Adapting Unconventional Warfare Doctrine to Cyberspace Operations: Examination of Hacktivist Based Insurgencies - Cyber Warfare Roles of Russia, China, Analysis of 2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. This study proposes how cyberspace operations can best support online resistance movements to influence adversary national will or affect political behavior to achieve U.S. strategic objectives. Political and social hacker activists (hacktivists) are disrupting governments, organizations, companies, and influencing popular and social movements to achieve their causes. Within the cyber domain, technically-capable, socially-aware guerilla-type hacktivists struggle against governments in ways similar to unconventional warfare (UW) campaigns in physical domains. There is currently a gap between UW and cyberspace operations on how best to properly engage, support, and organize an insurgency in cyberspace. Current conditions on the Internet present an opportunity to implement UW within a new domain through online resistance groups and organizations, specifically with the use of hacktivists. An analysis of the Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution of 2014 validates the potential for a UW campaign using a proposed six-phased cyberspace UW model.

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION * War in a New Domain * The Problem * Limitations * Assumptions * Research Questions * Definitions * Specific Usage of Terminology * Cyber Warfare * Cyberspace Operations * Hacktivism * Unconventional Warfare * Significance * CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW * Political Activism * History of Hacktivism.. * From Personas to Hacktivists * Russian Exploitation of Hacktivism * Russian Military Synchronization with Cyberspace Operations * Influence of Social Media * Activities and Effects * How the US Army Conducts Cyberspace Operations * Unconventional Warfare * Phase I: Preparation * Phase II: Initial Contact * Phase III: Infiltration * Phase IV: Organization * Phase V: Buildup * Phase VI: Combat Employment * Phase VII: Transition * Additional Considerations * Conclusions * CHAPTER 3 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY * Methodology and Model * Analysis * CHAPTER 4 - ANALYSIS * Background * Hong Kong Protests of 2014 * Validation of the Proposed Doctrinal Model Utilizing the Hong Kong Protests of 2014 * Phase I: Preparation * Phase II: Infiltration and Initial Contact * Phase III: Organization * Phase IV: Buildup * Phase V: Employment * Phase VI: Transition * Validation Summary * CHAPTER 5 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS * Introduction * Review of Model Validation * Summary of Findings * Interpretation of Findings * Phase I: Preparation * Phase II: Infiltration and Initial Contact * Phase III: Organization * Phase IV: Buildup * Phase V: Employment * Phase VI: Transition * Implications * Recommendations for Further Study * Summary and Conclusions