Wielding the Cyber Sword: Exploiting the Power of Information Operations

Information Operations IO are rapidly becoming a new Battlefield Operating System BOS. Until the last 3-5 years, emphasis in applying the tenets of IO remained compartmented discretely within organizations at each level of war - strategic, operational, and tactical. Given the infusion of technology and the potential merger of those levels, information has become a currency for all operations across the spectrum of conflict. With the goal for IO to achieve Information Superiority, this study examines current IO doctrine and organization in light of expectations of the future battlefield and the transformed Army. The fundamental conclusion is that to develop into a viable contributor as a warfighting domain, IO should be formally recognized as a BOS and sub-divided to encompass two types of operations influenceperception operations focused on the message and networkcyber operations focused on the media. In the final analysis, current IO systems require radical modification with respect to doctrine, organization, leader development, and training.