escalation-dominance
A strategy of rapidly escalating conflict to inflict serious damage and compel the opponent to cease hostilities due to disproportionate stakes.
2 chapters across 1 book
Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It (2012)Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake
The chapter explores the challenges of controlling escalation in cyber warfare by drawing parallels with Cold War nuclear war games, emphasizing the risks of decapitating strikes that sever command and control and potentially trigger uncontrolled local military actions. It discusses the strategic importance of signaling limited intentions through selective cyber targeting to avoid unintended kinetic escalation, illustrated by the Exercise South China Sea scenario where China employed escalation dominance to compel a diplomatic settlement. The authors argue that cyber attacks must be carefully calibrated to maintain communication channels for negotiation and to avoid provoking disproportionate responses.
This chapter serves as a comprehensive glossary defining key terms and concepts related to cyber warfare, including technical terms like 'botnet' and 'buffer overflow,' strategic doctrines such as 'cyber equivalence' and 'escalation dominance,' and infrastructure elements like 'Internet backbone' and 'NIPRNET.' It provides foundational knowledge necessary to understand the complexities of cyber conflict, the actors involved, and the technological and strategic challenges faced by nations in defending and attacking in cyberspace.