. Clarke , defined cyberwarfare as "actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation's computers or networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption". The target's own cyber-physical infrastructure may be used by the adversary in case of a cyber conflict, thus weaponizing it. There

1140-404: Is a combination of computer network attack and defense and special technical operations." According to this perspective, the notion of cyber warfare brings a new paradigm into military doctrine. Paulo Shakarian and colleagues put forward the following definition of "cyber war" in 2013, drawing on Clausewitz 's definition of war: "War is the continuation of politics by other means": Cyber war

1216-611: Is a rapidly deployable component. When deployed, SJFHQ is responsible to Chief of Joint Operations through the Chief of Staff (Operations), otherwise the component reports to the Director of Joint Force Development. The Joint Force Headquarters and Joint Force Logistics Component Headquarters come under the command of the SJFHQ Commander and are based at Northwood Headquarters. The Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC)

1292-704: Is an attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users. Perpetrators of DoS attacks typically target sites or services hosted on high-profile web servers such as banks, credit card payment gateways, and even root nameservers. DoS attacks often leverage internet-connected devices with vulnerable security measures to carry out these large-scale attacks. DoS attacks may not be limited to computer-based methods, as strategic physical attacks against infrastructure can be just as devastating. For example, cutting undersea communication cables may severely cripple some regions and countries with regards to their information warfare ability. The federal government of

1368-403: Is an extension of policy by actions taken in cyber space by state or nonstate actors that constitute a serious threat to a nation's security or are conducted in response to a perceived threat against a nation's security. Taddeo offered the following definition in 2012: The warfare grounded on certain uses of ICTs within an offensive or defensive military strategy endorsed by a state and aiming at

1444-487: Is debate on whether the term "cyber warfare" is accurate. In 2012, Eugene Kaspersky , founder of Kaspersky Lab , concluded that " cyberterrorism " is a more accurate term than "cyberwar." He states that "with today's attacks, you are clueless about who did it or when they will strike again. It's not cyber-war, but cyberterrorism." Howard Schmidt , former Cyber Security Coordinator in the Obama administration , said that "there

1520-451: Is distinct from the term "cyber war". Cyberwarfare includes techniques, tactics and procedures that may be involved in a cyber war, but the term does not imply scale, protraction or violence, which are typically associated with the term "war", which inherently refers to a large-scale action, typically over a protracted period of time, and may include objectives seeking to utilize violence or the aim to kill. A cyber war could accurately describe

1596-475: Is largely at MOD Corsham in Wiltshire, and it has a presence at other sites including: Joint Force Development is led by Director General Joint Force Development Air Marshal Ian Gale MBE. It "plans and develops the current and future Joint Force and leads capability for concepts and doctrine, education and training, Defence-wide exercises, experimentation, analysis and lessons". The following groups are

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1672-448: Is no cyberwar... I think that is a terrible metaphor and I think that is a terrible concept. There are no winners in that environment." Some experts take issue with the possible consequences linked to the warfare goal. In 2011, Ron Deibert, of Canada's Citizen Lab , warned of a " militarization of cyberspace ", as militaristic responses may not be appropriate. However, to date, even serious cyber-attacks that have disrupted large parts of

1748-662: Is personally responsible for the specific delegations from Director General Finance. Director of Resources and Policy is a member of Strategic Command's Command Group. The Chief of Defence Logistics and Support is a three-star or OF-8 officer. He or she oversees various appointments such as Director Defence Support Transformation, Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Support Operations) and Director Joint Support. The Director Special Forces (DSF) commands UK Special Forces (UKSF), which are capable of conducting short-notice high-risk operations in challenging environments around

1824-808: Is responsible for delivering a joint capability strategy, including in areas such as special forces; military counter-terrorism, explosive ordnance disposal, CBRN and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR). Based at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, the Joint Information Activities Group (JIAG) is a deployable team of information, media, technical communications and intelligence specialists. The Director of Resources and Policy provides top level budgeting, acts as Senior Finance Officer, Senior Policy Advisor and senior civilian workforce advisor for Joint Forces Command, and

1900-557: Is the MOD's think tank and is responsible for research work in support of joint concepts and doctrine, as well as those relating to the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and British Army. The Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) provides operational command of UK forces assigned to overseas joint and combined operations and provides politically aware military advice to the MOD in order to achieve UK's strategic objectives on operations. CJO includes

