Truer words were rarely spoken. We may
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Originally Posted by
William F. Owen
Well I don't limit this view to TV.
IO is the nothing to do with the application of force for the breaking of will.
It is therefore nothing to do with the military. It is entirely political, and thus the realm of civil servants and elected officials.
forget that but if we do it will be at significant downstream cost to the Armed Forces. I will caveat that by stating the obvious and noting that it IS imperative that said Armed Forces not contribute to the opposition's IO effort by doing dumb things...
Eets not our yob.
It's a new world out there my friend ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by
William F. Owen
Well I don't limit this view to TV.
IO is the nothing to do with the application of force for the breaking of will.
It is therefore nothing to do with the military. It is entirely political, and thus the realm of civil servants and elected officials.
The traditional view of the military as an element that only applies force to break will became obsolete years ago because it was overcome by the reality of our national security requirements. While it would be really nice if national security responsibilities could be divided up and put into little compartments like eggs in a box, that's not the real world. In order to influence population groups in areas that are too rough for civilians, the military has to do the job.
I hate to return to a discussion on definitions of IO, but what definition are you referencing when you state that IO is entirely political? As defined by US and NATO doctrine, IO is a military operation. There are certainly other related activities out there such as Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy that fall outside the military realm .... but IO is clearly defined as a military function.
If you don't agree with the accepted definition of IO as a military op, then we're not speaking the same language and I'm willing to concede that your argument may hold some validity. However, if you are arguing that the accepted definitions are wrong, then you've got an influence campaign to wage yourself if you plan to change the doctrine of several dozen countries.
For over 25 years, doctrinally, the US Army
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Originally Posted by
Tom Odom
Sorry doctrinely and historically you and Wilf are both wrong.
denied there was such a thing as counterinsurgency. For quite a few years, doctrinally, we were going to do Air Land Battle -- with Battle books...
At one time in the late 70s, that Air Land Battle bit had troops on the forward side of the Rhine and all their ammo offloaded from the tracks and in ASPs on the other side; conflict between tactical and security "Doctrine."
Doctrine not only changes, it is far from error free...
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IO is not merely passive nor purely non-lethal. It involves physical destruction of communications systems and networks as well as PSYOP.
I realize that. The issue is not the mechanics or the finite action, which do in some cases -- many, even -- have a military function. It is the direction and focus of the campaign itself.
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PSYOP is lethal and we do PSYOP as a military tool. If you have any doubt that PSYOP is lethal, look at the Rwandan genocide or the use of suicide bombers.
I have no doubt that PSYOP can be lethal and is -- currently in the US -- essentially a military tool (that was not true in WW II, nor is it necessarily the best solution outside of major war). Though I'd note that other agencies are even today also involved in PSYOP. My question is who's in charge?
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You can say it is not our job until the cows come home. We have always done it in various fashion and we will continue to do it.
The cows that will come home will be those that kick over the milk bucket due to excesses and screwups by the Armed Forces, predominately the Army, in the process of executing the broad IO campaign.
The Army has merely picked up the slack in times of peace because our system of revolving Administrations has been unwilling to provide continuity in the subject area. The fact that they have not does not mean they should not. Having a 'take charge' mentality can sometimes lead to taking charge of things that one really shouldn't be too enmeshed with.
The Army does a lot of thing by default that are not its job and most all of them detract from ability to do the things the Army should be doing...
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Where we fail in particular in this IO effort is a lack of synchronization between what occurs via the military, the political, and yes, the economic.
Wilf and I thank you for reaffirming our point... ;)
We do it by default but it's bigger than the Army -- and it is a governmental and political responsibility.
In other words, we agree but have a minor
dispute about application of the word 'entirely' in Wilf's statement. Small matter.
More importantly, I totally agree with you on these:
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"...if we lump strat comms into strat IO we are indeed getting our asses kicked. In that regard I agree 110% that it is a national issue and we--the military--are but supporting actors on the greater stage."
"...at the operational and tactical levels we have made dramatic advances in IO since 2003 and especially since 2005. Some of those advances were luck but many were due to applied learning. We have learned -- again-- that COIN is not firepower dependent. And gradually we have incorporated non-military elements in that tactical and operational IO effort."
"...Soldiers on patrol are very much part of the IO effort."
