INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION OPERATIONS

1
INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION OPERATIONS
2
AIM
To provide an introduction and overview of
Information Operations (Info Ops) with respect to
its fundamentals, concepts and its application
3
REFERENCES

• B-GL-300-005-FP-001, Land Forces Information
  Operations
• Doctrinal Note 002 Land Force Targeting
• CF Info Ops Policy for Full Spectrum Operations
  Draft v7
• Info Ops Policy for CF International Operations
• B-GL-300-007/FP-001 Firepower
• AJP 3-9-2 Land Targeting
• B-GL-300-001/FP-001 - Land Ops
• B-GL-323-004/FP-003 COIN

4
MAIN TEACHING POINTS

• Definition
• The OODA Loop and Info Ops
• Focus
• Operating Environment
• Principles
• Info Ops Core Activity Area and Targets
• Defensive and Offensive Info Ops
• Tool box (Enablers)
• Physical Plane and Psychological Plane
• Integration

5
INFO OPS MYTHS

• Beliefs about Info Ops
• Only about themes and messages
• You can go and Info Ops this village, tribe or
  unit
• It has a magic powder bag to mitigate an incident
• Info Ops done in stove pipe the Info Ops
  Plan...(Isolation)
• What Info Ops actually is
• A staff function that coordinates and
  synchronizes Influence Activities (IA), thus
  acting as a multiplier to support the Comds Plan
  or objective

6
DEFINITION

• Land Ops defines Information Operations as
• coordinated actions to create desired effects
  on the will, understanding and capability of
  adversaries, potential adversaries and other
  approved parties in support of overall objectives
  by affecting their information, information-based
  processes and systems while exploiting and
  protecting ones own.

7
INFO OPS AND THE OODA LOOP

OBSERVATION
AKA BOYD LOOP


ORIENTATION
ACTION

DECISION
8
WHAT INFO OPS DOES TO THE OODA LOOP OF THE
ADVERSARY

• Synchronized Info Ops will disrupt its
  decision-action cycle by affecting
• WILL
• UNDERSTANDING (including Comprehension)
• CAPABILITY

9
INFO OPS AND THE OODA LOOP
A thought...
10
FOCUS OF INFORMATION OPERATIONS
11
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

• Complex Environment
• Inter-related Systems and Entities
• PMESII Political, Military, Economical, Social,
  Infrastructure, Information
• Intelligence Preparation of The Battlespace (IPB)
• Undesired/Unintentional Effects

12
PRINCIPLES IN THE APPLICATION OF IA

• Commanders Direction
• Centralised Planning and Decentralised Execution
• Early Involvement and Timely Preparation
• Close Coordination and Sequencing
• Timely Counter-Info Ops

13
PRINCIPLES IN THE APPLICATION OF IA

• Accurate Intelligence and Information
• Comprehensive Targeting
• Establishing and Maintaining Credibility
• Performance and Effects Monitoring and Assessment

14
INFO OPS FOUNDATION INTELLIGENCE

• Info Ops MUST be founded on good Intelligence
  support
• Timely, Accurate, Relevant
• Info Ops needs Intelligence to
• Plan, Execute, Assess Effectiveness of actions
• (Joint) Intelligence Preparation of the
  Battlefield
• Human Factors and Human Network Analysis
• Culture, Religion, Languages, Influences
• Systems Analysis
• IT, Infrastructure, Processes, Network
  Vulnerabilities

15
INFO OPS TARGETS
16
INFORMATION FILTERS
17
INFO OPS EFFECTS VERBS

• Convince
• Degrade
• Deny
• Destroy
• Diminish
• Disrupt

• Safeguard
• Negate
• Neutralize
• Shape
• Usurp
• Deceive
• Compel

• Exploit
• Expose
• Influence
• Inform
• Mislead
• Prevent
• Protect

18
INFO OPS CORE ACTIVITY AREAS

• Influence Activities - affect, either directly or
  indirectly, available information and perception
  of it

Influence Activity
Information Protection Activity

• Information Protection Activity - denies
  information on which decisions are made

Counter-Command Activity

• Counter-Command Activity - affect the ability to
  acquire, process and transmit information.

