中國軍方對美空軍隱形戰場裝備擴充－網路戰的研究

現代英語：

Recently, the U.S. Air Force released a new version of the Cyber ​​Warfare Doctrine (hereinafter referred to as the Doctrine). The U.S. Air Force has thus become the first military service to publish a new version of the Doctrine after the release of a series of strategic documents by the Cyberspace Command. The U.S. military’s arms expansion in the invisible battlefield is being fully rolled out.

Seeking cyber warfare advantage

The new version of the directive is the second time that the US Air Force has issued a programmatic document in the field of cyberspace, following the first version in 2010 and the revised version in 2011. The directive is mainly divided into three parts, including the threats and challenges faced by the US Air Force in cyberspace, the main functions of cyber warfare forces, and the force structure.

The new version of the order points out that the threats currently faced by the US Air Force are divided into “malicious acts that intentionally damage the Air Force’s network information system” and “unintentional but damaging network activities that cause impacts”, and proposes four challenges in the medium and long term, namely, the commercial technology and outsourced products currently in use have security vulnerabilities, attacks launched in cyberspace are difficult to trace, network connections have security risks of being invaded, and network infrastructure has weaknesses. Foreign media said that the US Air Force deliberately exaggerated the inherent security risks of the network in order to provide an excuse for strengthening the construction of cyber warfare forces and conducting military operations in this field.

The new version of the regulations further clarifies the main functions of the US Air Force’s cyber warfare forces. The new version of the regulations states that the US Air Force’s cyber warfare forces should not only support the US Air Force in conducting cyber warfare offensive and defensive operations in wartime or quasi-wartime states to gain competitive and operational advantages in this field, but also play a role in peacetime non-armed conflict military activities.

The U.S. Air Force’s cyber warfare style is mainly cyberspace offensive and defensive operations and the operation and maintenance of the U.S. Department of Defense information network. Its main combat force is the 16th Air Force. The unit is formed by the merger of the 24th Air Force responsible for cyberspace and the 25th Air Force responsible for global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It not only undertakes the U.S. Air Force’s cyber warfare and electronic warfare tasks, but also serves as the air force branch of the U.S. Cyber ​​Command.

The new version of the regulations states that according to the U.S. military’s institutional structure of separation of military, political and command, the 16th Air Force is commanded by the U.S. Cyber ​​Command, and the process of carrying out combat operations is formulated by the command. In addition, in order to clarify the relationship between the military forces and functional commands, the Air Force has set up the 616th Operations Command Center, which is responsible for converting the tasks assigned by the U.S. Cyber ​​Command and the needs and cooperation matters of the supported theater into the plans, programs and goals of the Air Force Cyber ​​Warfare Task Force, and connecting with subsequent evaluation work.

Integration into the joint combat system

In addition to the three main parts, the new version of the order also emphasizes that the US Air Force’s cyber warfare forces should be integrated into the “integrated deterrence” and joint combat system. Among them, the 16th Air Force will integrate intelligence reconnaissance and surveillance, electronic warfare and information warfare forces to create an “information environment advantage” for US Air Force operations in order to gain the upper hand in armed conflicts.

The new version of the regulations points out that the US Air Force’s military operations and combat plans in cyberspace should be integrated into the joint force’s combat plans, fully considering cross-agency cooperation, the linkage effects of the physical and cyber domains of the battlefield, and information sharing supported by the national intelligence system.

In order to better integrate into joint operations, the new version of the regulations clarifies the military terminology of the US Air Force’s cyber warfare forces and divides the evaluation of cyberspace combat effectiveness into tactics, campaigns and strategies to reflect the target effects of combat operations at different levels. According to the joint operations regulations of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the “blue”, “red” and “gray” combat opponent marking terms are introduced to represent allies, opponents and neutral parties in cyberspace respectively. “Cyberspace key terrain” is used to refer to cyberspace areas that can provide absolute advantages for cyber warfare mission units.