Ain't semantics grand... ;)
IO as the shaping of reality
What one perceives is what one uses to categorize/identify reality. IO is largely, if not entirely, about shaping perceptions, and, as result, one's view of reality. Sometimes that is done by a kinetic restructuring of the perceptual field; sometimes it is done by a non-kinetic restructuring. As an example of the latter, OPSEC and camouflage preclude or limit observations/perceptions and, thereby, reorder what one's reality is.
No military force is able, uinilaterally, to so effect an another entity's perceptions in all of the aspects that would be necessary in order to get that other to reshape its view of reality sufficiently to change how it conducts its affairs. The military may have a lion's share of the IO operations pie at certain places and times. However, the full scope of IO operations between two adversarial nations far exceeds the abilities of the military. It is a case of all four pieces, not just a subset of DIME, talking the talk and walking the walk at the same time, and for the duration.
BTW, using a Joint Pub as a basis for defining IO seems to me to be a little bit of circular reasoning or an appeal to inappropriate authority--kind of like take a pronouncement from the Pope that Roman Catholicism is the true religion. ;)
Okay, can some one tell me
why I keep seeing ads for "Should Hillary Quit" in the google ad space? Honestly, the semantics behind that choice of ad being served in a thread on IO are truly fascinating :cool:!
Tactical IO and Media Relations
As a tiny vignette on Tac IO and media relations, this ain't bad at al...
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Captain as Maestro, Conducting Amid Crises
On a recent winter evening in Mosul, Capt. David Sandoval sat at his desk dealing with the day’s various crises.
Michael Kamber for The New York Times
Capt. David Sandoval in Mosul, speaking with his men out on a difficult mission. “I sleep at least three hours a day,” he said.
Insurgents had fired on one of his platoons, killing a 10-year-old boy nearby. The captain sent men into the neighborhood to make sure residents knew American troops had not fired, and “to get the message out that the insurgents only bring you death and hardship,” he said.
Radios squawked updates from the field, and a phone rang incessantly with changes to a battle plan.
Two laptops sat before the captain. On one he updated targets his men would capture and kill before the night was over. He switched to the second computer and tried to finish a letter to his soldiers’ Family Readiness Group, run by his wife in the United States.
If we must, then we can disagree. However, I'm not
at all sure we do...
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Ken: dispute about application of the word 'entirely' in Wilf's statement. Small matter.
No Ken, I dispute the absolute pronouncement of Wilf's statement, meaning the entire statement and not merely the word entirely.
Even though you also said:
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Where we fail in particular in this IO effort is a lack of synchronization between what occurs via the military, the political, and yes, the economic.
Items which are abviously beyond the capability of the Armed foreces to integrate...
I also said ""Ain't semantics grand...;)""
You further said, in response to WM:
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What would you use to define doctrine other than the capstone doctrinal reference? I used the definiion to add some clarity to what is being discussed in discussing doctrine, perhaps seeing a doctrinal refence might help.
Could I possibly and respectfully suggest that you are discussing Doctrine as it stands while some of us are discussing policy as it should be?
Okay, now I'm going to get everyone after me...
Wayne made a very interesting point when he said that using doctrine to define IO was similar to using a Papal announcement. In one way, he is absolutely correct in this - it creates a self-limiting discussion; a semantic tautology if you will. At the same time, I think there is a real problem with not having a definition of IO and most of them come from doctrine.
So, in my usually modest way, I'm going to build one outside of doctrine, legal restrictions, etc. and see what we can come up with :cool:.
Let's start with some part defintions. First, what is "information"? My favorite definition of information, for a variety of reasons, comes from Gregory Bateson: "Information is a difference that makes a difference". From Steps to an Ecology of Mind (2000 edition):
"What is it in the territory that gets onto the map?" We know the territory does not get onto the map. That is the central point about which we here are all agreed. Now, if the territory were uniform, nothing would get onto the map except its boundaries, which are the points at which it ceases to be uniform against some larger matrix. What gets onto the map, in fact, is difference, be it a difference in altitude, a difference in vegetation, a difference in population structure, difference in surface, or whatever. Differences are the things that get onto a map.
