Information warfare

Abstract

Abstract : The military's senior leadership has openly acknowledged that in future wars we must win the information war to achieve decisive victory. This paper reviews decision--making when command and control (C2) systems are interrupted, contaminated, or destroyed. The United States is an information dominant society. For every technological advancement in the development of an offensive information-based system, our vulnerability to information warfare increases. Future conflicts will undoubtedly include threats to degrade our information systems. Are we training our leaders to respond in an environment where our information systems are corrupted, manipulated, or destroyed? As we prepare to 'Win the Information War,' our leaders must not allow predictable attacks on their information--based technology to force them toward unfavorable conflict resolution. 'Winning the Information War' must include contingency planning for disruptions in the flow of information.