Military Deception and the Non-State Actor
Abstract
United States military joint doctrine was designed with a conventional enemy in mind. However, as the United States finds itself embroiled in more and more unconventional conflicts, an assessment regarding the applicability of current joint doctrine needs to be conducted. This paper discusses the joint doctrine of Military Deception and its applicability against a nonstate actor. It looks at the basic tenets of military deception doctrine, conventional historical examples, organizational structures utilized by nonstate actors, and an unconventional historical example. The paper then provides some guidance to the operational commander on how to best evaluate the adversarial decision maker and identify potential channels of influence through which a successful deception operation can be conducted. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the applicability of current joint military deception doctrine against a nonstate actor, and recommendations on how an operational commander can best be prepared for success against unconventional adversaries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA484356
Entities
People
- James K. Hansen
Organizations
- Naval War College