6th European Conference - Academic Conferences

Rain Ottis
an infantry battalion, which may include a number of infantry companies, anti-tank and mortar
platoons, a reconnaissance platoon, as well as various support units (communications, logistics), etc.
This specialization and role assignment allows the militia unit to conduct a complete offensive cyber
operation from start to finish.
A Hierarchy model is the most likely option for a state sponsored entity, since it offers a more
formalized and understandable structure, as well as relatively strong command and control ability. The
control ability is important, as the actions of a state sponsored militia are by definition attributable to
the state.
However, a Hierarchy model is not an automatic indication of state sponsorship. Any group that is
cohesive enough to determine a command structure amongst them can adopt a hierarchical structure.
This is very evident in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), such as World of Warcraft or
EVE Online, where players often form hierarchical groups (guilds, corporations, etc.) in order to
achieve a common goal. The same approach is possible for a cyber militia as well. In fact, Williams
(2007) suggests that gaming communities can be a good recruiting ground for a cyber militia.
While the state sponsored militia can be expected to have identified membership (still, it may be
anonymous to the outside observer) due to control reasons, a non-state militia can consist of
anonymous members that are only identified by their screen names.
4.2 Strengths
The obvious strength of a hierarchical militia is the potential for efficient command and control. The
command team can divide the operational responsibilities to specialized sub-units and make sure that
their actions are coordinated. However, this strength may be wasted by incompetent leadership or
other factors, such as overly restrictive operating procedures.
A hierarchical militia may exist for a long time even without ongoing conflict. During “peacetime“, the
militia’s capabilities can be improved with recruitment and training. This degree of formalized
preparation with no immediate action in sight is something that can set the hierarchy apart from the
Forum and the Cell.
If the militia is state sponsored, then it can enjoy state funding, infrastructure, as well as cooperation
from other state entities, such as law enforcement or intelligence community. This would allow the
militia to concentrate on training and operations.
4.3 Weaknesses
A potential issue with the Hierarchy model is scalability. Since this approach requires some sort of
vetting or background checks before admitting a new member, it may be time consuming and
therefore slow down the growth of the organization.
Another potential issue with the Hierarchy model is that by design there are key persons in the
hierarchy. Those persons can be targeted by various means to ensure that they will not be effective or
available during a designated period, thus diminishing the overall effectiveness of the militia. A
hierarchical militia may also have issues with leadership if several people contend for prestigious
positions. This potential rift in the cohesion of the unit can potentially be exploited by infiltrator agents.
Any activities attributed to the state sponsored militia can further be attributed to the state. This puts
heavy restrictions on the use of cyber militia “during peacetime“, as the legal framework surrounding
state use of cyber attacks is currently unclear. However, in a conflict scenario, the state attribution is
likely not a problem, because the state is party to the conflict anyway. This means that a state
sponsored offensive cyber militia is primarily useful as a defensive capability between conflicts. Only
during conflict can it be used in its offensive role.
While a state sponsored cyber militia may be more difficult (but not impossible) to infiltrate, they are
vulnerable to public information campaigns, which may lead to low public and political support,
decreased funding and even official disbanding of the militia. On the other hand, if the militia is not
state sponsored, then it is prone to infiltration and internal information operations similar to the one
considered at the Forum model.
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