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The Cyber Defense Review

 
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The Challenge of Security — West Point’s Defenses and Digital Age Implications, 1775-1777

By Dr. Nicholas Michael Sambaluk | July 31, 2018

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Although the cyber realm is a comparatively new environment, with professionals typically setting the origins in the mid-19th century with the communications network established in support of the Anglo-French-Piedmontese force in the Crimean War, many of the imperatives of security and defense in the physical realm offer significant continuity as well as areas for profitable comparison. The historical vantage point empowers, through the use of relevant analogy and studious research and analysis. A cyber-conscious study of the early progress toward fortification of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War illuminates themes about the primary security role played by defensive constructions: to guarantee time that permits an active and coherent response against an adversary. It also demonstrates the vital role played by leaders who recognize security challenges and the need for expertise that can translate policymakers’ support and resources into an effective security system. This essay uses the period from 1775-1777 to highlight these issues, setting the stage for the development of expert-designed fortress construction beginning in the spring of 1778 (to be examined in the author’s next contribution to the CDR).

 

The Challenge of Security —West Point’s Defenses and Digital Age Implications, 1775-1777

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