The concept of “cyberspace control” applies the “command and control” of the US military’s joint operations to new areas, and divides the control level into three levels from low to high: “balance”, “advantage” and “dominance” based on the degree of influence on the opponent’s network information field. This is slightly different from the three combat indicators of the US military’s joint forces: “weak”, “medium” and “strong”.

Foreign media said that under the guidance of the U.S. Cyber ​​Command’s “dominate the cyber domain” principle, the U.S. Air Force cyber warfare forces can “match” the terminology and concepts in the joint combat system, which will enable service commanders and joint force commanders to better use the “hybrid warfare” force of cyber warfare forces.

Strengthen construction in multiple areas

With the release of the new version of the regulations, the U.S. Air Force became the first service branch of the U.S. military to revise its cyber warfare guidelines, which also indicates that the U.S. military has extended its efforts to strengthen cyberspace armaments to combat forces.

The report said that at the same time as the US Air Force issued a new version of the regulations, the US Navy announced the strength of the 10th Fleet under the Cyber ​​Command, which has 14,000 active, civilian and reserve personnel, 28 active commands, 40 cyber mission forces and 27 reserve commands around the world. The US Navy’s cyber warfare force is the largest among all branches of the US military, and the US Air Force may follow the Navy’s system to build the force structure of this branch. A series of actions by the US military in the field of cyberspace will contribute to the expansion of arms in this field.

Since the beginning of this year, the U.S. Cyber ​​Command has successively released a series of documents, including the “Mission Statement of the Department of Defense Information Network Joint Force Command” and the “Mission Statement of the Coast Guard Cyber ​​Command”, to enrich the development plan of cyber warfare forces.

The U.S. Cyber ​​Command plans to invite the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Interoperability Test Command to serve as the testing agency for the “Joint Cyberspace Operations Architecture” to improve joint combat capabilities in the cyberspace field, and plans to take the lead in hosting the NATO “Locked Shield” cybersecurity joint military exercise in late April. At the same time, the United States also invites India and South Korea to conduct military research in the cyberspace and digital policy field.

In addition, the U.S. Air Force has also implemented the goal of improving cyber warfare capabilities in military academies. The U.S. Air Force University Cyber ​​Academy requires students to take at least three courses related to information and cyberspace, and the Air Force War College has formally incorporated cyber warfare and other teaching content into its general courses.

China Military Network Ministry of National Defense Network
Friday, February 24, 2023

現代國語：

近日，美國空軍發布新版《網路作戰條令》（以下簡稱條令）。美國空軍也由此成為網路空間司令部系列戰略性文件出台後，首個公佈新版作戰條令的軍種部隊。美軍在無形戰場的軍備擴張正全面鋪面。

謀求網路作戰優勢

新版條令是繼2010年首版、2011年修訂版後，美國空軍再次發布網路空間領域的綱領文件。該條令主要分為3個部分，包括美國空軍在網路空間面臨的威脅與挑戰、網路戰部隊的主要功能、力量架構。

新版條令指出，美國空軍目前面臨的威脅分為“有意破壞空軍網路資訊系統的惡意行為”和“無意但造成破壞和影響的網路活動”，並據此提出中長期存在的4項挑戰，即正在使用的商業技術和外包產品存在安全漏洞、網路空間發起的攻擊難以溯源、網路連接存在被侵入的安全隱患、網路基礎設施存在弱點。外媒稱，美國空軍刻意放大網路固有的安全風險，意在為其強化網路戰部隊建立並在該領域遂行軍事行動提供口實。

關於美國空軍網路戰部隊的主要功能，新版條令予以進一步明確。新版條令提出，美國空軍網路戰部隊既要在戰時或準戰時狀態下支援美國空軍進行網路戰攻防行動，贏得該領域競爭優勢和作戰優勢，也要在平時的非武裝衝突類軍事活動中發揮作用。

美國空軍網路作戰樣式主要為網路空間攻防作戰及美國國防部資訊網路運作維護，其主要作戰力量為第16航空隊。該部隊由負責網路空間的第24航空隊和負責全球情報、監視和偵察的第25航空隊合併組建，其不僅擔負美國空軍的網路戰和電子戰任務，也是美軍網路司令部的空軍分支。