A difference is a very peculiar and obscure concept. It is certainly not a thing or an event. This piece of paper is different than the wood of this lectern. There are many differences between them - of colour, texture, shape, etc... Of this infinitude, we select a very limited number which become information. In fact, what we mean by information - the elementary unit of information - is a difference which makes a difference (pp.457-459).
This is part of a larger discussion on the map-territory problem in epistemology; a problem that Wilf is alluding to when he defines IO as not part of the military sphere of operations (it's definitional).
Now, second definition; what is an "operation"? I would suggest (not require ;)) that an "operation" be defined as an "action which has the potential to transform some part of perceived or material reality". Note that there is absolutely nothing about intentionality in that definition, nor is there anything about who is acting or who is being acted upon - this allows for unanticipated consequences of actions in unintentional populations (the Butterfly Effect from Chaos theory if you will).
My earlier comments that mediaspace is a battlespace derive from this observation - it may not be part of the military "map", but it certainly has an indirect effect on military operations and hence must be part of an updated military map. This requirement, i.e. that mediaspace (broadly construed) must have a significant place in the military mapping of their battlespace is how I interpreted the argument by Frontier 6 on the SWJ blog. As to why it must be considered as part of the battlespace, I think Frontier 6 makes some good points, but I would add in a few others:
- The media, both "old" and "new", helps to define and shape the "national will".
- The "new" media allows for the rapid recruitment and deployment of pattern-based assets in the current conflict (a "pattern-based asset is any pattern of information that might "make a difference" to the current conflict, e.g. information on location, numbers, etc., recruitment, interpretation of current intelligence, PSYOPS, computer viruses, weapons construction plans, training materials, etc.).
- The fragmentation of the media (both old and new), along with the introduction of highly interactive media (mainly "new") has reduced the efficiency of operations based around broadcast technologies (e.g. TV, Radio, Newspapers, etc.; See Levinson, The Soft Edge for a really good discussion of this).
- The fragmentation of the media has also reduced the reach of any singular form of media and increased the formation of contingent and specialized communities.
If we combine these two definitions together, we end up with a definition of Information Operations that reads something like this:
Information operations are actions taken to produce changes in the material and perceptual realities of populations through the redefinition of those populations perceptual "maps".
Yes, I know that such a definition includes things such as propaganda, PSYOPS, strategic communications, etc. ;). In order to bring that definition down to something that is a little more manageable and usable by the military, it should be possible to isolate a sub-set of these operations that have a direct effect on what I called "pattern-based assets" in point 2 (above).
Having tossed the cat amongst the pigeons, think its time for another cup of coffee :D.
Marc
Simple concept, difficult to execute
At the most senior levels of military operations, commanders DO influence their political leadership. Every single day. The most effective plan for how they’re going to do it. They provide military impact assessments when political leaders decide to undertake a particular diplomatic course of action. They argue for resources. They propose Concepts of Operation for how to execute an op, and submit that COA to leaders along with a briefing that is designed to sway the approval authority’s opinion. The Commander who doesn’t influence his political leadership is negligent because one of his principle jobs is to utilize his many years of training and experience to ensure that the actions the military is asked to execute are feasible and nested with national security objectives. But … influencing your own political leadership (or that of allied nations) is not what IO (the military operation) is about, and that’s why this conversation keeps bouncing around so much.
IO has a pretty simple definition and is a pretty simple concept, but I guess certain concepts are more difficult for some people to grasp than they are for others. I have a hard time with non-Euclidian geometry. ;) It’s very difficult to talk about IO intelligently when those discussing it refuse to adhere to a common lexicon. If, for example we set out to discuss "football coaches," it will prove challenging to hold an intelligent conversation if you are referring to large vehicles that carry soccer fans while I am referring to the men who are in charge of teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. We may be using the same phrase, but we're sure not talking about the same thing.
If the purpose of the discussion is to develop a definition for IO (as opposed to discussing an operational concept with an agreed upon definition), then the context of the discussion needs to be clarified.
IO is very difficult to execute because there are more variables in the information environment that there are on the battlefield and because there are so many amateurs employed as IO planners. Adversary, neutral, and friendly parties from around the globe have direct impact in the information environment, almost exclusive of geography; timing is critical; and the best-laid IO plans can be completely turned upside down by seemingly innocuous actions taken by people who don't intend to spoil the plan.