Technician and Philosopher: Building the Relevance and Intellectual Capital of the Army's Information Warriors

Abstract

Numerous conversations, papers, books, and presentations stress the need for the Army to compete more effectively against a multitude of state and nonstate actors in the information environment. However, the Army often forgets that this competition does not take place between large, faceless organizations. It is a struggle of a group of professionals--information warriors--who must match wits with agile, thinking foes who do not always observe the same rules of engagement or moral strictures as U.S. forces. Talk about influencing the information environment is cheap, but is the Army ready to invest in a nontraditional educational regimen and a professionally rewarding career path for Information Operations (IO) officers? The key to developing a strong information warrior cadre and culture is to create a broader Army organizational culture that values IO's contribution. The first step in this effort is to develop a group of information warriors of such capability and quality that they can demonstrate a mastery of their trade and explain what they can do for the commander, what assets they need, and then deliver. However, the IO field is not the easiest specialty in the Army, nor are its core capabilities easy to master. Information warrior education should include numerous training sabbaticals, in both hard and soft science fields, and opportunities for cultural and language immersion. In the field or in the corridors of the Pentagon, successful IO requires officers who can get IO recognized as a value-added tool worthy of the same recognition as artillery and close air support. This is a bureaucratic skill that we must identify and cultivate. It is often critical in making IO work, and it cannot be taught.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA536584

Entities

People

  • James E. Shircliffe Jr.

Organizations

  • United States Army Combined Arms Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Electronic Warfare
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Computer Networks
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Employment
  • Information Operations
  • Language
  • Military Science
  • Operations Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Operations
  • Psychology
  • Security
  • Training
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • STEM Education
  • Systems Analysis and Design