Abstract

Starting from the early nineties of the past century, John Arquilla has emerged as one of the leading voices – and as a point of reference – in the strategic thought on the transformation of war and strategy in the information age. The article outlines Arquilla’s thirtyyears thinking on cyberwar, highlighting its key elements, the lines of continuity and also its aspects of originality. In particular, two fundamental points will be highlighted. Firstly, Arquilla calls on scholars and decision-makers alike to hold the strictly military aspects of cyberwar at the center of their attention, contrary to the widespread tendency to narrow the notion of cyberwar just to operation in and from the virtual domain and to neglect the dimension of physical warfighting. Secondly, Arquilla affirms that cyberwar must involve a profound innovation not only in the field of military technology but also in the areas of military doctrine (shift to “swarmingµ as the most appropriate way of fighting) and organization of armed forces (transition from rigid hierarchies to networks). Moreover, the article highlights Arquilla’s criticism of the US military establishment, substantially unwilling – in his view – to reform its military doctrines and organization according to the principles of cyberwar, thereby failing to fully exploit America’s information edge and the military potential of the information revolution.