Information Warfare (IW): Air Staff Roles and Responsibilities
Abstract
The Air Force intends to incorporate Information Superiority (IS) into 'our way of doing business'; to make it a service core competency. To accomplish this objective; it has reorganized the Air Staff, established an Information Warfare Center (AFIWC), and created a deployable IW squadron. Yet all these actions still fall short of what needs to be done to achieve IS as a core competency. The Air Force must organize its fighting units around information warfare, not strictly around force combat units. It must establish within the Air Force an IW culture an 'IW ethos'. To ignore that information has become a critical factor in winning wars and that our doctrine and organization must change to accommodate this reality will ensure the Air Force, like the French in the inter war period (with tanks), will not fully realize the possible benefits from new technologies. The Air Force may claim IS as a core competency, but it will not truly achieve the claim unless it significantly reorganizes. This paper suggests three possible organizational modifications: (1) create a dedicated IW career field, (2) establish a Joint Force Information Component Commander (JFICC), and (3) establish a new independent IW Corp within DoD. Only two of these suggestions (1 & 2) are recommended for implementation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA398006
Entities
People
- Dwayne W. Frye
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College