Cyber Wars: A Paradigm Shift from Means to Ends

The last couple of decades have seen a colossal change in terms of the influence that computers can have on the battlefield, with defence pundits claiming it to be the dawn of a new era in warfare. Under these circumstances, there has been a gradual paradigm shift in military thinking and strategies from the strategic aspect to the tactical aspect of cyber warfare, laying more emphasis on it being a potent force multiplier. The author believes this is wrong and rather than cyber warfare being an enhancement of traditional operations, the latter will be force multipliers of cyber warfare. This article tries to shatter myths woven around cyber warfare so as to illuminate the strategic aspects of this relatively misinterpreted notion, thus identifying a paradigm shift, making cyber war the primary means of achieving grand strategic objectives in the contemporary world order.