08 January 2015
Confronting Cybersecurity Challenges: Israel’s Evolving Cyber Defence Strategy
Executive Summary
While Israel has not published an official cyber defence strategy, an analysis of the trajectory of Israeli cyber issues, policies and debates yields four key pillars: (i) leadership support for a national cyber defence vision; (ii) continuous upgrade of IDF’s cyber defensive and offensive capabilities such as in the Unit 8200; (iii) Israel’s cutting-edge R&D programmes for boosting civilian and dual-use cyber capabilities; and (iv) the development of a unique comprehensive national “cyber eco-system.” In the process, Israel is developing “a national cyber defensive envelope”—a multi-layered cyber defence strategy leveraging an innovative multi-stakeholder approach that combines intelligence, early warning, passive and active defence, and offensive capabilities across civil-military domains. In this context, “cyber” debate within and outside the Israeli defence establishment has shifted towards the emerging threats, challenges as well as opportunities of cyberspace as a new medium for civil-military strategic interactions.
About the Author
Dr Michael Raska is a Research Fellow with the Military Transformations Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His research focuses on East Asian security and defence issues, including theoretical and policy-oriented aspects of military innovation, force modernisation, and strategy.
Executive Summary
While Israel has not published an official cyber defence strategy, an analysis of the trajectory of Israeli cyber issues, policies and debates yields four key pillars: (i) leadership support for a national cyber defence vision; (ii) continuous upgrade of IDF’s cyber defensive and offensive capabilities such as in the Unit 8200; (iii) Israel’s cutting-edge R&D programmes for boosting civilian and dual-use cyber capabilities; and (iv) the development of a unique comprehensive national “cyber eco-system.” In the process, Israel is developing “a national cyber defensive envelope”—a multi-layered cyber defence strategy leveraging an innovative multi-stakeholder approach that combines intelligence, early warning, passive and active defence, and offensive capabilities across civil-military domains. In this context, “cyber” debate within and outside the Israeli defence establishment has shifted towards the emerging threats, challenges as well as opportunities of cyberspace as a new medium for civil-military strategic interactions.
About the Author
Dr Michael Raska is a Research Fellow with the Military Transformations Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His research focuses on East Asian security and defence issues, including theoretical and policy-oriented aspects of military innovation, force modernisation, and strategy.
