– By Manya Shastry
– Intern IPPCS’21
Competition, disagreements, and conflicts of interest are unavoidable in both human and international interactions. In the past, these conflicts have frequently devolved into bloodshed in order to achieve competitive advantages, change governments, or end a war.
On a daily basis in electronic, print, and social media, as well as other methods of public diplomacy, India faces difficulties in the Information Warfare domain. These include the anticompetitive nature of transboundary proxy war and Hybon. While access to the internet is meant to be unrestricted and unrestricted, it is really controlled by a few “Haves,” leaving all other “Have Nots” exposed to data breaches. Warfare or the propagation of extremism and terrorist ideology must be eliminated. All of these difficulties are becoming apparent.
In Information Warfare, information is both the objective and the weapon, giving the idea of information security a whole new meaning. This is a combat that takes place in the virtual realm of infospace, as opposed to the actual realms of land, sea, air, and space. Edward Waltz, a former Manager for Information Understanding Programs at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, was one of the earliest major authors on the subject. He defined Information Warfare as “three essential components of war at the national level: information dominance, information protection, and information attack” in his landmark book released in 1998. Since then, the principles and tactics of Information Warfare have evolved significantly as the ideas he proposed have been put into reality.
The idea of information warfare (IW) was initially conceived and defined under US military doctrine, and it has since been embraced in various versions by numerous governments. Since the early 2000s, the Indian Army has had officers assigned to Information Warfare. IW expands into the domains of Electronic Warfare, Cyber Warfare, and Psychological Operations, as can be observed from different doctrines and studies released in the United States over time, and these three primary components are also a part of the Indian Army’s conceptions of IW. Electronic Warfare has the functions of Attack, Protect, and Support, whereas Cyber Warfare has the functions of Attack, Defense, and Exploitation. Since World War I, when loudspeakers were deployed across battle lines to demoralise enemy troops, psychological warfare has been an element of all major forces’ warfighting tactics.
Information Warfare’s Components
As previously stated, various countries utilize different terms when it comes to IW. Following a thorough examination of these concepts and procedures, as well as current literature by Indian specialists on the issue, we may recommend the following components to be included in Information Warfare as it relates to India’s national security. Electronic Warfare (EW) is a term that refers to the use of Electronic Support Measures, Electronic Counter Measures, and Electronic Counter Measures are the three types of EW.
Operational Psychological. Perception Management, Public Information, and Public Diplomacy Cyber Warfare are all examples of psychological operations. Computer Network Defense, Exposure, and Attack are examples of cyberspace operations. Military Operational Security and Deception. While these duties involve the usage of all three primary components of IW described above and are connected to regular processes carried out by all military from time immemorial, they are typically included as components of IW in India and the United States. Furthermore, these two aspects are largely concerned with highly particular military actions that are connected to IW’s three primary components. As a result, it is thought that they should be excluded from the IW components.
Following our conclusion about the components of Information Warfare that will be suitable for India’s pursuit of Information Security in the evolving security environment, we must analyse the strategy and structures that will be required for India’s National Security in the future. The necessity of the hour is for a holistic strategy to operationalize a mix of Psychological Warfare, Cyber Operations, and Electronic Warfare, all of which are proven components of Information Warfare. In fact, continuing to separate Cyber Security aspects from Psychological Warfare, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the interconnected world, is a sure recipe for disaster for any nation, especially now that most countries, such as China and Russia, have adopted a synchronised structure to wage Information Warfare.
To impact the Cognitive Dimension, the conceptual basis of Information Warfare must be synchronisation between the Information-Technical and Information-Psychological Dimensions of Information Warfare. There is also a pressing need to combine the nation’s military, academic, and civilian components. Separating all of these aspects will likely result in a fragmented creation of concepts, plans, and doctrines, as well as a less-than-optimal implementation of Information Warfare, all of which will be damaging to the nation’s future. With a growing number of opponents or competitors adopting a more integrated strategy to Information Warfare, those countries that choose to neglect this crucial component will inevitably suffer losses and defeats in peace, conflict, and war, and will be unable to achieve their national interests.
References
- Guma, Greg. “The Evolution of Perception Management Tactics.” Toward Freedom, Toward Freedom, 3 June 2005, https://towardfreedom.org/story/archives/media/the-evolution-of-perception-management-tactics-0604/
- US joint Chiefs of Staff , Military Information Support Operations, Joint Publication 3-13.2 updated 20 Dec 2011, pp vii , http://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/jp-doctrine/JP3-13.2C1(11).pdf
- Daniel T. Kuehl, Information Operations, Information Warfare, and Computer Network Attack : Their Relationship to National Security in the Information Age, US Naval War College Vol 76 publication 2002, p.36
- Collins, Liam, and Aaron Brantley. “A BEAR OF A PROBLEM: RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES PERFECTING THEIR CYBER CAPABILITIES.” A BEAR OF A PROBLEM: RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES PERFECTING THEIR CYBER CAPABILITIES, Association of the United States Army, 28 Nov. 2018, www.ausa.org/articles/bear-problem-russian-special-forces-perfecting-their-cyber-capabilities
- Chatterji, S. K. “What Is the New Perception Management Doctrine for Army?” Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, 2015, https://idsa.in/askanexpert/Whatisthenewperceptionmanagementdoctrineforarmy
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