SSM’s Role in Cyberspace as a New Field of Warfare

Cyberspace has become a new field of “warfare and security”. Our mission statement saying “assuring the continuous improvement of Turkey’s defense and security capabilities” gives us “a duty in cyberspace warfare and security”.

This duty has rooted from our strategic plan in which “gaining competence in defense and security technologies that will prepare Turkish armed forces for future combat environments” is stated.  Performing such a duty requires strong planning in which we decide what should be done in time in very detail. Making such a plan, on the other hand, requires knowledge yielded in parallel to the creation phase of collective consciousness through studies of teams constituted by the partners of the issue i.e. military and governmental agencies, defense companies, universities and other institutions.

For this purpose, SSM has initiated several studies, created lots of documents and reports, performed many conferences and workshops.

SSM has initiated a study named “Networked Enabled Capability (NEC) Feasibility Study” to understand and discuss the requirements of the military redefined in this information age from which cyber security issues have originated. In that study’s design decision section, it is stated that “Information assurance and information security will be the primary concerns” emphasizing the security issue deeply.  Parallel to the similar studies performed at NATO, USA and other countries, SSM attempted to state and document this new understanding of capability brought to defense sector with the enhancements. 

SSM has worked with METU (Mıddle East Technical University) and Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik Şirketi (STM) and the related the military agencies and created an environment where the collaborators come together to create this “feasibility study” under an academic discipline. With this regard, 25 academic personnel from METU and 10 engineers from STM worked together for 18 months, performing seminars and workshops together with the military personnel. The result was a huge document with a roadmap dictating what should be done in the short, mid and long term. 

Following this study, SSM has started several other projects on cyber defense and related issues. One of them was ISSDN i.e. Information Security Simulation for Defense Networks in which we have configured a state of the art cyber security simulation system and applied it to the Turkish Armed Forces to see the possible threats and defined needed precautions to secure any kind of military network. In the course of those studies, SSM has performed, supported or hosted several other workshops to create a collective consciousness through which valuable knowledge is created to plan the future of Cyber Security.

It is now very well known that cyberspace touches every system and platform we are developing and procuring.  It is clearly an indispensable area for innovation and technology. However, current systems and platforms are not ready for this new type of warfare and capability. One of our missions now is to address these vulnerabilities and make sure that our Defense Industry and Turkish military can recognize the full potential of network enabled capability and the risks it brings. 

Turkish Military, in tactical and strategic level, has various networks some of which work over the Internet and digital radios or using satellite infrastructures. Most of these systems are not fully secure or resilient in cyber warfare perspective. Our studies showed that unless major improvements or significant changes are made in how they are constructed or operated, we cannot be sure that we can protect these systems from the threat of cyber-attacks growing from day-to day. 

Turkish Military has a separate command to handle this issue. SSM has already had a separate department running the information systems, various network and cyber security projects. Considering the entire governmental system of Turkey, last year an initiative has been established, named Cyber Security Coordination Committee with the mission to run and coordinate the studies for the cyber security. This committee will constitute working groups and ad hoc committees to deal with the issue.

SSM is always ready to take place in such groups and committees with the experience gained through lots of related projects.

For future plans, as stated in the roadmap manifested in NEC feasibility study, we are in the establishment and assignment phase where each related agency takes its position.

We are ready with a mature plan to deal with this new field of warfare and security as Cyber-attacks is one of the biggest threats in today’s and tomorrow’s world.