Understanding Information Warfare

Information warfare (IW) is primarily a United States military concept involving the use and management of information and communication technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. Information warfare is often thought of as being defined by a particular target-set decision makers, information, information processes, and information systems. The "battle space" associated with IW has been a constantly expanding one, moving far beyond traditional military situations. In some quarters, IW has even been associated with the leveraging of information technologies to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency. This has stretched the meaning of IW to the breaking point and has sowed more confusion than enlightenment. The information technology explosion that's out there sweeping the world is an important matter, not just for the military services, but also for industry, the government, and our whole way of life. The history of the Second World War offers great examples of the military and civilian leadership manipulating information, even in a very crude fashion, to achieve rather spectacular results. This book discusses the nature of information warfare and its impact in the new millennium. It also deals with practical methods and techniques that have proven to be effective in law enforcement.