Countering unrestricted warfare : preparing to compete against Chinas actual strategy
Abstract
What is the future of the United States relations with China? Is it competition, cooperation, or conflict? The Peoples Republic of Chinas (PRC) Three Warfares and Informatization Strategy assures the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) social, territorial, and economic national interests. The PRC seeks to broaden its influence on a global scale, but only to protect its national interests inside what they perceive as their territory. The U.S. national security apparatus does not appear to understand how to compete with China across the diplomatic, informational, military, and economic (DIME) spectrum. China has mastered the ability to control information inside its virtual borders. Simultaneously, Chinese programs are infiltrating economic and social spheres around the globe to create broader influence. An inadequately organized Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. national security apparatus, writ large, are ill-prepared to compete with Chinese influence. The most likely scenario driving conflict between the United States and China involves Taiwan. Any U.S. attempt to blunt Chinese aggression toward Taiwan will fail without competing for influence in advance of hostilities. Competition with China requires decoding their information control mechanisms and preparing counter influence campaigns. This paper will identify the core components of Chinas influence strategy and detail how it threatens the United States. It will also describe several recommendations for how to compete in the cognitive domain utilizing the information instrument of power (IOP) to create multiple dilemmas for China and deter an invasion of Taiwan.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 27, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1107333
Entities
People
- Victor Norris
Organizations
- Air War College