Clandestine Communications for the 21st Century Insurgent
Abstract
The resurgence of Great Power Competition and the approaching era of conventional military parity in the Pacific emphasizes the need for force multiplicative strategies inclusive of irregular warfare activities.Irregular forces may soon become a primary method of power projection and competition within regions contested by Great Power Competitors. One critical aspect of enabling and employing irregular forces is the provision of concealed or protected communications resources. The purpose of this thesis is to model the predicted impact of clandestine communications support to irregular forces, identify emergent commercial technologies that may be repurposed into clandestine mediums, and highlight the role of irregular forces and requisite clandestine communications within NATOs Comprehensive Defense Strategy and the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations.This thesis finds that aid to clandestine communications may drastically improve the operational capacity of proxy forces. Further, this thesis finds that clandestine communications may be securely transmitted via steganographic embedding in virtual environments and pLEO satellite downlinks. However, current naval and amphibious operations lack training, education, and modern employment mechanisms for irregular warfare activities. This thesis recommends that the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps immediately adopt and employ irregular warfare activities within their power projection and deterrence strategies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1213289
Entities
People
- Mitchell J Gunter
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School