Quote Originally Posted by marct View Post
I've got to agree with Tom on this one. Yes, IO is a subset of strategy, but it is also a subset of military operations; every action, including non-action, sends a message. As such, every military operation has, as an emergent property of it, an information operation whether that is recognized or not.
OK, so all military action sends a message or has a psychological effect. How do you manage that when so much effect is unintended and unpredictable?

Soldiers should not be concenred that "every military operation has, as an emergent property of it, an information operation whether that is recognized or not."

Getting into IO is the same danger as the Sorcerer's apprentice got into.

Yes, IO can have lethal effect. "Kill all those with blue front doors," is not something we should be doing. Dropping bombs on those saying it, is!

The only IO strategy I see as militarily valid is denying the enemy all sources of information, and denying him the ability to conduct IO.