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The Topography of
Cyberspace and Its
Consequences for
Operations
*
Abstract: For all the focus on cyberspace as a source of security threats and a domain
of military operations, there has been little progress on establishing a consistent
approach to describing what constitutes cyberspace. Dozens of denitions of the term
“cyberspace” have been developed, but consensus on its essential attributes has yet
to be achieved. Similarly, a number of different models have been offered to describe
cyberspace in terms of layers, such as the physical, logical and cyber persona layers
used in US Joint Publication 3-12, Cyberspace Operations. This paper argues that
cyberspace as a label for a domain should not be confused with the individual networks
– some interconnected (“open”) and some relatively isolated (“closed”) – involved in
military operations. As illustrated by the STEADFAST COBALT exercise, military
operations often involve a complex set of networks. The paper then uses the example of
the Internet to illustrate the need to take a topographical approach – one that identies
the features of the objects or entities and their structural relationships – to enable
effective military operations. This more detailed topographical view of the Internet is
used to illustrate how cyberspace considerations relate to existing operational doctrine
such as concepts from the operational environment (Joint Operational Area and Area
of Interest). Some considerations t well within this framework. Others require some
adaptation, such as shifting some responsibilities to a centralized and persistent
function such as the Cyberspace Operations Centre (CyOC) being established by
NATO. Others fall outside military control and are better addressed through civil-
military cooperation. This example also illustrates how precision in describing the
Brad Bigelow
Principal Technical Advisor
SHAPE DCOS CIS and Cyber Defence
Mons, Belgium
brad.bigelow@shape.nato.int
2018 10th International Conference on Cyber Conict
CyCon X: Maximising Eects
T. Minárik, R. Jakschis, L. Lindström (Eds.)
2018 © NATO CCD COE Publications, Tallinn
Permission to make digital or hard copies of this publication for internal
use within NATO and for personal or educational use when for non-prot or
non-commercial purposes is granted providing that copies bear this notice
and a full citation on the rst page. Any other reproduction or transmission
requires prior written permission by NATO CCD COE.
*
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reect
those of NATO.