19
DOCTRINAL CONCEPT OF OFFENSIVE DEFENSIVE INFO
OPS
20
INFORMATION OPERATIONS TOOL BOX

• In order to conduct Info Ops and achieve sought
  after effects, Info Ops will rely on an array of
  military disciplines to support the Commanders
  plan

21
INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES

• As stated before, the construct of Information
  Operations is divided into 3 core activities that
  will affect WILL, CAPABILITY and UNDERSTANDING
• The following Enablers will target the WILL of
  the adversary and are categorized as Influence
  Activities

22
PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS (PSYOPS) Planned
activities designed to influence attitudes and
behaviors, affecting the achievement of political
and military objectives
23
PRESENCE - POSTURE - PROFILE
24
PRESENCE - POSTURE - PROFILE
PPP is a process to assist forces in determining
the attitude, deportment and level of security
they should adopt in any given situation
25
DECEPTION

• Gain Surprise
• Maintain Security
• Delude Enemy Friendly Freedom of Action
• Mislead Enemy Unfavourable Course of
  Action
• Cause Enemy to Waste Resources...thus
• Economize on Use of Friendly Resources

26
CIVIL-MILITARY COOPERATION (CIMIC)
The military function that supports the
commander's mission by establishing and
maintaining coordination and cooperation between
the military force and civilian actors in the
commanders Area of Operations
27
PUBLIC INFORMATION
A distinctive function within DND/CF that helps
establish and maintain mutual lines of
communications, understanding, acceptance, and
cooperation between us and the public at large.
PA is about stating the facts
28
KEY LEADER ENGAGEMENT
Source DND
29
INFORMATION PROTECTION ACTIVITIES

• The following Enablers will target the
  UNDERSTANDING of the adversary and are
  categorized as Information Protection Activities

30
OPERATIONS SECURITY (OPSEC)
The process by which a military operation is
given appropriate security, using passive or
active means, to deny the enemy knowledge of
the Dispositions, Capabilities, and Intentions of
friendly forces
31
COUNTER COMMAND ACTIVITIES

• The following Enablers will target the CAPABILITY
  of the adversary and are categorized as Counter
  Command Activities

32
PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION
Physical Destruction
Capabilities
Collateral Damage
Public Support
33
ELECTRONIC WARFARE (EW)

• Actions taken to exploit the
• Electromagnetic (EM)
• Spectrum that encompasses
• the interception and
• identification of EM
• emissions, the employment
• of EM energy, including
• directed energy, to reduce
• or prevent hostile use of the
• EM spectrum and actions to ensure its
• effective use by own/friendly forces

34
COMPUTER NETWORK OPERATIONS (CNO)

• An overarching term for offensive and defensive
  actions regarding computer based information
  systems
• Defence (CND)
• Attack (CNA)
• Exploitation (CNE)

35
KLE
36
Effectsan Evolving View
Exploit To Gather Information...
Influence by affecting...
Capability
Will
Protect
Temporary
Provide Information
Disrupt
Deny
Assist
Persuade
Preserve Behavior
Change Behavior
Partial
Complete
Degrade
Destroy
Dissuade
Mislead
Permanent
Withhold Information
37

• BREAK

38
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

• Military capabilities and combat power are
  applied as part of a campaign plan in order to
  reach operational objectives and to achieve a
  desired end state
• The aim of reaching enduring objectives and end
  states that address the root causes of a conflict
• Application of violence against an adversary will
  always be the purview of the military and other
  security forces, but it must be done in
  combination with a range of activities and other
  agencies to reach those enduring outcomes

39
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

• Combat power and capabilities are applied in a
  harmonized and complementary manner across all
  levels of command in order to achieve operational
  objectives, and in turn, strategic end states
• The land force conducts its operations using an
  effect-based philosophy and process that ensures
  tactical level activities are linked, through the
  effects they produce, to operational objectives
  and the desired end state

40
PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANES

• The object of conflict is the imposition of ones
  will on an opponent and to alter the opponents
  behaviour
• To engage the enemy on multiple levels to affect
  will, comprehension and capability. It has to be
  on the two planes. Physical and the Psychological
  plane

