Military Change & Transformation

War Is War? -- The utility of cyberspace operations in the contemporary operational environment Dennis M Murphy Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) defines cyberspace operations as “the employment of cyber capabilities where the primary purpose is to achieve military objectives or effects in or through cyberspace.” Cyberspace emerged as a national-level concern through several recent events of geo-strategic significance. Estonian infrastructure was attacked in the spring of 2007, allegedly by Russian hackers. In August 2008, Russia again allegedly conducted cyber attacks, this time in a coordinated and synchronized kinetic and non-kinetic campaign against Georgia. It is plausible that such complex excursions may become the norm in future warfare among nation-states having the capabilities to conduct them."

YouTube War: Fighting in a World of Cameras in Every Cell Phone and Photoshop on Every Computer Dr Cori E Dauber Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph, by Dr. Cori E. Dauber, argues that terrorist attacks today are often media events in a second sense: information and communication technologies have developed to such a point that these groups can film, edit, and upload their own attacks within minutes of staging them, whether the Western media are present or not. In this radically new information environment, the enemy is no longer dependent upon the traditional media. This is, she argues, the 'YouTube War.' "

Bullets and Blogs: New Media and the Warfighter Diedre Collings, Rafal Rohozinski Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "War is nothing if not a constant process of adaptation. Today, anyone armed with a digital camera and access to the Internet can become an information warrior, potentially reaching global audiences. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and blogs have become as important to the strategic outcome of military operations as bullets, troops and air power. Appreciating the game-changing properties of new media are as important for today’s warfighters as are the skills, training and tradecraft required to maneuver conventional forces. "

Congressional Gridlock, Town Hall Vitriol...and the Information Dennis M Murphy Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Speed, access to news, connectivity…. The information age, as Thomas Friedman likes to remind us, has made the world flat. From many perspectives, that’s good news. You can access news from anywhere, at any time with a click of a mouse. You have the capability to watch literally hundreds of television channels, in multiple languages from the comfort of your couch. You can listen to rock, jazz, metal or classical music without interruption driving from coast to coast…or you can listen to talk radio a mind-numbing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And the future will only bring more capability, more options, and more information."

Should Military Governance Guidance Return to its Roots COL Hugh C Van Roosen II Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "A comparison of the 1943 United States Army and Navy Manual of Military Government and Civil Affairs with the most recent (2006) United States Army Civil Affairs Field Manual reveals major changes in doctrine in the intervening sixty three years. While to some degree changing national and international conditions make many of those changes understandable, after reading the two manuals one can argue a need to recapture the ‘military government’ essentials found in the 1943 document."

The New Chemistry of C2 Mr Kevin J Cogan, Mister William O Waddell Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "A necessary change in the military transition to the next generation of warfare is the maturing of “command and control” processes and semantics for leading and configuring the organization to meet emerging threats. In the book Understanding Command and Control, Drs. Alberts and Hayes state that the purpose of C2 “has remained unchanged since the earliest military forces engaged.” In a journal article, Dr. Alberts writes that agility, focus, and convergence might be the semantics that replace the linguistics of the term Command and Control. He suggests that Command and Control are terms that no longer fit the transformation in warfare paradigm for the 21st century. He calls for new approaches to thinking about C2 by removing the “restrictive legacy of language and connotation” and by so doing he proposes replacing C2 with the terms Focus & Convergence, where “agility is the critical capability that organizations need to meet the challenges of complexity and uncertainty.” This is particularly true when it is likely that future conflicts will necessitate coalitions which do not necessarily conform to a common semantic meaning of C2 terminology. "

2009 Key Strategic Issues List Antulio J. Echevarria II Document by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Unlike other lists that generally reflect issues which are operational or tactical in nature, the focus of the Key Strategic Issues List is strategic. The spotlight is, in other words, on those items that senior Army and Department of Defense leaders should consider in providing military advice and formulating military strategy. At present, the U.S. military is engaged in a changing situation in Iraq and an increasing presence in Afghanistan, as well as efforts to restore balance in force sizing and structure."

Strategic Implications of Emerging Technologies Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The USAWC’s Strategic Studies Institute held its 20th Annual Strategy Conference on April 14-16, 2009, at Carlisle Barracks. This year’s focus, “Strategic Implications of Emerging Technologies,” was intended to look beyond the noted importance of advances in the field of cyber and information technologies to raise awareness of other technology areas which thus far have received less visibility. The conference explored biogenetics, biometrics, nanotechnologies, robotics, artificial intelligence, alternative energies, electromagnetic weaponry, nuclear power, and global warming. Approximately 135 attendees along with 19 panelists and speakers participated. As anticipated, the conference brought together a diverse group of scholars and individuals from the defense community and academia."

Operational Security in an Age of Radical Transparency Dennis M Murphy Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "We often hearken back to the Cold War as a simpler time…not because of the danger it portended, but because of the nature of the threat. That bipolar world defined a clear enemy with an order of battle that could be templated and processes and methodologies that could be studied. It was a two dimensional world of good and bad. Operations security (OPSEC), defined as “select(ing) and execut(ing) measures that eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level the vulnerabilities of friendly actions to adversary exploitation,” was equally cut and dry. U.S. commanders in Europe were principally concerned with the Soviet-bloc spy taking pictures of the caserne motor pool. Troops were briefed prior to training exercises and deployments not to discuss dates, times or specifics of the operation under threat of military justice penalties. And that was that. Risk reduced…OPSEC considered and maintained. But, oh how the world has changed..."