Information Operations; Will We Be Ready for the Next Attack

摘要

My thesis is that current doctrine establishes Information Operations in such a way as not to provide clarity on how we conduct operations today, but rather it is serving to muddy waters we're trying to navigate in. Our adversaries of the future will continue to focus along traditional and non- traditional means of attacking us. More emphasis will be placed on rogue and non-state players and their abilities to attack this nation. We can no longer afford to focus on traditional methods of conducting warfare. We must be prepared to fight and win both symmetrical and asymmetrical battles using both kinetic and non-kinetic means. The actions taken to protect and defend this country will require a significant cultural change on the part of the military and the nation. The defense of our nation is not just about protecting our shores against attack. It must include the defense and protection of our national infrastructure. We are not ensuring that the soldiers, sailors, airman, and marines, as well as civilians in the Department of Defense, are trained properly. Information technology changes rapidly. The warriors that will be required to use it, must have a skill set that is maintained accordingly. That doesn't happen today. Our strategic leaders must be looking 20 to 25 years down the road when implementing strategies for ensuring that such an infrastructure and all the value it possesses is still viable. They must have a vision that will guide our actions over the next quarter of a century. We must be open to change. Changes will need to be made in the way we look at Information Operations, the systems we use to fight our future wars, and the way we train our warriors of the future. If we fight this changing environment and the roles that come with it, we risk becoming a force that is irrelevant.