Rethinking European Cyber Defense Policy: Toward a Defense Superiority Doctrine

Abstract

The United States has abandoned old-fashioned thinking that focused on deterring cyber operations below the threshold of armed conflict. It now opts for a new doctrine of "persistent engagement" in cyberspace, which emphasizes offensive cyber operations to shape the behavior of adversaries. Rather than follow in the footsteps of the US, the EU should shape cyberspace into an environment of defense superiority, thereby helping forestall attacks both at and below the level of armed conflict.