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REVISTA IEEE 9

http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee 380380 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 9 / 2017 “The fifth element”, by Alejandro Suárez Sánchez-Ocaña is a tale of espionage, war and terrorism from the perspective of new digital technologies and their consequences. Written in a fast-paced but easy-going style, Suárez presents a succession of cyber-attacks, each one hot on the heels of another, to illustrate the risks and threats posed by cyberspace in 21st century society. On target in most of his evaluations and supporting data, Alejandro Suárez manages to raise the reader’s awareness of the vulnerability of the digital world and sensibly includes a section which also addresses its mitigating factors. Published in 2015, the book chronicles attacks that have already become classics in a world in constant evolution and change. Although its conclusions remain valid, the eighteen months that have gone by since the date of its first edition have meant that numerous and very significant events are not included. The text leads off with the leaked information by the US Department of Defense published by Wikileaks in 2010. A model - although obviously not contained in this book - that has become topical once again due to the use of the same medium for leaking files during the recent US presidential campaign. The next four chapters focus on economic and industrial espionage, crime, terrorism and war, all within a cyber environment. Finally, Suárez comes up with a number of protection measures against cybercrime and devotes a final chapter to looking into the future. Setting aside its style, which is sometimes apocalyptic, arrogant and messianic, here we have a book that allows us to comfortably explore the rudiments of what is meant by “the fifth element” or the fifth environment, following earth, sea, airspace and outer space. Thus, as a fifth arena in the theatre of operations, it has also been defined by the Atlantic Alliance and, in a pioneering way, by Spain. In this sense, it should be remembered that, although not stated in the book, the Spanish Ministry of Defence was among the first to consider cyberspace as a Component Command different from traditional Commands. The creation of the Joint Cyber Defence Force, almost coinciding with the publication of the National Cybersecurity Strategy in 2013, gave credence to this stance and provided a practical application to this doctrinal vision. Despite the recognition of the importance of the digital environment by Spain and practically all countries and international organisations, we can also agree with the author on the current relative lack of awareness in relation to the real scope of the changes which the internet and the whole of cyberspace have brought about. As is evident from the events described in the book’s 267 pages and even more revealingly from recent events and their almost daily occurrence, cyberspace is more than a differentiated environment with regard to physical spaces; it cross-cuts and interweaves with them, rather enabling than complementing them. It is time to cease to regard digital technologies and communications as a support service for the

REVISTA IEEE 9
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