1976-443: Is underreported to the extent they are known. According to McAfee's George Kurtz, corporations around the world face millions of cyberattacks a day. "Most of these attacks don't gain any media attention or lead to strong political statements by victims." This type of crime is usually financially motivated. But not all those who engage in cyberwarfare do so for financial or ideological reasons. There are institutes and companies like

2052-684: The EU and NATO . CDI is supported by a civilian deputy and a Director Cyber Intelligence and Information Integration. The following groups are the main components of DI. Originally named the Defence Cyber Operations Group, the Joint Forces Cyber Group (JFCyG) was created in May 2013 and plans and co-ordinates UK cyber warfare operations. It commands Joint Cyber Units at GCHQ Cheltenham and MOD Corsham ,

2128-618: The Israel Defense Forces targeted and destroyed a building associated with an ongoing cyber-attack. There is ongoing debate over how cyberwarfare should be defined and no absolute definition is widely agreed upon. While the majority of scholars, militaries, and governments use definitions that refer to state and state-sponsored actors, other definitions may include non-state actors, such as terrorist groups, companies, political or ideological extremist groups, hacktivists , and transnational criminal organizations depending on

2204-516: The Obama administration , EO 13694 of 2015 and EO 13757 of 2016, specifically focused on the implementation of the cyber sanctions. Subsequent US presidents have issued similar Executive Orders. The US Congress has also imposed cyber sanctions in response to cyberwarfare. For example, the Iran Cyber Sanctions Act of 2016 imposes sanctions on specific individuals responsible for cyber attacks. Cyber warfare can present

2280-785: The Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood Headquarters in Hertfordshire. He is supported by a Chief of Staff (Operations) and a civilian Chief of Staff (Policy and Finance). The Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG) is the UK's arms control verification agency which is based at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire. JACIG's work is focussed on implementing three main treaties: the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty ,

2356-542: The University of Cincinnati or the Kaspersky Security Lab which engage in cyberwarfare so as to better understand the field through actions like the researching and publishing of new security threats. A number of countries conduct exercise to increase preparedness and explore the strategy, tactics and operations involved in conducting and defending against cyber attacks against hostile states, this

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2432-1036: The Vienna Document and the Open Skies Treaty . The Joint Counter-Terrorism Training and Advisory Team (JCTTAT) is based at Risborough Barracks in Kent. A list of those who have served as Commander Joint Forces Command (retitled Commander of Strategic Command on 9 December 2019): Secretary of State for Defence King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The secretary of state for defence , also known as

2508-634: The defence secretary , is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom , with responsibility for the Ministry of Defence . As a senior minister, the incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom . The post of secretary of state for defence was created on 1 April 1964, replacing the positions of minister of defence , first lord of the admiralty , secretary of state for war , and secretary of state for air , while

2584-877: The British military with intelligence, security, languages and photography training. The military and civilian medical and dental personnel from all three British military services, are together known as the Defence Medical Services ( DMS ). The service is commanded by the Director General DMS (DG DMS), formerly the Surgeon General from headquarters at DMS Whittington in Staffordshire. Under DG DMS, comes Director Defence Healthcare, Director Medical Personnel and Training and Defence Medical Director. The Director of Capability

2660-595: The Defence Reform Unit, alongside the wider implementation of the new defence operating model identified by the report on Defence Reform. ACM Peach was appointed as the first commander of the Joint Forces Command on 15 September 2011, taking up the post on 1 December 2011. Initial Operating Capability was achieved in April 2012 and Full Operating Capability was reached in April 2013, giving JFC

2736-545: The General Staff of the British Army stated that this kind of attack from actors such as Russia "is a form of system warfare that seeks to de-legitimize the political and social system on which our military strength is based". Jowell and O'Donnell (2006) state that "propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers

2812-517: The Joint Cyber Unit (Reserve) and Information Assurance Units. The Joint Cyber Unit (Reserve) was established in response to a growing cyber warfare threat and to allow the military to benefit from the expertise of civilian IT specialists. Capabilities include offensive cyber operations. The following units contribute personnel to the cyber reserve. The Joint Intelligence Training Group is based at Chicksands in Bedfordshire and provides

2888-755: The MOD and also the delivery of information technology systems across the MOD's corporate and military elements. Defence Digital was created in 2019 when Information Systems & Services and a number of organisations were brought together; at that time it had an annual budget of over £2 billion and about 2,400 staff including military, civil servants and contractors. Under CIO comes the following: Director Military Digitalisation, Director Digital Enablement, Director Functional Integration, Chief Data Officer, Director Defensive Cyber and Risk, Executive Director Service Delivery and Operations, Director Operations, Director Delivery Intelligence and Expeditionary Service and Director Core Information Services. Defence Digital activity

