Winning Wars of Cognition: Posturing the Air Force for the Tactical Information Fight

Abstract

When the United States Air Force (USAF) announced its re-invigoration of Information Warfare (IW), it joined a global recognition that in Great Power Competition, prior to the outset of physical violence, wars are fought in the information environment. It also addressed a critical shortfall identified in the 2018 National Defense Strategy: Americas military has no preordained right to victory on the battlefield. This includes the information environment. Today, the USAF, seeks to organize around IW for the USAF. In doing so, the Air Force took a narrower approach to IW that emphasizes the integration of cyberspace operations, electronic warfare, information operations, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). This narrower definition of IW addresses informations role at the tactical level of war and should not be misconstrued with the strategic or operational level, both of which possess an important informational component in modern Great Power Competition.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1108152

Entities

People

  • Jeremiah Deibler

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Command And Control
  • Communication Systems
  • Computer Network Security
  • Control Systems
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Information Operations
  • Information Systems
  • Information Warfare
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Surveillance
  • United States
  • United States European Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Cyber
  • Microelectronics