Armed with Information: Evolving Public Affairs to Deliver Operational Effects - Military Implications of Globalization, Changing Nature of Military Conflict, Evolving War Character, Battle of Ideas

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. In light of the pervasive nature of real-time global news, the perceptions as delivered via the media and other emerging communication mediums are increasingly influencing foreign and domestic public opinion and the policymaking process. It's within this context, the U.S. military must come to understand and embrace the operational potential inherent in leveraging information and related public affairs (PA) capabilities as a crucial weapon to be employed on the battleground of public opinion. Despite its enormous potential, steps must be taken to increase the effectiveness of prevailing PA norms and standards. Without question, kinetic capabilities are still relevant in 21st century warfare, but represent only part of the solution. Military success in wielding information for operational effect will increasingly depend upon our ability to move forward on many fronts, to include evolving PA operations designed to preempt or counter adversary disinformation.

The information revolution has provided the means to enable increasing opportunities and asymmetric advantages for non-state actors and rogue nations to wield enormous effect, thereby leveling the playing field against great powers. In this new era, modern global communication technologies and real-time international media coverage have emerged as distinctive new warfighting capabilities, with profound implications for national security. Within this context, it's reasonable to conclude the military's growing involvement in conflicts waged for less than national survival will be placed under greater scrutiny, with public support playing an integral role in the success or failure of the overall intended political objectives. Unfortunately, the prevailing norms and standards for PA operations have failed to evolve military PA operations beyond past practices to address today's security challenges and associated global information age realities. As the traditional employment of conventional hard military power decreases, the asymmetric employment of information as a warfighting capability will become increasingly important. A failure to evolve PA operations to address the 21st century military operational environment will result in missed opportunities to deliver operational effects necessary to accomplish national security objectives.

Chapter 1 - Introduction * Chapter 2 - Military Implications of Globalization * Chapter 3 - The Changing Nature of Military Conflict * Chapter 4 - The Evolving Character of War * Chapter 5 - The Influence of Modern Technology on Warfare * Chapter 6 - Recommendations and Conclusion