United States Cybersecurity Policy and the Continuing Threat of Cyberwarfare in the Period from 2009 to 2023
United States Cybersecurity Policy and the Continuing Threat of Cyberwarfare in the Period from 2009 to 2023

Summary/Abstract: This study explores the evolution of cybersecurity and cyberwarfare policy in the United States from 2009 to 2023, situating national developments within the broader context of international legal fragmentation. The central research question guiding this analysis is: How does the legal framework for cybersecurity impact the evolving cyberwarfare threat in the United States? In addressing this question, the article evaluates major strategic, legislative, and institutional initiatives implemented under the administrations of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joseph Biden. Rather than treating these periods as isolated policy cycles, the study examines them as stages in the consolidation of an increasingly sophisticated national cyber regime development. The core hypothesis advanced in this research is that, even with advanced national cybersecurity frameworks, the United States remains vulnerable to cyberwarfare because of the structural weaknesses of international legal regulation. While domestic laws enhance resilience, they do not eliminate the incentives for hostile cyber activity originating beyond national jurisdiction. The study also incorporates three case analyses of major state-sponsored cyber incidents that exposed gaps in international law and demonstrated the constraints of unilateral legal solutions. The findings suggest that cybersecurity cannot be fully secured through national policy alone. Although the United States has developed one of the most comprehensive cyber governance frameworks globally, enduring instability in cyberspace persists due to insufficient international coordination. Strengthening global cooperation, therefore, emerges as a necessary step toward mitigating cyberwarfare risks in the digital age.

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