2964-661: The RAF for ballistic missile defence, space control and space domain awareness. However, United Kingdom Space Command was established on 1 April 2021 at RAF High Wycombe , and now works with the Space Directorate in London . Strategic Command comprises the following organisations and components. The Commander, Strategic Command, based at Northwood Headquarters , brings coherence to the delivery of joint effect by managing, delivering and advancing joint capabilities to support

3040-433: The U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national security officials. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has issued a public notice that warns that the electrical grid is not adequately protected from cyber attack. China denies intruding into the U.S. electrical grid. One countermeasure would be to disconnect

3116-475: The United States admits that the electric power grid is susceptible to cyberwarfare. The United States Department of Homeland Security works with industries to identify vulnerabilities and to help industries enhance the security of control system networks. The federal government is also working to ensure that security is built in as the next generation of "smart grid" networks are developed. In April 2009, reports surfaced that China and Russia had infiltrated

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3192-595: The United States. The New York Times reported that American hackers from the United States Cyber Command planted malware potentially capable of disrupting the Russian electrical grid. Cyber propaganda is an effort to control information in whatever form it takes, and influence public opinion. It is a form of psychological warfare , except it uses social media , fake news websites and other digital means. In 2018, Sir Nicholas Carter, Chief of

3268-429: The armed services operate at the forefront of the information environment. On 9 December 2019, it was announced that Joint Forces Command was renamed Strategic Command. Joint Force Command and Strategic Command handled a number of space functions. Strategic Command had been responsible for satellite communications , intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), and

3344-425: The context of the work. Examples of definitions proposed by experts in the field are as follows. 'Cyberwarfare' is used in a broad context to denote interstate use of technological force within computer networks in which information is stored, shared, or communicated online. Raymond Charles Parks and David P. Duggan focused on analyzing cyberwarfare in terms of computer networks and pointed out that "Cyberwarfare

3420-407: The creation of the cabinet-level minister of defence ). Cyberwarfare Cyberwarfare is the use of cyber attacks against an enemy state , causing comparable harm to actual warfare and/or disrupting vital computer systems . Some intended outcomes could be espionage , sabotage , propaganda , manipulation or economic warfare . There is significant debate among experts regarding

3496-583: The definition of cyberwarfare, and even if such a thing exists. One view is that the term is a misnomer since no cyber attacks to date could be described as a war. An alternative view is that it is a suitable label for cyber attacks which cause physical damage to people and objects in the real world. Many countries, including the United States , United Kingdom , Russia , China , Israel , Iran , and North Korea , have active cyber capabilities for offensive and defensive operations. As states explore

3572-405: The desired intent of the propagandist" (p. 7). The internet is the most important means of communication today. People can convey their messages quickly across to a huge audience, and this can open a window for evil. Terrorist organizations can exploit this and may use this medium to brainwash people. It has been suggested that restricted media coverage of terrorist attacks would in turn decrease

3648-524: The economy and society may be greater than those of some armed attacks. This term is closely related to the concept of the " grey zone ", which came to prominence in 2017, describing hostile actions that fall below the traditional threshold of war. But as Kello explained, technological unpeace differs from the grey zone as the term is commonly used in that unpeace by definition is never overtly violent or fatal, whereas some grey-zone actions are violent, even if they are not acts of war. The term "cyberwarfare"

3724-519: The emergence of cyber as a substantial threat to national and global security, cyber war, warfare and/or attacks also became a domain of interest and purpose for the military. In the U.S., General Keith B. Alexander , first head of USCYBERCOM , told the Senate Armed Services Committee that computer network warfare is evolving so rapidly that there is a "mismatch between our technical capabilities to conduct operations and

3800-408: The foundation of modern economies," notes The New York Times . Stuxnet , while extremely effective in delaying Iran's nuclear program for the development of nuclear weaponry, came at a high cost. For the first time, it became clear that not only could cyber weapons be defensive but they could be offensive. The large decentralization and scale of cyberspace makes it extremely difficult to direct from

3876-699: The governing laws and policies. Cyber Command is the newest global combatant and its sole mission is cyberspace, outside the traditional battlefields of land, sea, air and space." It will attempt to find and, when necessary, neutralize cyberattacks and to defend military computer networks. Alexander sketched out the broad battlefield envisioned for the computer warfare command, listing the kind of targets that his new headquarters could be ordered to attack, including "traditional battlefield prizes – command-and-control systems at military headquarters, air defense networks and weapons systems that require computers to operate." One cyber warfare scenario, Cyber-ShockWave , which

