Cyber Operations: The United States Army's Role

In the twenty-first century, the military added another dimension in which operations will be and should be conducted in order to deal with all the possible threats to national security. Historically, military operations were relegated to land, air, and sea, but in the last ten years, two dimensions that are more non-traditional have been added in order to be examined from a strategic, operational, and tactical perspective. First, space was added then the cyber arena became the latest dimension opened to military operations. The role of the United States US Army will be one that is hard to define and execute and will be scrutinized as it grows. This paper examines the role of the US Army as this new frontier for military operations grows in importance in the future. In examining the role of the US Army, this paper will focus on the challenges of standing up Army Cyber Command through the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leader Development, Personnel, and Facilities DOTMLPF lens and then look at the challenge of operating in this new domain. Finally, a recommendation for ensuring that the US Army executes its mission within the cyber domain satisfactorily while facing the unknown future that includes potential personnel and budget cuts will be made.