General Martin Dempsey's initiative to create the Joint Information Environment (JIE) is rooted in the recognition that the pace of warfare in the 21st century is accelerating so quickly that the organic and analog systems currently in place within the Department of Defense may not be sufficient to keep up. The nature of warfare also is evolving where potential adversaries are creating capabilities that either overmatch U.S. competencies in one domain or asymmetrically subvert them altogether. Electromagnetic waves or invisible strings of 1s and 0s have the potential to be as devastating to a warfare element as an air strike or a torpedo. Still, the DOD doesn't have the resources to answer every threat with a singular, unique capability, and as such a streamlined and broad-spectrum approach is required. This is why the JIE is necessary; yet we cannot forget the lessons learned from past conflicts while trying to meet these needs.
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