No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle to Develop a Military Cyber-Force

Abstract: Over the past decade, numerous states have declared cyberspace as a new domain of warfare, sought to develop a military cyber strategy and establish a cyber command. These developments have led to much policy talk and concern about the future of warfare as well as the digital vulnerability of society. No Shortcuts provides a level-headed view of where we are in the militarization of cyberspace. In this book, Max Smeets bridges the divide between technology and policy to assess the necessary building blocks for states to develop a military cyber capacity. Smeets argues that for many states, the barriers to entry into conflict in cyberspace are currently too high. Accompanied by a wide range of empirical examples, Smeets shows why governments abilities to develop military cyber capabilities might change over time and explains the limits of capability transfer by states and private actors

Bio: Max Smeets is a Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich and Co-Director of the European Cyber Conflict Research Incubator and European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative. He is the author of 'No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle to Develop a Military Cyber- Force' (Oxford University Press & Hurst Publishers, 2022) and co-editor of 'Deter, Disrupt or Deceive? Assessing Cyber Conflict as an Intelligence Contest' (Georgetown University Press, 2023) and 'Cyberspace and Instability' (Edinburgh University Press, 2023). Max is an affiliate at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and an associate fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). He also lectures on cyber warfare and defense as part of the Senior Officer course at the NATO Defense College in Rome. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Stanford University CISAC and a College Lecturer at Keble College, University of Oxford. He has also held research and fellowship positions at New America, Columbia University SIPA, Sciences Po CERI, and NATO CCD COE. Before his academic career, Max worked in finance in London and Amsterdam. Max received a BA in Economics, Politics and Statistics summa cum laude from University College Roosevelt, Utrecht University and an M.Phil (Brasenose College) and DPhil (St. John's College) in International Relations from the University of Oxford.