新版條令稱，根據美軍軍政軍令分離的體制結構，第16航空隊由美軍網路司令部指揮，遂行作戰行動的流程由該司令部製定。此外，為明確軍種部隊和職能司令部間的關係，該航空隊下設第616作戰指揮中心，負責將美軍網絡司令部賦予的任務及受支援戰區的需求和協作事項，轉化為空軍網絡戰任務部隊的計劃、方案和目標，並對接後續評估工作。

融入聯合作戰體系

除了3個主要部分外，新版條令也聚焦在美國空軍網路戰部隊應融入「一體化威懾」和聯合作戰體系。其中，第16航空隊將整合情報偵察監視、電子戰和資訊戰力量，為美國空軍行動創造“資訊環境優勢”，以在武裝衝突中取得先機。

新版條令指出，美國空軍在網路空間的軍事行動和作戰計畫應融入聯合部隊的作戰方案，充分考慮跨機構合作、戰場物理域和網路域連動效應，及國家情報體系支撐下的資訊共享。

為了更好地融入聯合作戰，新版條令明確美國空軍網路戰部隊的軍事術語，將網路空間作戰效能評估分為戰術、戰役和戰略，以體現不同層級作戰行動的目標效果。依據美軍參聯會的聯合作戰條令，引入「藍色」「紅色」和「灰色」的作戰對手標註術語，分別表示網路空間的盟友、對手和中立方。以「網路空間關鍵地形」指稱可為網路戰任務分隊提供絕對優勢的網路空間區域。

「網路空間控制」這個概念，則將美軍聯合作戰中「指揮與控制」應用至新領域，並結合對對手網路資訊領域的影響程度，把控制等級由低至高劃分為「均勢」「優勢」「統治」3個等級，這與美軍聯合部隊「弱」「中」指標「強」3個作戰指標略有差別。

外媒稱，在美軍網絡司令部“主宰網絡域”準則引導下，美國空軍網絡戰部隊與聯合作戰體系中的術語概念“對錶”，可以使軍種指揮官及聯合部隊指揮官更好地運用網絡戰部隊這一“混合戰”力量。

多點發力加強建設

隨著新版條令出爐，美國空軍成為美軍首個修訂網路戰綱領的軍種部隊，這也標誌著美軍已將加強網路空間軍備建設的舉措延伸至作戰部隊。

報道稱，就在美國空軍出台新版條令的同時，美國海軍公佈了隸屬於網絡司令部的第10艦隊實力，該部隊下轄1.4萬名現役、文職和預備役人員，在全球有28個現役指揮部、40支網絡任務部隊和27個預備役指揮部。美國海軍網路戰部隊在美軍各軍兵種中規模最大，美國空軍或將效法海軍體制，建構該軍種的力量結構。美軍在網路空間領域的一系列舉動，將助長該領域軍備擴張態勢。

今年以來，美軍網路司令部相繼發布《國防部資訊網路聯合部隊指揮部任務說明》《海岸防衛隊網路司令部任務說明》等系列文件，豐富網路戰部隊發展計畫。

美軍網路司令部計畫邀請美國國防部聯合互通性測試司令部擔任「聯合網路空間作戰架構」的測試機構，以提高網路太空領域的聯合作戰能力，並擬於4月下旬牽頭承辦北約「鎖盾」網路安全聯合軍演。同時，美國也拉印度、韓國進行網路空間和數位政策的軍事領域研究。

此外，美國空軍也將提升網路戰能力的目標落實到軍事院校。美國空軍大學網路學院要求學員至少選修3門資訊與網路空間相關的課程，空軍戰爭學院則在通用課程中正式編入網路戰等教學內容。

中國軍網 國防部網
2023年2月24日 星期五

中國原創軍事資源：http://www.81.cn/gfbmap/content/2023-02/24/content_334361888.htm