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usurp adversarial human and automated decision making while
protecting our own.” 42
If this definition is approved, it will replace the definition cited earlier from JP
1-02. All past IO definitions defined IO as the ability to attack others’ systems
while defending its own. The new Joint Publication definition, if approved,
resembles the Air Force definition in that it doesn’t attack and defend systems
but rather is defined as the ability to “influence, disrupt, corrupt or usurp
adversarial human and automated decision making while protecting our own.”
As you can see, the speed with which definitions are changing and the
variations of core capabilities listed is indicative of the struggle to understand
IO in general. The Air Force definition is the real renegade of the bunch. It does
not include military deception and operational security in its definition as core
capabilities as the Joint and Army definitions do.
One of the biggest problems with the service-oriented definitions is that
they do not offer countercapabilities to the propaganda advanced by insurgents
or other organizations via the Internet or other media means as a core or
supporting/related capability. Countercapabilities are listed as a supporting
activity and only counterintelligence is included in the new JP 3-13 draft. It
may be that with the focus on information, the ability of enemies to conduct
cyber-related actions is not properly contemplated. Counter- or even preemptive
IO or cyber activities are extremely important in fighting an
insurgency. Counterpropaganda is a term that appears to be missing. Perhaps
counterinfluence could be substituted for counterpropaganda if the latter is
unacceptable.
It is also possible to offer a new definition for an information operation
based on an examination of foreign and domestic IO and cyber issues. The
following is a definition that takes into consideration all of these factors:
An IO is a number of technical, influence, and effects-causing
operations (plus their countercapabilities) used from peacetime to
postconflict scenarios to achieve a stated goal via means of destruction,
persuasion, protection, control, or neutralization. These activities are
aimed at the decision-making of leaders, combatants, and the general
populace, and include all means to gather and distribute information. 43
42 Joint Publication 3-13, Joint Doctrine for Information Operations, Second Draft, 14
December 2004, GL-12.
43 Author’s definition.
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