Bullets and Blogs: New Media and the Warfighter

Abstract

For the U.S. military, new media and the Global Information Environment (GIE) present sustained challenges and opportunities. In recent years, new adversaries -- armed with new media capabilities and an information-led warfighting strategy -- have proven themselves capable of stopping the most powerful militaries in the world. The current and future geo-strategic environment requires preparation for a battlespace in which symbolic informational wins may precipitate strategic effects equivalent to, or greater than, lethal operations. In recognition of the new media challenge, the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) hosted a workshop in January 2008 entitled "Bullets and Blogs: New Media and the Warfighter." This workshop brought together leading practitioners from the Department of Defense, Department of State, Intelligence Community, and experts from academia. To spark debate, the workshop employed case studies drawn from the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War in Lebanon. This conflict marked an important milestone for warfare in the information age. The nonstate actor Hezbollah proved capable of thwarting Israel's primary war aims and forcing a battlefield stalemate. While Hezbollah stood little chance of prevailing militarily against the Israeli Defense Forces, its strategic victory was achieved by way of an information-led warfighting strategy that leveraged new media to influence the political will of key global audiences (including the Israeli public). The 2006 war previewed the characteristics of hybrid conflict that U.S. forces may encounter in the future. A synthesis of workshop discussions yielded inter-related takeaways on what is required to "win" in today's operational environment, where cyberspace and new media capabilities are significant components of the battlespace.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA508195

Entities

People

  • Deirdre Collings
  • Rafal Rohozinski

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Computer Networks
  • Electronic Mail
  • Interagency Coordination
  • International Organizations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Mobile Communications
  • Mobile Phones
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Operations
  • Social Media
  • Social Networking Services
  • Terrorists
  • Text Messaging
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Cyber