Information Operations as a Deterrent to Armed Conflict

We must hold our minds alert and receptive to the application of unglimpsed methods and weapons. --General Douglas A. MacArthur INFORMATION OPERATIONS (IO) provide the commander with nonlethal, flexible deterrent options. Applying IO this way is viable for both state and nonstate adversaries. The greatest impact will vary depending on the particular core capability the adversary has. Information operations core capabilities have the most significant strategic effect as a deterrent to conflict when applied during phase I of Joint operations. Indeed, the central strategic aim of IO is to deter threats of potential adversaries. (1) Information operations-induced deterrence compels an adversary to adopt a policy or take an action that obtains or sustains the national security of U.S. interests. Applications of IO at the strategic level have essentially consisted of only one or two core capabilities as tactical enablers rather than synergistic combinations for a strategic effect. Information operations planned, integrated, and executed as part of a combatant command's campaign plan during phase I provide the commander with nonkinetic, nonlethal options to achieve strategic objectives. The probability of effectiveness in phase I rises when commanders integrate IO into deliberate and crisis action planning cycles. Such integration should occur from inception and be included in rigorous Joint targeting processes. Measures of effectiveness must be developed to inform any decisions to re-engage or terminate IO actions. Applying concentrated, integrated, and synchronized IO to deter an adversary from a course of action and preclude an outbreak of armed conflict does not constitute an act of war. (2) However, though not an act of war, it does involve targeting. If the application of IO is to achieve the desired deterrent effect, three enabling components must align--the capabilities to engage a target, access to the target, and the authority to engage the target. Foundations for Information Operations Information operations core military capabilities include electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception, and operations security. When properly coordinated and closely focused, these capabilities can deter armed conflict. Information operations' primary goal at the strategic level is to coerce a key leader or group of leaders to forgo a particular action or, alternatively, take an action consistent with U.S. interests. (3) Information operations are not the application of any of the core capabilities singularly. The synchronized and coordinated integration of combinations of the core capabilities characterizes information operations, and this generates the offensive non-kinetic force component that can deter armed conflict. Electronic warfare. This core capability is comprised of the three subdivisions--electronic attack, electronic protection, and electronic support. These all represent military action during which electromagnetic or directed energy weapons control the electromagnetic spectrum or attack an enemy. (4) Because the focus is on deterrence, electronic attack has the most direct relevance. Electronic attack targets enemy facilities, equipment, or personnel to degrade, neutralize and, if necessary, destroy an enemy's electronic support systems. (5) As an example, electronic attack airborne assets could conduct standoff communications jamming against an enemy's integrated air defense system communications network so that the enemy suffers a degradation of its system's command and control capability. Computer network operations. The latest IO core capability integrated into Joint Publication 3-13, Computer Network Operations, has three subcomponents--computer network attack, computer network defense, and computer network exploitation. (6) Again, since the focus is on causing a deterrent effect, the offensive computer network attack represents the most viable "effects generating" subcomponent. …