The US Army has announced the establishment of a “triad” comprising Cyber Command, Special Operations Command, and the Space and Missile Defense Command.
Unveiled at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium on Tuesday, the triad will combine space, cyber, and special operations expertise and capabilities to conceptualize more complex and effective battlefield strategies for modern warfare.
The initiative aims to keep pace with adversaries operating in multiple domains simultaneously.
Under the new triad concept, personnel from the US Special Operations Command and US Cyber Command will collaborate with the US Space Command to gather intelligence from space-based assets, cyber detection, and special operations.
All data will be used to bolster the service’s capability to monitor or deter an adversary.
US Space Command official James Dickinson said that the triad will enable teams to defend critical cyber infrastructure or create information warfare cells.
“The fusion of traditional space-based capabilities with cyber and [special operations] can generate new and responsive deterrent options,” he said, as quoted by Defense One.
‘Enhancing Integrated Deterrence’
US Special Operations Command official Jon Braga suggests that in today’s warfare, every physical space and domain is contested.
He said that the US Army must accelerate the convergence of space, cyber, and special operations capabilities to “challenge our observers across the spectrum.”
While enemy forces continue to invest in intelligence-gathering and exploiting critical vulnerabilities, the service must leverage the three commands to deter them.
“Now this new modern day cyber space and [special operations] triad concept is not meant to replace the nuclear triad, but to actually enhance integrated deterrence,” Braga stressed.
Officials from the three commands said they will continue experimentation to formulate effective strategies for the military.