全球智库信息集成服务系统

The IE is often an afterthought and not given significant attention for the purposes of C2, situational awareness, and intelligence collection

• Information and information-related capabilities play a critical role across the full spectrum of military operations.
• When the IE is considered in military planning, it is in the context of campaigns to influence noncombatant populations rather than operations targeting adversaries and adversary leaders.
• There are major shortfalls in how IE activities are visualized and communicated to commanders and the extent to which the IE is considered in operational planning and organization.

There are opportunities to improve C2 and situational awareness and place a greater emphasis on the IE

• Existing doctrine and processes could easily accommodate a greater focus on the IE.
• Current practice for C2 and situational awareness has resulted in significant seams when it comes to the IE — areas that either overlap with or fail to cover the roles and responsibilities of those tasked with these operations.
• Situational awareness solutions for the IE are not one-size-fits-all. Different commands have different mission priorities and operating contexts.
• Situational awareness is subject to human limitations and information overload. Possible solutions include automated processes and machine learning.

The information environment (IE) is not a physical place and has not yet been defined as a warfighting domain in U.S. military doctrine. Targets of operations in and through the IE include human perceptions or behaviors: Weapons are ideas, and defenses are norms, beliefs, and traditions.

Adding to the complexity of achieving command and control (C2) and situational awareness of the IE is the fact that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has not effectively integrated the IE into operational planning, doctrine, or processes, instead considering traditional land, air, and sea operations separately from operations in the information space. However, every military activity has inherent informational aspects, and adversaries are increasingly using propaganda, misinformation, and other means to influence public perceptions, alliances, and decisions.

Drawing on a review of doctrine and processes, the history of information operations and information-related capabilities, and interviews with subject-matter experts and stakeholders, this report presents a three-tiered vision for the role of information in U.S. military operations. It also identifies requirements for achieving effective C2 and situational awareness of the IE and presents a detailed analysis of seven ways to organize for this objective. Ultimately, addressing the gaps and shortfalls identified in this report will require a much stronger understanding of the IE, associated concepts and capabilities, and roles and responsibilities across the joint force.

• Chapter One

  Introduction, Research Questions, and Research Approach

• Chapter Two

  What Is the Information Environment, and Why Is It Important?

• Chapter Three

  Current Concepts and Practices for C2 and Situational Awareness

• Chapter Four

  Identifying Requirements for Effective C2 and Situational Awareness of the IE

• Chapter Five

  Provisional Evaluation of Organizational Alternatives for C2

• Chapter Six

  Conclusions and Recommendations

• Appendix

  Automation, Machine Learning, and Computational Propaganda