Information Powershift: A Paradigm for Information-Based Warfare

摘要

Information powershift is a multi-dimensional power instrument that assumes concurrent identities: process, transform operator, and catalyst. The ability to influence and control the transformation of existing information forms into automated information, automated knowledge, and meta-knowledge is an enormous source of power. Simultaneously it possesses an unacceptable level of risk as modern society moves from the information age to the knowledge age. The goal of this paper is to present the concept of information powershift and to demonstrate that information powershift can be used to develop a paradigm for understanding how information is changing, what can be expected from this evolutionary process, and how these changes impact Information Warfare and Information-Based Warfare. The paper demonstrates that information powershift can be exploited to provide reasonably effective information assurance for those segments of the national information infrastructure that are evolving into knowledge-based domains or that are in constant flux due to high transaction volumes and massive processing demands. As a national power instrument, information powershift can be used to develop policy, strategy, and operational guidelines for Information-Based Warfare. The paper shows that the transition from an information-based to a knowledge-based infrastructure requires a conduit consisting of a set of advanced technological capabilities that enable the translation of the national information infrastructure and a strong science and technology base to facilitate the translation of information powershift into political power.