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3952-423: The immediate disruption or control of the enemy's resources, and which is waged within the informational environment, with agents and targets ranging both on the physical and non-physical domains and whose level of violence may vary upon circumstances. Robinson et al. proposed in 2015 that the intent of the attacker dictates whether an attack is warfare or not, defining cyber warfare as "the use of cyber attacks with

4028-615: The individual offices of the British Armed Forces were abolished and their functions transferred to the Ministry of Defence. In 2019, Penny Mordaunt became the UK's first female defence secretary. The secretary of state is supported by the other ministers in the Defence Ministerial Team and the MOD permanent secretary . The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for defence , and

4104-400: The lead on joint warfare development, learning from lessons and experimentation to advise on how the military should conduct joint operations in the future. The Defence Reform report also made the following recommendations: The creation of Joint Forces Command was overseen by the then Vice Chief of the Defence Staff , General Sir Nicholas Houghton , Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach , and

4180-826: The main components of DI. Based at MOD Shrivenham in Oxfordshire, the Defence Academy provides higher education for personnel in the British Armed Forces , the Civil Service , other government departments and service personnel from other nations. The Defence Centre of Training Support , originally headquartered at RAF Halton , forms part of the Defence Academy and is responsible for training military instructors and managers, and other aspects of defence training. The Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs

4256-642: The media as cyber-terrorists, wreaking havoc by hacking websites, posting sensitive information about their victims, and threatening further attacks if their demands are not met. However, hacktivism is more than that. Actors are politically motivated to change the world, through the use of fundamentalism. Groups like Anonymous, however, have divided opinion with their methods. Cyber attacks, including ransomware, can be used to generate income. States can use these techniques to generate significant sources of income, which can evade sanctions and perhaps while simultaneously harming adversaries (depending on targets). This tactic

4332-589: The military. All four branches of the United States military actively recruit for cyber warfare positions. In a 2024 study on the use of military cyber operations during the Russo-Ukrainian War , Frederik A. H. Pedersen and Jeppe T. Jacobsen concluded that cyber operations in warfare may only be impactful on the tactical and operational levels in a war's beginning, when cyber and non-cyber operations can be aligned and complex cyber weapons can be prepared before war breaks out, as well as cumulatively on

4408-567: The most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces. The role of the Director of Joint Warfare is to enable joint forces to operate effectively by defining, measuring and validating the joint force capabilities and formations required to meet current, unexpected and emerging threats. The directorate is responsible for the development and maintenance of air–land and air–maritime integration, and support to associated initiatives. The Standing Joint Force Headquarters (SJFHQ)

4484-563: The number of terrorist attacks that occur afterwards. In 2017, the WannaCry and Petya (NotPetya) cyber attacks, masquerading as ransomware, caused large-scale disruptions in Ukraine as well as to the U.K.'s National Health Service, pharmaceutical giant Merck , Maersk shipping company and other organizations around the world. These attacks are also categorized as cybercrimes , specifically financial crime because they negatively affect

4560-537: The places suffering blackout. Howard Schmidt , former Cyber-Security Coordinator of the US, commented on those possibilities: It's possible that hackers have gotten into administrative computer systems of utility companies, but says those aren't linked to the equipment controlling the grid, at least not in developed countries. [Schmidt] has never heard that the grid itself has been hacked. In June 2019, Russia said that its electrical grid has been under cyber-attack by

4636-469: The potential to be equally destructive. Traditional espionage is not an act of war, nor is cyber-espionage, and both are generally assumed to be ongoing between major powers. Despite this assumption, some incidents can cause serious tensions between nations, and are often described as "attacks". For example: Out of all cyber attacks, 25% of them are espionage based. Computers and satellites that coordinate other activities are vulnerable components of

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4712-427: The power grid from the Internet and run the net with droop speed control only. Massive power outages caused by a cyber attack could disrupt the economy, distract from a simultaneous military attack, or create a national trauma . Iranian hackers, possibly Iranian Cyber Army pushed a massive power outage for 12 hours in 44 of 81 provinces of Turkey , impacting 40 million people. Istanbul and Ankara were among

4788-565: The secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Defence Select Committee . The current secretary of state for defence is John Healey , who was appointed on 5 July 2024 following the 2024 United Kingdom general election . In contrast to what is generally known as a defence minister in many other countries, the Defence Secretary's remit includes: The position of minister for co-ordination of defence

