One of the central points during PANAMAX 2022 was cyber defense. Jamaica Defense Force Major Kayson Gunzell was part of the cyber cell during the multinational exercise. Dialogue spoke with May. Gunzell on his role during PANAMAX 2022.
Dialogue: Why is cyber defense such an important topic at PANAMAX 2022?
Jamaica Defense Force Major Kayson Gunzell: Cyber defense is a domain we are all trying to play right now. It is a new domain that allows you to attack an opponent from anywhere in the world. For the exercise you are not limited to your geographic location, in terms of cyber, but we were limited in terms of our offensive capabilities. What is allowed, from a cyber perspective, is the ability to search for possible cyber targets and get a concrete result, being a liaison and making an interagency commitment. This exercise brought up many considerations for threat actors within the cyber domain.
Dialogue: Can you elaborate a bit more about the limitations during cyber attacks?
Major Gunzell: I would say it’s because cyberspace is a component that’s classified, so we probably can’t expose certain capabilities. We were not given that offensive directive. We were limited in terms of who we are, and we weren’t given the green light to do anything offensive, but we could engage in defensive-type operations to bring about a result, which would be an offensive way. What would we do? A more passive approach, without using a cyber ability.
Dialogue: Was there any cyber activity by the exercise adversary worth mentioning?
Major Gunzell: The adversary uses the cyber domain as the primary medium for his propaganda campaign. We could also see that they were trying to carry out some cyber attacks. In that case, we would have made that assessment and started putting the necessary contingency plan in place. Thus, in case there was an attack, the actual gravity would be very limited.
Dialogue: What did Jamaica bring from a cyber perspective?
Major Gunzell: We are building our cyber capacity in Jamaica. Despite being the only Jamaican in the cyber cell I was able to come here and fit in perfectly, proving that cyberspace is a language, a universal language. I was also able to add value to the discussions, in terms of nomination considerations.