Max Willem Eline Smeets


Last Name

Smeets

First Name

Max Willem Eline

ORCID

0000-0003-4057-6445

Organisational unit

03515 - Wenger, Andreas / Wenger, Andreas

Filters

2020 - 202433
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Publications 1 - 10 of 33
  • No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle to Develop a Military Cyber-Force
    Item type: Monograph
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2022)
    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, CSS' 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.
  • Cyber Campaigns and Strategic Outcomes
    Item type: Journal Article
    Harknett, Richard J.; Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2022)
    The Journal of Strategic Studies
    While much focus has remained on the concept of cyberwar, what we have been observing in actual cyber behaviour are campaigns comprised of linked cyber operations, with the specific objective of achieving strategic outcomes without the need of armed attack. These campaigns are not simply transitory clever tactics, but strategic in intent. This article examines strategic cyber competition and reveals how the adoption of a different construct can pivot both explanation and policy prescription. Strategy must be unshackled from the presumption that it deals only with the realm of coercion, militarised crisis, and war in cyberspace.
  • The challenges of military adaptation to the cyber domain: a case study of the Netherlands
    Item type: Journal Article
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2023)
    Small Wars & Insurgencies
    Whilst NATO speaks increasingly publicly about the military use of cyber opera-tions, adaptation to the cyber domain has reportedly been challenging for most militaries. Little research has sought to understand the nature of these chal-lenges. This study seeks to address this gap through a case study of the Netherlands. By utilizing a range of primary and secondary sources, this article reveals that the Dutch Defense Cyber Command has faced significant con-straints in its adaptation to the cyber domain, primarily due to issues related to organizational structure, operational mandate, and the availability of skills and resources. A cyber command that lacks regular opportunities for day-to-day operations and where personnel may not have continuous learning opportu-nities to acquire and refine their skills will encounter difficulties in recruiting, training, and retaining a proficient workforce. These findings highlight the tendency of observers to mistakenly equate the mere establishment of a cyber command with the existence of a robust military cyber capability – namely, the ability to effectively carry out and sustain a range of cyber opera-tions for tactical or strategic purposes.
  • Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers
    Item type: Book Review
    Egloff, Florian; Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2020)
    Journal of Cyber Policy
    In this article, CSS researchers Florian Egloff and Max Smeets review Andy Greenberg's book on a new era of cyber war and the hunt for the Kremlin's most dangerous hackers.
  • Operational Decision-Making for Cyber Operations: In Search of a Model
    Item type: Conference Paper
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline; Work, JD (2020)
    The Cyber Defense Review
  • Warum sich Staaten schwer tun, eine militärische Cyber-Truppe aufzubauen
    Item type: Book Chapter
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2022)
    Bulletin zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik ~ Bulletin 2022 zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik
    Im letzten Beitrag zum Bulletin 2022 stellt Max Smeets sein vor Kurzem an der ETH präsentiertes Buch vor. No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle to Develop a Military Cyber Force zeigt die Gründe auf, warum viele Länder, die ein Cyberkommando oder ähnliche Strukturen eingerichtet haben, kaum in der Lage sind, eine effektive militärische Cyberstreitmacht aufzustellen.
  • The Role of Military Cyber Exercises: A Case Study of Locked Shields
    Item type: Conference Paper
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2022)
    2022 14th International Conference on Cyber Conflict: Keep Moving! (CyCon)
    What am the opportunities and limits of conducting military cyber exercises? To answer this question, I present a case study analysis of Locked Shields, the largest international cyber defense exercise in the world. Relying on non-public After Action Reports, interviews, and publicly available material, this study highlights three main challenges: the teaching of more advanced technical skills in a virtual environment; the planning of long-term campaigns below the threshold of armed attack rather than sudden cyber attacks during a two-day event; and the promotion of NATO's principles of collective defense as part of a competitive exercise. I also discuss three benefits: the ability to practice communication procedures, particularly across teams; the possibility for experimentation at the managerial level, such as assessments of team size; and the potential strategic signaling function of an exercise in a space that lacks many other opportunities for that.
  • What it Takes to Develop a Military Cyber-Force
    Item type: Other Publication
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2022)
    CSS Policy Perspectives
    States often struggle to develop a military cyber-force, as the time and resources required for an effective capability are much greater than often appreciated.
  • Cyber Arms Transfer: Meaning, Limits, and Implications
    Item type: Journal Article
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2022)
    Security Studies
    Was sind die Beweggründe und Möglichkeiten für Waffentransfers im Cyberbereich? Antworten auf diese Frage sind von grosser Bedeutung, um die Operationalisierung von Cyberkommandos und Geheimdienstallianzen, die Funktionsweise der NATO und die Durchführbarkeit von Cyberwaffenkontrollen zu verstehen. In diesem Zusammenhang stellt CSS Forscher Max Smeets in seinem Security Studies Artikel einen neuen konzeptionellen Ansatz zum besseren Verständnis der Elemente einer offensiven Cyberfähigkeit vor und erklärt, wie sich die Anreize für den Transfer von Cyberwaffen in den verschiedenen Elementen dieses Rahmens unterscheiden.
  • US Cyber Strategy of Persistent Engagement & Defend Forward: Implications for the Alliance and Intelligence Collection
    Item type: Journal Article
    Smeets, Max Willem Eline (2020)
    Intelligence and National Security
Publications 1 - 10 of 33