4864-435: The security breaches have already gone beyond stolen credit card numbers, and that potential targets can also include the electric power grid, trains, or the stock market. In mid-July 2010, security experts discovered a malicious software program called Stuxnet that had infiltrated factory computers and had spread to plants around the world. It is considered "the first attack on critical industrial infrastructure that sits at

4940-545: The subversive use of computers and computer networks to promote an agenda, and can potentially extend to attacks, theft and virtual sabotage that could be seen as cyberwarfare – or mistaken for it. Hacktivists use their knowledge and software tools to gain unauthorized access to computer systems they seek to manipulate or damage not for material gain or to cause widespread destruction, but to draw attention to their cause through well-publicized disruptions of select targets. Anonymous and other hacktivist groups are often portrayed in

5016-525: The success of military operations. He is supported by a deputy commander. Under Deputy Commander comes Chief of Staff, Director Strategy and Director Capability, of whom all are key members of the Command Group. Strategic Command Chief of Staff "provides financial authority and supports the command function of Strategic Command headquarters". The Chief of Staff is a member of Strategic Command's Command Group. The Permanent Joint Operating Bases provide

5092-427: The use of cyber operations and combine capabilities, the likelihood of physical confrontation and violence playing out as a result of, or part of, a cyber operation is increased. However, meeting the scale and protracted nature of war is unlikely, thus ambiguity remains. The first instance of kinetic military action used in response to a cyber-attack resulting in the loss of human life was observed on 5 May 2019, when

5168-478: The web as a form of arms proliferation. This allows lesser hackers to become more proficient in creating the large scale attacks that once only a small handful were skillful enough to manage. In addition, thriving black markets for these kinds of cyber weapons are buying and selling these cyber capabilities to the highest bidder without regard for consequences. In computing, a denial-of-service attack ( DoS attack) or distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack)

5244-830: The world. The UK's special forces comprise the Special Boat Service , the Special Air Service , the Special Reconnaissance Regiment , the Special Forces Support Group , 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment , and the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing . The MOD's Defence Digital organisation is led by Ministry of Defence chief information officer (CIO) Charles Forte, who is responsible for information strategy and policy across

5320-556: Was wargamed on the cabinet level by former administration officials, raised issues ranging from the National Guard to the power grid to the limits of statutory authority. The distributed nature of internet based attacks means that it is difficult to determine motivation and attacking party, meaning that it is unclear when a specific act should be considered an act of war. Examples of cyberwarfare driven by political motivations can be found worldwide. In 2008, Russia began

5396-479: Was a British Cabinet -level position established in 1936 to oversee and co-ordinate the rearmament of Britain's defences. It was established by the prime minister, Stanley Baldwin , in response to criticism that Britain's armed forces were understrength compared to those of Nazi Germany . When the Second World War broke out, the new prime minister Neville Chamberlain formed a small War Cabinet and it

5472-474: Was created in 1964 as successor to the posts of minister for coordination of defence and minister of defence. It replaced the positions of first lord of the admiralty , secretary of state for war and secretary of state for air , as the Admiralty , War Office and Air Ministry were merged into the Ministry of Defence (the secretary of state for war had already ceased to be a cabinet position in 1946, with

5548-425: Was created in response to previous criticism that there had been no clear single minister in charge of the prosecution of World War II . In 1946, the post became the only cabinet-level post representing the military, with the three service ministers – the secretary of state for war , the first lord of the admiralty , and the secretary of state for air , now formally subordinated to the minister of defence. The post

5624-526: Was expected that the minister would serve as a spokesperson for the three service ministers, the secretary of state for war , the first lord of the admiralty and the secretary of state for air ; however, political considerations resulted in all three posts being included in the Cabinet, and this role proved increasingly redundant. In April 1940 the position was formally wound up and the functions transferred to other ministers. The post of minister of defence

5700-521: Was observed in August 2019 when it was revealed North Korea had generated $ 2 billion to fund its weapons program, avoiding the blanket of sanctions levied by the United States , United Nations and the European Union . Computer hacking represents a modern threat in ongoing global conflicts and industrial espionage and as such is presumed to widely occur. It is typical that this type of crime

5776-401: Was responsible for co-ordination of defence and security from its creation in 1940 until its abolition in 1964. The post was a Cabinet level post and generally ranked above the three service ministers, some of whom, however, continued to also serve in Cabinet. On his appointment as prime minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill created for himself the new post of minister of defence. The post

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