The Fifth Dimension Of Warfare In Cyberspace

The cyber-world began to grow its roots deep into society and permeate the lives of the people in the aftermath of the twenty-first century, so much so that the internet became an integral element of the citizens' lives, elevating them to the position of 'internet users.' Armed forces all over the world are transforming as a result of growing cross-domain dynamics intersecting with cyberspace Furthermore; technological advancements in cyberspace have increased the population of surfers. This became feasible in cyberspace not only because all citizens got more technically savvy, but also because cyber technology became more user pleasant.

LT. Gen R. S. Panwar (Retd.) Leading Expert on Disruptive Military Technology said that Armed forces all around the world are transforming as a result of growing cross-domain dynamics intersecting with cyberspace. “The increasing dependence of the operational environment on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and networks has resulted in the development of a complex battlefield in which cyber warfare plays an important role”.

Adding to this, Commodore Sujeet Samaddar, (Retd) Said “Attaining and retaining supremacy in cyberspace is critical.  Offensive cyber operations give an asymmetric and potent capacity to strike at the heart of a previously uncontested time and space advantage across a variety of military engagements.” The Armed Forces have unparalleled situational awareness, operational and organisational agility, influence, and the capacity to engage the target population from anywhere on the world thanks to cyberspace. 

Thousands of cyber-attacks occur every day, implying that differentiating significant threats from small ones is difficult. However, there appears to be a very obvious separation between everyday cybercrime and cyber warfare. On this Sahil Arora- Policy Research Consultant, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India Adds on “ If an enemy nation conducts a sophisticated, targeted cyber-attack that destroys major portions of a nation's key infrastructure, the resulting repercussions might be referred to as a cyber-war. Cyberwar, for all practical purposes, involves the nation's intelligence services and active-duty military in the aggressive defence of its territory, inhabitants, and resources.”

Panwar in the end stated that “In addition to land, sea, air, and space, cyberspace has evolved as the fifth dimension of battle. While the first four are physical domains, cyberspace is classified as an information domain. To keep our information infrastructure from being harmed in the case of a future conflict, there is an urgent need for complete organisations not just at the national level, but also at the tri-services and individual service levels. Failure to adapt to this new sphere of warfare will tip the balance in future conflicts in favour of opponents”.