Cyberpower and National Security

The National Defense University, the sponsor of this book, has produced an excellent collaboration on the related subjects of Cyberspace and Cyberpower and their influence on National Security. The authors selected for this effort appear remarkably competent for the task and have together produced a highly informative and useful book.Unlike so many books in this genre, this book begins with an accurate and well developed definition of "cyberspace" that brings the concept from a vague buzzword to a concrete multi-tiered system. The authors of this book are particularly adept at identifying and analyzing the layers and protocols that constitute cyberspace. Perhaps most importantly one chapter discusses the role of the Department of Defense developed Global Information Grid (GIG) which is base for military use of cyberspace. Although the book makes a valid reference to the misnamed Global Network, it fails to note that the GIG actually is a component of this network. Still it nails the concept of cyberspace very accurately.Given its sponsor the book of course devotes a good deal of attention to the military use of cyberspace particularly in its central role in the latest iteration of command and control doctrine called `Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance' (C4ISR) which the basis for the "network centric warfare" concept which has been widely adopted by the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Still the book also includes information of considerable importance to non-military applications of cyberspace and the concept of civil infrastructure protection.This leads to the concept of cyberwar in which an enemy tries disrupt or destroy targeted military and civilian computer networks by means of hostile computer systems. The prospect of cyberwar is the foundation for one of the most interesting series of discussions in this book on the subject of"cyberpower."The late U.S. Navy Admiral Arthur Cebrowski was a strong advocate for the evolution of naval command and decision systems to C4ISR systems. He also had a very significant idea on cyberspace, which he argued was the new "commons" on which 21st Century commerce would depend. This represented a modernization of A.T. Mahan's concept that the sea represented the `commons' on which maritime commerce was based. ("Transforming Military Force", Praeger 2007). In this book it is argued that cyberpower is analogous to sea power and a 21st Century mission of the U.S. Military is to acquire and maintain control over cyberspace much as it remains the Navy and Air Force missions to acquire and maintain control over the sea and air.This book is one the most complete and technically accurate books written to date on the increasingly important issues of cyber warfare and cyber security.

Its a good book but its not written as a starter book for cyber study. Further, many of the chapters start with the same introduction to the world of cyber and should have been edited to be less repetitive. Good information in here but if you want a more accessible and basic introduction, try this one  Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It

I used this book as a supplement to my MBA courses in Cybersecurity. I highly recommend this book as a read to understanding global trends and prospectives on the topics that pact decisions. While cyberspace has changed dramatically over the last few years, the book remains quite relevant.

This was one of the few books I've read on cyber policies that doesn't seem to have an apparent axe to grind. It lacks the hysterics and political agenda a number of other recent books have, and it is a very good tutorial on the various facets of "cyberwar" from political, military, economic, technical and legal perspectives. Definitely a must for the professional, as well as those seeking a primer on this subject(s).

Pretty good book, so far. Using the book for my Masters Degree program.

As a grad student this book has been a valuable resource. Each chapter succinctly describes its topic with referential ease.

Great book for understanding national security. I picked this up after a friend’s recommendation.

This book has a very interesting title , but it is too much Garrulus...Mosr writting is common sense and the whole book may be fast read in about half to one day , even it is about 600 pages.There are better books written from Real scientists.I am disapointed from This book. Cyberpower and National Security (National Defense University)

I was writing a master thesis on cyber security and needed a brief and comprehensive reader on the subject. Kramer's book was exactly that.It was a bit US-centric, but at the same time, the editor in the National Defense University...