Introduction to Cyber-Warfare - Proiect SEMPER FIDELIS

120 7. WHY CYBER ESPIONAGE IS A KEY COMPONENT OF CHINESE STRATEGYchapter, when we discuss Operation Aurora, directed against Google and other companies,we shall see what this framework looks like in action.Another line of thought in Chinese writing to justify their seemingly bold moves in cyberspace is that they believe these activities can be done with relative impunity. In a 2009 articlein China Military Science, Senior Colonel Long Fangcheng and Senior Colonel Li Decai statethat cyber operations directed against social, economic, and political targets can be done withoutfear of such activities leading to large-scale military engagements. 12 As such is the case,they generally regard cyber warfare as an element of soft power—albeit one with great effects.They then proceed to claim that the ultimate effect of this highly effective form of soft power isthat the line between peacetime and wartime becomes blurred. This blurring may be a hallmarkof cyber operations in general and might lead to the metaphorical endless war in thenear future.The Art of WarPerhaps, no discussion of Chinese military doctrine would be complete without a mentionof how Sun Tzu’s The Art of War—written about 2000 years ago—influences modern thought.Perhaps, the current Chinese cyber strategy can be best summed up by the following quotesfrom this famous work. 13Therefore, to gain a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the highest excellence; to subjugate theenemy’s army without doing battle is the highest of excellence.Warfare is the Way of deception. Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appearfar, if far, appear near Sun Tzu, translation 14Clearly, the Chinese are looking to set the conditions so that in the event of a looming conflict,an opposing force would seek negotiation and abandon direct conflict as futile—causingthe Chinese to have won without fighting. Viewing the line between war and peacetime in thecyber arena aligns well with Sun Tzu’s original idea. Likewise, the idea of deception alsoplays significantly into the plan of Chinese cyber strategy. Unlike the cyber attack eventsoutlined in the earlier chapters of the book, cyber espionage is inherently more discrete—which may explain why it seems that the Chinese seem to prefer these types of operations.Further, the difficulty of attribution and the cleverly crafted public denials that utilize the“three warfares” also align well with Sun Tzu’s ideas of deception.Now, with a basic understanding of Chinese military thought, we will next discuss who isconducting cyber warfare operations in China.LEVERAGING RESOURCES BEYOND THE MILITARY:THE CYBER WARRIORS OF CHINAIn the previous section, we have looked at the ways Chinese military thinkers and leadersview the role of cyber warfare for the PRC. Now, we shall look at who in China is actuallycarrying out the attacks. The cyber warriors of China have developed in two ways. First, theyhave developed top-down. Chinese military leaders who identified the need for cyber