Mission Accomplished! Or Not? A Study about Success in Information Operations
Abstract
This study analyzes success in information operations, specifically, what success in information operations is and how it is determined. The research was carried out as a literature study and is limited to the military aspect of information operations. The primary sources were information operations doctrines from the United States, Great Britain, and Sweden. Success in information operations is discussed from two perspectives: the evaluative and the predictive. According to doctrine, success from an evaluative perspective is determined by measuring post-action effects on the target. It is problematic to determine success from the predictive perspective. This conclusion is based on the lack of analytical tools and/or processes to determine the effort needed, and the current lack of procedures to coherently connect operational objectives with tactical tasks in the information environment. In addition, success in the maritime domain is briefly analyzed, and the outcome of the analysis is adjusted and applied to the information environment. Several areas are presented in which the adjusted concept of operations could benefit the information environment. The most significant improvement would be the ability to predict probability of success prior to an operation. Directions for further research are presented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA567168
Entities
People
- Thomas Lamke
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School