Navy Information Warfare: Developing an Information Warfare Strategy for the Royal Australian Navy to support contemporary maritime operations

摘要

Naval strategy starts in peacetime. A naval force cannot wait until the impendingoutbreak of conflict to determine how it will fight and win at sea. The twenty-firstcentury is now characterised by an information-centric world, where mankind itselfgravitates to, and revolves around, information and information technologies. Fromtelevisions to the Internet and smart-phones, very little in our existence today does notinclude some form of dependence on an information technology. Just as mankind hasbecome dependent upon information technologies, so too has the conduct of militaryoperations. There is an ever-growing body of literature that details, discusses anddebates the changing character of warfare in the information age. There is, however, ashortfall in the literature regarding how information-age warfare is impacting today’snavies and, more importantly, what they should do about it. If a navy is to remainrelevant and effective in the contemporary strategic environment then it must have thecapacity to effectively conduct maritime operations in the information age.The means by which the Royal Australian Navy has chosen to address this challenge isthrough the development of an Information Warfare capability. The development of thiscapability, however, has not progressed as originally envisaged following the release ofan internal document, titled Information Warfare: Master Plan 2030, in late 2011.There is little doubt an Information Warfare capability will significantly enhance theRoyal Australian Navy’s ability to conduct maritime operations in the information age.The challenge for the Royal Australian Navy lies in realising its Information Warfareaspirations. The most effective way to achieve change is to develop a coherent strategy.This thesis argues that, in order to realise its Information Warfare (IW) aspirations - asoutlined in the Information Warfare: Master Plan 2030 - the Royal Australian Navy(RAN) should develop an Information Warfare Strategy to support contemporarymaritime operations. Its aim is to inform policy discussion and propose how thatstrategy might be developed. Thus, the thesis analyses what Information Warfare meansand discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with developing anInformation Warfare strategy. The thesis concludes by recommending some guidingprinciples to assist the Royal Australian Navy to develop an Information Warfarestrategy.