Cyber Situational Awareness for Joint Force Commanders

Abstract : The United States Militarys joint warfighting concepts for the operational and tactical levels must be closely examined to ensure forces can create a shared information environment within the cyber domain that is effective enough to support joint military operations in a timely manner. The central thesis being addressed is that military commanders need a common framework for cyber situation awareness in order to aid the force with building a robust information sharing environment. Two key cyber mission areasCyber Support and Cyber Engagementalong with their associated cyber functional capabilities are described with the purpose of emphasizing their importance to conducting joint operations. This research explores the essential role that operational command centers have in creating an effective information environment. Also, a mental model for cyber situation awareness is provided based on four primary information sources: (1) Cyber Support, (2) Cyber Engagement, (3) Joint Force Leadership, (4) Cyber Commons. Using analysis from the model, three primary challenges are also discussed along with proposed solutions.