Washington wants to bring cyber warfare closer to the battlefield
The United States Navy is stepping up efforts to develop offensive cyber capabilities that can be used directly near the front line. The initiative represents a significant shift in how the US military intends to conduct cyber operations, placing more tools in the hands of units operating in contested environments.
Anne Marie Schumann, the Department of the Navy’s principal cyber advisor, has issued a public appeal to industry for technologies designed for expeditionary cyber operations and missions conducted at the tactical edge.
The official invited companies developing offensive cyber capabilities or tools that support offensive missions to engage with the Navy.
The exact requirements remain unclear, but the goal is offensive
Schumann did not specify what types of hardware or software the Navy is seeking. In a subsequent statement, she said the objective was to develop robust cyberspace-effects options in line with the priorities of the Department of Defense leadership.
The Navy wants to integrate capabilities from multiple domains to support tactical and operational commanders in contested environments. These efforts are intended to deliver timely and relevant effects for maritime operations while increasing the autonomy of forward-deployed forces.
The initiative is being developed in close coordination with US Cyber Command.
From specialised facilities to the battlefield
The public appeal to industry reflects two major developments: a more aggressive military posture in cyberspace and the recognition that certain cyber operations must be conducted directly by personnel operating at the tactical edge.
For decades, the prevailing model was for most US cyberattacks to be launched by US Cyber Command from specialised facilities located away from the immediate area of operations.
The emerging approach would give units across the military services and combatant commands their own tools, tailored to specific missions and battlefield conditions.
Expeditionary cyberspace operations become doctrine
The shift has been developing for years. A revised version of the Pentagon’s cyberspace doctrine, published in 2022, formally recognised expeditionary cyberspace operations and incorporated them into US military doctrine.
Each military service has since begun developing its own version of tactical or expeditionary cyber capabilities.
The Army established the 11th Cyber Battalion and received approval to create a second cyber battalion. The Air Force developed the Cyber Enabled Air Superiority concept, supported by a National Guard unit assigned an offensive cyber mission to protect the service’s core functions.
The Navy is also developing teams focused on non-kinetic effects that can support maritime operations without relying directly on conventional force.
Tactical targets are often disconnected from the traditional internet
Cyber operations conducted close to the battlefield require different equipment and tactics. Military targets in the field are not always connected to the conventional internet, making traditional intrusion methods difficult to use.
In many cases, access may be achieved by exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum, including radio-frequency transmissions. Battlefield commanders generally have greater authority to employ such effects than they do to launch traditional cyber operations.
These tools could be used against difficult-to-reach networks, including hardened systems controlling air-defence infrastructure. Once access has been secured, control of the operation could be transferred to specialised teams within US Cyber Command.
The Navy wants greater autonomy for fleet commanders
Navy officials have hinted in previous years at the need for offensive cyber capabilities at the fleet level. The service’s 2022 cyberspace-superiority vision was built around three priorities: secure, survive and strike.
The third element pointed to the need for offensive tools capable of supporting naval missions.
The ability to launch such operations directly from a ship would reduce commanders’ dependence on additional approvals or specialised cyber mission teams that may be in high demand across multiple theatres.
For the US Navy, this greater autonomy could provide a faster and more flexible response to increasingly sophisticated adversaries.
Cyber and conventional effects to be integrated
Schumann said recent operations had already demonstrated the integration of fleet, kinetic and non-kinetic effects in a joint operational environment.
According to the official, this combination will no longer be an exception but will become the normal model for military operations.
The expansion of expeditionary cyber capabilities could lead to new organisational structures, operational concepts and methods of cooperation between naval units, cyber teams and other military services.
Acquisition reforms could accelerate deployment
The appeal to industry followed an internal review of how the Navy works with private-sector technology providers. Schumann acknowledged that the department had not been organised effectively enough to accept new capabilities from industry and deliver them rapidly to operational forces.
Amid broader reforms to the military acquisition system, she said the Navy was entering a period of significant transformation.
“The ship has turned,” Schumann said, signalling that the service is prepared to accelerate the adoption of new cyber technologies and their integration into naval operations.
