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primarily to systems and equipment and give scant reference to the mind.
Similarly, IW should have been defined differently than it was in JP 3-
13 and JP 1-02. War is defined by Webster= s dictionary as a “state of usually
open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations.” JP 1-02
does not define war. This is an interesting point. How can one possibly define
IW if we do not define “war”? The question is worth asking, for avoidance of
controversy is hardly an acceptable price for lack of clarity. This can become a
troubling condition. For example, consider the emphasis we put on the correct
determination of an “objective” or a “center of gravity” as operational or
strategic principles. 117 If we do not define the terms properly, can we make the
proper determination? Was a weak definition the reason that IW is no longer in
the US army’s lexicon? If this is so, we will need to inform the international
military community (coalition forces that support us), because they are still
using the IW phraseology.
JP 1-02 defines IW as “information operations conducted during times
of crisis or conflict to achieve or promote specific objectives over a specific
adversary or adversaries.” The latter part of this definition sounds more like the
definition of an operation, in that an operation carries on combat to “gain the
objectives of any battle or campaign.” Further, the definition of war can only be
inferred to mean “crisis or conflict” based on the definition of IW in JP 1-02.
That is the only difference between IO and IW.
This problem is exacerbated when foreign concepts are bumped up
against US concepts. For example, the 1986 Russian Military Encyclopedia
defined “military information” (there was no entry for information) as
“information of a military nature, as well as the process of transmission and
receiving of such information.” An “operation” was defined by the
encyclopedia as
An aggregate of battles, engagements, strikes and maneuvers,
coordinated and interlinked in objective, tasks, place and time, by
various force organizations, conducted simultaneously and sequentially
according to a common concept and plan, to accomplish missions in a
theater of operations, a strategic or operational sector, or within a
specified period of time; a form of military operations.
“War” was defined as “a sociopolitical phenomenon, continuation of
politics by violent means…armed struggle comprises the specific content of
117 Discussion with Dr. Geoff Demarest, FMSO, on 14 November 2002.
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