Excerpted from the classified 2023 Department of Defense Cyber Strategy which establishes how the DoD will operate in and through cyberspace to protect the American people and advance the defense priorities of the United States.

Military capabilities are most effective when used in concert with other instruments of national power, creating a deterrent greater than the sum of its parts. In this way, cyberspace operations represent an indispensable element of U.S. and Allied military strength and form a core component of integrated deterrence.

The 2023 DoD Cyber Strategy

Our global Allies and partners are foundational to the 2023 DoD Cyber Strategy. The United States’ diplomatic and defense relationships represent a force multiplier that extends into cyberspace, enabling rapid coordination and awareness of emerging threats.

As the Department’s cyber capabilities evolve, so do those of our adversaries. Both the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia have embraced malicious cyber activity as a means to counter U.S. conventional military power and degrade the combat capability of the Joint Force. The PRC in particular sees superiority in cyberspace as core to its theories of victory and represents the Department’s pacing challenge in cyberspace.

China

Using cyber means, the PRC has engaged in prolonged campaigns of espionage, theft, and compromise against key defense networks and broader U.S. critical infrastructure, especially the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Globally, malicious cyber activity continues to grow in both volume and severity, impacting the U.S. Homeland and placing Americans at risk. In order to address current and future cyber threats, the Department will pursue four complementary lines of effort:

1. Defend the Nation. The Department will campaign in and through cyberspace to generate insights about cyber threats. We will defend forward, disrupting and degrading malicious cyber actors’ capabilities and supporting ecosystems.
2. Prepare to Fight and Win the Nation’s Wars. The Department will campaign in and through cyberspace to advance Joint Force objectives, enhance the cyber resilience of the Joint Force and ensure its ability to fight in and through contested and congested cyberspace.
3. Protect the Cyber Domain with Allies and Partners. We will build the capacity and capability of U.S. Allies and partners in cyberspace and expand avenues of potential cyber cooperation.
4. Build Enduring Advantages in Cyberspace. We will ensure the availability of timely and actionable intelligence in support of cyberspace operations and explore the intersection of emerging technologies and cyber capabilities, foster a culture of cybersecurity and cyber awareness, investing in the education, training, and knowledge development of personnel across the defense enterprise.

Not So Easy

At the same time, senior leaders of the Department, Military Departments and Services, and the Joint Warfighting community must work together with counterparts across other Federal departments and agencies to build a robust and integrated cyber capability: one that is ready and available to respond rapidly across the spectrum of conflict.

Unfortunately other studies show that business leaders are growing increasingly skeptical of operating with other businesses on different shores.

We live in a highly connected, digital world.