Suppression of cyber-defences

Cyber-attacks have become an increasingly prevalent component in conflict and competition in national and international affairs. Many conceptual frameworks describing cyber-warfare are based on the Cold-War era concept of strategic deterrence. These strategies assume symmetry amongst the actors in a cyber-based conflict, and therefore have limitations when placed in a cyber-warfare context. These limitations are discussed with reference to cyber-attacks occurring subsequent to the proposal of these conceptual frameworks. This paper proposes an alternative strategy based on the concept of suppression of enemy air defence, which is a military approach based on overwhelming air superiority. By proposing this conceptual framework, the paper endeavours to fill the gap of cyber-warfare with high asymmetry between the adversaries. Defensive considerations are discussed, with particular emphasis on the South African cyber-defence environment.