Joint Publication 3-13, Information Operations - The Global ...

Chapter VII
(2) Providing sufficient opportunity to test the abilities of IO planners to coordinate
military information activity, accomplish exercise objectives, and satisfy training requirements.
IO within an exercise must be stimulated through scenario design, asset participation, and scripting
of specific events in the master scenario events list (MSEL).
(3) Designing the IO portion of an exercise scenario in such a way that appropriate
assumptions are made about friendly and adversary IO capabilities, baseline perceptions of
appropriate individuals and groups, as well as how perceptions may change over the course of
the exercise in reaction to all scripted events and exercise play. Baseline perception and IOrelated
intelligence must be provided in documentation that both Blue and Red forces receive at
the start of the exercise (STARTEX). Technical and safety requirements must be coordinated
with appropriate range and/or J-6 personnel. IO requirements for M&S must be coordinated.
IO experiments during the exercise must be coordinated. MOEs for IO must be identified and
documented for exercise evaluators and lessons learned personnel.
(4) Obtaining sufficient IO assets to support training objectives during exercise play.
Specific asset availability may be difficult to firmly schedule months before an exercise. Scenario
designers should assess the probability of key asset participation and, if necessary, draft backup
training objectives and scenario specifics to allow for the loss of exercise assets because of
higher priority operational requirements.
(5) Scripting appropriate IO-related events to support training objectives during exercise
play. Events scripted to stimulate IO play must be developed as an integrated part of the MSEL.
Sufficient IO-related events must be provided to keep participating personnel challenged and
achieve training objectives. Where necessary, branch and sequel MSELs must be developed to
account for alternative exercise outcomes.
(6) Creating as realistic an exercise environment as possible. Realism can be achieved
by using friendly IO capabilities or by employing IO models and simulations, and incorporating
robust IO response cells into the exercise environment. Response cells are especially useful for providing
interaction with national-level agencies or departments when conducting strategic influence campaign
planning or DSPD. In this regard, there must be an opposing force well-schooled in adversary information
techniques in both a conventional and unconventional sense. When US IO planners plan IO actions,
they must take into account the presence of realistic opposition forces that will be attempting to anticipate
US actions and set conditions for their own effects to work. This interplay also stimulates IO wargaming
for information superiority.
(7) Ensuring adequate manning for IO staff functions and IO evaluation. IO
planners should nominate IO staff billets through the process being used to develop the exercise
billet documentation. In addition to the appropriate number of IO billets on the exercise joint
staff, IO observer/training billets and IO “white cell” billets may be appropriate, depending on
the scale and purpose of the exercise. If IO-related technology or tactics evaluations are to be
accomplished during the exercise, additional IO evaluation billets may be necessary.
VII-6
JP 3-13