The need for cyber and electromagnetic activities Section 2 – Background 1 1.7. Technology will remain an essential element of future conflict and a driver of military change over the next 20 years. Maintaining a technological advantage across key capability areas has, for many years, enabled us to succeed with relatively small, professional Armed Forces. But these key capability areas were never integrated, leading to ‘stove-piped’ capability/force development where interoperability was coincidental rather than planned. However, with the convergence of computing and telecommunications and the pace of technology, the military is now trying to rebalance its understanding of the environments to encompass electromagnetic, cyber and information aspects. 1.8. The rapid growth in non-kinetic activity challenges traditional notions of hostile action and accountability within international law. Cyber operations synchronised with electronic warfare in the context of a full spectrum approach may overmatch conventional forces that are not prepared for conflicts in the electromagnetic environment and cyberspace simultaneously. The situation now exists whereby technological advantage is being eroded by non-conventional warfare using electromagnetic and cyber activities. This has led to the United States of America (US) creating their 3rd Offset Strategy, introduced in Chapter 3. Non-conventional warfare using electromagnetic and cyberspace may overmatch unprepared conventional forces 6 JDN 1/18