How Does Military Professionalization Affect Cyber Capacity Development?
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This paper investigates how military professionalization influences a state's propensity to incorporate cybersecurity responsibilities within their militaries. We argue that states with more professional militaries would be more likely to initiate cyber-capacity development due to three reasons: first, these states tend to have higher military expenditure which allows for greater investment in advanced technologies and specialized units. Second, a professional military often has access to a greater pool of expertise and intellectual resources, such as military academies and specialized periodicals. This environment fosters a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, which is crucial for developing effective cyber capabilities. Third, professional militaries are generally more adaptive and responsive to emerging threats due to their structured and strategic approach to defense. They are likely to have established processes for identifying and addressing new security challenges, including cyber threats. Employing quantitative analysis, this study analyzes cross-national data to test the hypothesis that states with higher levels of military professionalization are more likely to initiate the development of military cyber capacities. Our empirical results support this hypothesis, demonstrating a significant positive correlation between the degree of military professionalization and the likelihood of adopting new cybersecurity responsibilities. Our results also offer explanation as to which dimensions of professionalization are more strongly related to the adoption of military cyber capabilities.
Authors: Mustafa Kirisci, Isa Haskologlu
Institutions: Lebanon Valley College, American University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408837867