Contemplating the Counterfactual: Military Deception in an Age of Perfect Knowledge.

Abstract

This paper addresses the topic of military deception at the operational level, and asserts its continued utility and feasibility in an age of increasingly high-technology intelligence gathering and dissemination systems. Beginning with a consideration of the nature of deception, the paper then examines four key tenets of a successful operational deception, namely Magruder's Principle (reinforce the enemy's preconceptions), plausibility, the use of multiple channels, and the combination of secrecy, central control and coordination. For each of these tenets, historical examples of their use in military operations are discussed; the paper then considers the extent to which each of these tenets remains applicable in a high-tech world. The paper concludes with a consideration of the continued feasibility and increasing desirability of deception in the future.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 20, 1996
Accession Number
ADA312205

Entities

People

  • Eileen F. Mackrell

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Reconnaissance
  • Air Force
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Deception
  • Geography
  • Intelligence Collection
  • Landing Craft
  • Military Operations
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Psychological Operations
  • Schools
  • Second World War
  • Security
  • Surveillance
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Systems Analysis and Design