Establishing Viable and Effective Information-Warfare Capability in Developing Nations Based on the U.S. Model
Abstract
Information Warfare (IW) is a reality of the 21st century. With the advancements in computer technology and innovations in information systems and networks, information has become a forceful weapon and an element of national power. Consequently, the conduct of war in this age has been greatly affected by the manner in which information is treated by the opposing forces. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been aggressively formulating doctrine and policy on the subject since the early 1990s. The study of this evolution results in guidelines to the United States' coalition partners who may wish to make their own organizations more effective and viable by incorporating IW changes to suit their scale and scope of operations. IW, now called "Information Operations" (IO) in the DoD, is the amalgamation of multiple independent and diverse capabilities. Some of the latest IW capabilities may make less of a contribution in developing countries where organizations are less dependent on advanced information systems and communication networks in the cyber domain. This thesis will describe DoD's IO implementation methodology and its organizational structure at the Joint-Staff level, in U.S. Strategic Command, in U.S. Special Operations Command, and in each of the Armed Services. The thesis also will present guidelines for establishing viable IW capabilities in smaller militaries in developing countries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA574438
Entities
People
- Ashar A. Niazi
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School