Imposing from Afar: Information Operations

I reference the late American military strategist, John Boyd, often in my articles.  He had such a unique perspective and understanding of conflict, decision-making and strategy.  One of the most insightful points he taught, and I have shared often, is that the ultimate objective of a military force is not to kill more enemy on the battlefield, but rather to impose mental and emotional chaos on the enemy that results in poor decision-making and a "loss of will" to continue the fight.

Before the age of the internet and the advent of social media, messaging, podcast and media platforms, the most efficient way to impose mental and emotional chaos on an enemy was to enlist the church to oppose and curse an adversary, and then to march or sail to their land and attack, pillage, destroy, enslave and conquer.  Today, with digital transformation and digital platforms, there are more cost-effective alternatives.  These alternatives offer improved efficiencies, and the ability to impose your will without the economic costs, discomforts and inconveniences of the battlefield.  

Weaponized Personal Data

Wars have a way of bringing out the best and worst qualities in humans.  Courage, selflessness, loyalty, discipline, perseverance are all virtues that stand out.  Likewise, the sins of man are on full display whenever there are wars, and are likely the cause of them.  One of the things that makes the war in Ukraine so uniquely horrible is the amount of participants' personal data being captured, analyzed against social media sites, and then shared with family members and the public.  Artificial intelligence, trained on billions of social media posts, can identify just about anyone and any military personnel today.  Once identified, personal information can be associated with them and stories told - true or not.

Jack McDonald, a senior lecturer in war studies at King’s College London, was quoted by Wired as saying, "Openly publishing lists of your opponent[s], particularly at the scale that digital operations appear to allow, seems very new.” What kind of information is being shared with the public? Names, birthdays, passport numbers, job titles and photos of them in death.