The Things that Bedevil U.S. Cyber Power
Jeffrey Edwards
October 16, 2025
Cyber operations have become a defining feature of modern conflict, a front line that shapes the contours of global power competition. Yet despite daily headlines about Chinese hackers breaching defense contractors, Russian ransomware crippling pipelines, and Iranian cyber operatives probing our critical infrastructure, there remains a persistent and increasingly dangerous gap between America’s strategic cyber ambitions and the way these capabilities are integrated into warfighting. Without urgent action, the service could end up with a cyber force that looks formidable, but rests upon weak tactical foundations.
While U.S. Cyber Command has unmatched resources, the centralization of offensive cyber authorities has created a dangerous gap between strategic vision and operational reality. By sidelining forward-deployed units and commanders, the United States is limiting its ability to compete effectively against adversaries who already integrate cyber at every level of warfare.
The Department of Defense ought to delegate risk-informed cyber authorities to operational commanders, empower forward-deployed teams, and reform policy so that cyber effects can be employed with the same trust and discipline as other combat capabilities.
The Disconnect Between Strategy and Reality
On paper, the United States fields the most capable cyber force in the world. The reality is different. Military cyber operations remain highly centralized under U.S. Cyber Command. While strategic-level operations and access should remain under strict oversight, the near-total consolidation of offensive cyber authorities at the national level leaves forward-deployed units and combatant commanders without the tools they need to compete effectively in the contested battlespace. The United States is fighting a domain-centric war with one arm tied behind its back.
This misalignment between strategic guidance and operational flexibility is not just an inefficiency. It is a vulnerability.
https://warontherocks.com/2025/10/the-things-that-bedevil-u-s-cyber-power/
