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as armies do on the battlefield to conduct counterinsurgency warfare. For
example, an anti-hacker alliance of top Internet Service Providers (ISPs) was
recently formed, similar in function to a coalition of troops sent to stop hostile
activity. They united to share attack profiles to stop Internet attacks as far from
target areas as possible. The alliance included such important providers as BT
Group, Deutsche Telekom, MCI, NTT Communications, Cisco Systems, and
EarthLink, among others. Their realization is that “the operating principle of the
technologies underlying the Internet will not allow hackers to be defeated.” 33
Thus the goal is to improve the exchange of information among Internet
providers as the best available method. Forming this coalition of ISPs is a first
step. Civilian organizations are investing in computer tactics and strategies and
in countercomputer activities as well. More interesting for purposes of this
study, however, is that the Cyber Age has spawned a new age of military theory
and practice.
Instead of studying opposing armies, many civilians today, both private
citizens and security organs, study Internet terrorist sites. The website
http://haganah.org.il is dedicated to, as the site says, “confronting the global
jihad online.” Instead of publishing training manuals, the Internet site offers
insurgents a chance to use online tutorials about handling weapons or planning
attacks. An Internet posting of 30 March 2005, obtained by NBC news, offered
a missile tutorial. The targets were not military aircraft but civilian airliners. 34
To view our borders, much like military units observe their perimeters,
companies such as VistaScape offer a master system combining views from
hundreds of cameras with GPS data that focuses on moving targets, digital
borders, and final details from other sensors (infrared, chemical sniffing, etc.). 35
A Florida lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to remotely inspect boaters
returning from Caribbean ports with videophones and biometric technology. 36
Information Operations (IO) and the Military
The distinction in terminology between civilians and armed forces to
describe the age in which we live is interesting. By focusing on the term cyber,
civilians and some federal media outlets talk directly about the myriad ways
33 Computer Crime Research Center Staff, “Top World ISPs Unite in Fight against
Hackers,” www.crime-research.org, 31 March 2005.
34 Lisa Myers and the NBC investigative unit, “Al Qaeda Web Message Offers Missile
Tutorial,” msnbc.msn.com, 30 March 2005.
35 “The All-in-One, Widescreen Security Cam,” Wired, March 2005, p. 028.
36 Greta Wodele, “Florida Lawmakers Want Remote System to Inspect Boaters,”
National Journal’s Technology Daily, downloaded from the www.govexec.com on 5
April 2005.
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