{"id":152,"date":"2019-02-15T15:49:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T15:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/donavan.sg\/blog\/?p=152"},"modified":"2019-02-15T15:52:52","modified_gmt":"2019-02-15T15:52:52","slug":"digital-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/donavan.sg\/blog\/index.php\/2019\/02\/15\/digital-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Defence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s Total Defence Day in Singapore today. And for the first time in thirty-five years, there has been an update to the framework<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduce Digital Defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was probably much called for, considering how the theatre of warfare has transcended physical space into the digital space<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The subject of digital warfare is too complicated to condense into a blog post, and I will not try to bore the reader. I will only glance through simple implications and betray their simplicity; often the simplest-sounding statements are the gravest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Warfare Transcends Geography<\/u><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most militaries in the physical domain arm themselves vis a vis the capabilities of their neighbours. Defence expenditure is dependent on the geopolitical neighbourhood and the existentialism of the threats an entity faces. Hence, a nation will arm itself up to the point of an effective deterrent vis a vis its perceived threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if we remove geography from the equation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we did that, defence expenditure would now become dependent on the global neighbourhood and the existentialism of the threats an entity faces regardless of location. The calculation of perceived threats will have to change. A football analogy suitable in Asia is the skills gap between being champion of the AFC Asian Cup and the World Cup. The playing field is vastly different; the footballing standard required to be AFC Asian Cup Champion is much lower than against the global giants in the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital warfare is no different, and the implication behind this is that digital warfare is global<\/u>. All nations will eventually need to build globally credible digital defence forces, or risk themselves being repeated victims of cyber attacks. Now, everyone is forced to play in the World Cup, with dire consequences should they not be champion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Warfare Will Cripple, Not Just Economically<\/u><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digitalisation is irreversible; not many can imagine how much we will regress should we undo all the progresses in technology. In fact, many of us will find such a life unthinkable today. However, digitalisation, done insecurely, will cripple, and in ways beyond simple monetary losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many attacks that illustrate this point, but nothing quite beats the December 2015 power grid takedown<\/a>, because of its implications. As the first successful cyber attack against a power grid, it has gained attention worldwide because it forced governments to start thinking, if they had not already done so, the likelihood and impact of such critical infrastructure being disrupted. Imagine the economic, psychological and financial damage this could entail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One can now apply the age-old adage in warfare:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” <\/p>Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


How do we do so? Let us understand why a digital warfare campaign might be conducted. This can be for a variety of reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n