USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT INFORMATION OPERAT

USAWCSTRATEGYRESEARCHPROJECTINFORMATIONOPERATIONSANDASYMMETRICWARFARE…AREWEREADY?byLTCLaWarrenV.PattersonUnitedStatesArmyCOLRichardJonesProjectAdvisorTheviewsexpressedinthisacademicresearchpaperarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyreflecttheofficialpolicyorpositionoftheU.S.Government,theDepartmentofDefense,oranyofitsagencies.U.S.ArmyWarCollegeCARLISLEBARRACKS,PENNSYLVANIA17013iiABSTRACTAUTHOR:LTCLaWarrenV.PattersonTITLE:InformationOperationsandAsymmetricWarfare…AreWeReady?FORMAT:StrategyResearchProjectDATE:09April2002PAGES:29CLASSIFICATION:UnclassifiedEventsofSept11th,2001havemadeclearoneinescapablefact.Becauseofrapidadvancesintechnology,particularlyintheinformationarena,globalcommunicationsnowenableustohearandseefirsthandissues,eventsandconcernsfromaroundtheworld.Theseinturnraisepassionsandcompelpeopletorethinktheirowncloselyheldbeliefs,prejudicesandhatreds,andinsomecasesmorphingintoactionssuchasespionage,sabotageorterrorism.InformationOperationsandfutureAsymmetricWarfarewillhaveamajorimpactontheU.S.Army’sabilitytoremainaviablewarfightingentityaswellasoursimplesurvivabilityagainstfutureadversaries.Currently,theArmy’sFieldManualFM100-6(datedAugust1996)isthemostup-to-dateguideonInformationOperationsavailabletotherankandfilefieldsoldierandleader.Whileatthesametime,theArmy’snewestdoctrinalpublications,FM-1andFM3-0,addresstheArmy’sfutureintermsofwhoweare,whatwedo,howwedoittoday,tomorrow,jointlyandwithinthefullspectrumofoperationsthatistheasymmetricwarfareenvironment.Itis,therefore,tantamountthatourpoliciesandfutureArmyvisionensureInformationOperationsasatoolagainstasymmetricwarfareremainontheforefrontofArmystrategicplanning.iiiivTABLEOFCONTENTSABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................................IIIACKNOWLEDGMENTS..............................................................................................................................VIIINFORMATIONOPERATIONSANDASYMMETRICWARFARE…AREWEREADY?..............................1WHATISINFORMATIONOPERATIONS?:.........................................................................1WHATISASYMMETRICWARFARE?:................................................................................2CURRENTINFORMATIONOPERATIONSPOLICIES:.......................................................4JOINTPUBLICATION3-13,JOINTDOCTRINEFORINFORMATIONOPERATIONS........4CLINGER-COHENACTOF1996..........................................................................................4PRESIDENTIALDECISIONDIRECTIVE(PDD)63-.............................................................5WHEREWEARETODAY:...................................................................................................5LANDINFORMATIONWARFAREACTIVITY:...................................................................12ENDS,WAYS&MEANS:...................................................................................................13ENDS:..................................................................................................................................13WAYS:.................................................................................................................................13MEANS:...............................................................................................................................13THEFUTURE:.....................................................................................................................16SUMMARY:.........................................................................................................................17ENDNOTES.................................................................................................................................................19BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................................................21vviACKNOWLEDGMENTSIwouldliketothankmyProjectAdvisorCOLRichardJones,USAF,forhistimeandpatienceinworkingwithandguidingmethroughthecompletionofthisresearchproject.AlsoMs.BobbiNorcrossfromtheLibrary’sComputerLab,whoalwaysprovidedsuperbassistance(withasmile)nomatterhowbusyshewas.IwouldalsoliketothankLTCBobFerrellandLTCGilGriffin,mytwobestfriendsandfellowstudentshereattheU.S.ArmyWarCollege.WithouttheirsupportandupliftwhenIneededit,thisprojectwouldstillbeinmydeskdrawerandwritteninstubbypencil.viiviiiINFORMATIONOPERATIONSANDASYMMETRICWARFARE…AREWEREADY?Dr.NicholasNegroponte,well-knownprofessorandFoundingDirectorofMIT’srenownedMediaLabsaiditbest,“computingisn’taboutcomputersanymore,it’saboutliving.Thegiantcentralcomputer,theso-calledmainframehasbeenalmostuniversallyreplacedbypersonalcomputers.Thenation-stateitselfissubjecttotremendouschangeandglobalization.Governmentsfiftyyearsfromnowwillbebothlargerandsmaller.Theforcesofnationalismmakeittooeasytobecynicalanddismissanybroad-strokeattemptatworldunification.Butinthedigitalworld,previouslyimpossiblesolut