strategy
Waging information war
Description:
The aim of information warfare is to substitute precise and discriminate credible information - whether by the methods of deception or information attack - to a target decision maker in order that they position themselves, by their own decision, in a position of strategic disadvantage.Information warfare is not so much about perception management as orientation management. Information is both the target and the weapon: the weapon effect is predictable error.
Information warfare is about destroying information, reducing information flows, reducing the reliability of information content, and denying access to services.
Context:
Information warfare is the offensive and defensive use of information and information systems to deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy, an adversary's information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based networks while protecting one's own. Such actions are designed to achieve advantages over military or business adversaries.Information warfare is defined as "actions taken to achieve relatively greater understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and centers of gravity of an adversary's military, political, social, and economic infrastructure in order to deny, exploit, influence, corrupt, or destroy those adversary information-based activities thorough command and control warfare and information attack."
Claim:
1. Conflicts will revolve less around the use of raw power than of "soft power" as applied through "information operations" and "perception management" - that is, media-oriented measures that aim to attract rather than coerce and that affect how secure a society, a military, or other actor feels about its knowledge of itself and its adversaries. Psychosocial disruption may become more important than physical destruction.2. Robert Steele argues that information warfare is "about applied intellect - it is about harnessing intellect and protecting intellect, and it is above all about providing the commander - including the civil commander in the role of political, economic, or cultural leader - with survivable, reliable, decision-support through war and operations other than war, on the home front as well as on the traditional front line - and to do so largely with 'out of control' civil resources."< 3. One cannot harness the distributed intelligence of a nation if the information content is diverted or destroyed.
4. Historical patterns reveal that information warfare is undoubtedly the warfare of the future.
Broader:
Producing informationUsing public informationUsing information systemsUsing information technologyExploiting information networks Narrower:
Suppressing informationGiving false informationIntercepting communicationsPromulgating disinformationUsing selective informationUsing the internet for netwarShaping local information flowDisempowering with informationManipulating public informationManipulating public information Constrains:
Informing about human rights issuesProviding accurate civic informationInforming about security and conflictBuilding dependable mass communicationGuaranteeing reporting rights of mediaDeveloping national information systemsPromoting international freedom of informationEnhancing global security through communication Constrained by:
Revealing informationPreventing media censorshipReducing amount of propagandaSafeguarding telecommunications securityRequiring relevance in information acquisitionIncreasing accountability of management of public information Facilitates:
Developing knowledge economyCovering up human rights abusesUsing information to support democracyProviding know-how for international businessDisplacing manpower with information technologyIncorporating security features in internet system design Facilitated by:
Collecting informationEvaluating informationClassifying informationAppropriating informationDisseminating informationUsing tactical informationGlobalizing information flowLimiting access to informationExchanging military informationLimiting freedom of informationControlling use of computer dataLimiting information availabilityUsing available information outletsConcealing environmental informationDeveloping telecommunications networksImproving economic market intelligenceDistorting official news and informationConstructing integrated information systemLimiting availability of public informationMonitoring securities and commodities exchangeEstablishing comprehensive information structuresSuppressing information by security classificationEstablishing information exchange between securities markets Subjects:
Type Classification:
E: Emanations of other strategies