Separation of Duties

By Kevin Coleman -- Defense Tech Cyberwarfare Correspondent

Few people would dispute the dramatic change we have experienced in the global threat environment.  Arguably, the most significant change is in the area of digital conflict. Confusion, spirited disagreement and widely varying definitions for areas within the digital conflict domain have reached a new level. This has been an ongoing debate for almost as long as I have been blogging here. There have been many individuals who have contacted me not on the blog space but through emails and a few letters.  Sometimes they are very supportive of the views and opinions on the blog and others that vehemently oppose not just my opinions but the opinions represented in the comments. One individual went as far as to state the cyber warfare was a top warfighting domain with information operations/warfare (IO/W), and electronic warfare (EW) falling as sub-areas.  She was quick to point out that we have a cyber command not an IO/W or EW command. This subject should be addressed and the international audience of this blog is a great forum to tackle this issue.

The problem is the blurred lines between electronic warfare, information operations/warfare and cyber warfare. We must collaborate and create clear definitions for these three areas and craft the lines of separation between them. So please create a definition of EW, IO/W and CW that represent the core responsibilities for each that do not overlap. It would be very helpful to address the blurred space between these areas.