Overview

The most decisive shift in modern conflict is invisible. Battles now run on rented servers, predictive models, and global data pipes owned by private entities-turning code, contracts, and uptime into instruments of power. This is a clear-eyed, accessible investigation of cloud warfare and how it is quietly redefining who commands force, who is accountable, and what citizens must guard to preserve digital sovereignty. Grounded in history, policy, and systems thinking, it reveals how states increasingly lean on private military infrastructure to run logistics, intelligence, and targeting; how algorithmic command shapes decisions at speed and scale; and how everyday platforms double as surveillance infrastructure. Instead of hype or alarmism, it offers a rigorous map of incentives, dependencies, and risks-the first practical lens on the emerging cloud-military complex and the wider geopolitics of the cloud that now binds allies, adversaries, and civilians alike. Built for thoughtful readers-policy professionals, journalists, technologists, and engaged citizens-it delivers concrete clarity without jargon. Inside, you'll encounter: - How subscription models and service-level agreements make outsourced defense both irresistibly convenient and dangerously sticky; - Why jurisdiction, data location, and vendor lock-in complicate oversight, deterrence, and democratic control; - What new checks, disclosures, and procurement norms can restore balance between security and rights. By the end, you'll have a durable mental model for navigating technology and war today: how infrastructure decides outcomes, how incentives shape strategy, and which questions to ask whenever a system claims to make us safer. A cyberwar analysis book for real-world decision-makers, it replaces noise with understanding-so readers can see the levers of power hidden in plain sight and act with foresight, not fear.

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Jordan Ashford writes about the quiet places where technology, state power, and everyday life intersect. Over the past decade, Ashford has investigated how digital infrastructure-from data centers and algorithms to cross-border networks-reshapes security, sovereignty, and civil liberties. Ashford's work blends rigorous research with clear storytelling, drawing on conversations with engineers, policy analysts, service members, and civic advocates across multiple countries. Committed to independence and clarity, Ashford focuses on helping readers see the systems behind headlines and the incentives behind institutions, with a particular interest in how private infrastructure now underpins public power.

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