Cyber Deterrence and Israel’s Security-Defense Doctrine Transformation

Document Type : مقالات علمی -پژوهشی

Authors

• Vali Golmohammadi ¹
• Tahereh Jamshidi ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Tarbiat Modres University, Tehran, Iran.

² M.A. in International Relations, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/pg.2022.71588.1068

Abstract

This article studies the transformation of Israel’s Security-Defense Doctrine in order to understand the framework of the cyber capabilities in shaping Israel’s new deterrence strategy against internal and external threats. Restrictions of geographical location in the turbulent Middle East, a lack of strategic depth, and vulnerabilities due to the asymmetry of the elements of national power against enemies and neighbors push Israel to avoid classical warfare and use the unconventional deterrence tools and new defense doctrine. In the context of cyber deterrence assumptions, this article introduces the basic idea that Israel has made targeted investments in developing cyber-deterrence capabilities by redefining its security-defense deterrence tools. The cyber deterrence strategy has expanded the scope of Israel's response to national security threats beyond its borders and significantly reduced the environmental vulnerability of internal threats. Accordingly, the transition from conventional military tools to unconventional tools persuades Israel to formulate national security strategies centered on cyber capabilities to meet new threats. The military vulnerability to Palestinian Resistance Groups in the recent war has shown that in the face of a more serious challenge like Iran, military warfare is not a viable option for Israel, and cyber deterrence is predicted to have a special place in Israel's Security-Defense Doctrine in the future.

Keywords

• Cyber Deterrence
• Security-Defense Doctrine
• Unconventional War
• Israel

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