41
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

Physical Plane
42
PHYSICAL PLANE

• Comprise physical objectives, actions and effects
  on the battlespace
• Includes military forces, the electromagnetic
  spectrum, civilian populations, armed factions,
  logistical resources and infrastructure, as well
  as geography, oceanography, and meteorology

43
PHYSICAL PLANE

• Activities and theirs effects are tangible and
  measurable
• Attributes
• - Industrious, intense in commodities and each
  is supported by the industrial and economic
  power of their respective sides
• - It is also easily observed, understood,
  estimated and measured (Science of conflict)
• Do not itself lead to success
• But it will set the right conditions for success

44
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

Physical Plane
Physical Activities - Fires
45
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES - FIRES

• Tangible undertakings producing immediate first
  order effects on the physical plane through force
• Focus on physical destruction, attrition,
  disruption, or denial of essentials to
  adversaries through lethal and non-lethal fires
  and manuvres (incl EW)
• Fires aim is to affect the target behaviour
  through physical means on the second order effect

46
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES - FIRES

• Synchronized to cause second order effects to
  undermine Will and shatter cohesion
• Contrary to belief, the second order effect will
  likely be decisive
• Physical destruction might not lead to success.
  Think in counter-insurgency terms where killing a
  large number of insurgents may create new
  recruits and/or other undesired effects

47
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

Physical Plane
Psychological Plane
Physical Activities Fires
?
48
PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANE

• Constitutes the perception, understanding,
  motivation, conviction, emotions, commitment, and
  ultimately the will of individuals and groups
• Represents the will, the cohesion, belief in a
  cause, indoctrination, judgement
• Emotive responses such as patriotism, ethnicity,
  religious zeal, esprit de corps and issues of
  self-interest

49
PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANE

• Attributes
• The target or target audience includes
  adversaries, commanders, leaders in a
  population, systems, and groups of people within
  the environment
• Same targeting process as Physical plane
• Requires more training and intuition
• Effects are not only on one plane

50
PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANE

• First order of effect is difficult to grasp and
  quantify
• Referred to as the Campaign Winning capability

51
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

Psychological Plane
Physical Plane
Physical Activities Fires
Influences Activities
52
INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES

• Seek to predispose, persuade, convince, deter,
  compel, coerce a target audience to adopt a
  particular CoA
• Assist, encourage and reassure those that are
  following a desired CoA

To be effective, they must be synchronized and
coordinated
53
INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES

• Influence activities may be physical based
  psychological activities
• Example
• Feint or demonstration to deceive an enemy
  commander
• Firepower demonstration to dissuade a former
  belligerent from violating a cease-fire
• Construction of infrastructure to engender
  support and stability amongst a local population

54
INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES

• Influence Activities across the spectrum
• A demonstration by forces supported by false
  radio traffic will affect the enemy commanders
  perception, influence him to incorrectly identify
  the main effort, and move his forces away from
  the true intended area of attack, thus affecting
  his behaviour, and secondly, his capabilities
• PSYOPS may be used in the form of a public radio
  station to bring accurate news to a local
  populace and to encourage their support for a
  COIN campaign
• CIMIC activities may assist in civil
  reconstruction to engender moral support from a
  government and its populace, and to enhance the
  perception of the campaign and its legitimacy
  amongst a local populace
• PA messages may be issued to counter enemy
  propaganda, and to ensure local and international
  understanding and support for the campaign and
  its operations

55
INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES

• Can also create second order effects on the
  physical plane
• The key is to decide on the effect to be created
• Deception - PSYOPS
• CIMIC - PPP
• PA - KLE

56
INFORMATION OPERATIONS INTEGRATION
57
INTEGRATION

Psychological Plane
Physical Plane
Influence Activities
Physical Activities
INFO OPS PLANNER
PLANNERS
58
WHERE IS INFO OPSIN ALL THIS?

• Physical plane Psychological plane
• Physical Activities Influence Activities

INFO OPS
IOCB
TIE-IN
59
(No Transcript)
60
Questions?