Information Operations and Winning the Peace: Wielding the Information Element of Power in the Global War on Terrorism (CSL Issue Paper. December 2005, Volume 14-05)

摘要

The workshop's objective was to define and analyze how IO influences both adversaries and internal and external actors in order to better contribute to a positive end state. Participants used the case study to drive critical discussions of the interplay between the tactical, operational, and strategic dimensions of IO in a complex conflict/stability and reconstruction environment. The workshop brought together an international audience of military, national security community, and intelligence community leaders as well as experts from academia. It was conducted over the course of three days and began with a plenary session and a dinner and keynote speech to set the stage for the subsequent working sessions and discussions. In order to satisfy workshop objectives, day two focused on addressing key themes through a series of interactive workgroups. Day three was devoted to briefing the plenary group and key stakeholders with the recommendations, observations, and insights gained from the individual breakout groups. Participants studied tactical (Israeli Defense Forces incursion into Jenin), operational (Israel's Operation Defensive Shield), and strategic (Israeli withdrawal from Gaza) scenarios. Each of these presented unique IO dilemmas or themes of significance, particularly given the nature of that conflict (stability and reconstruction while conducting a counterinsurgency). Initial plenary session expert presentations provided the basis for small group work. Participants then divided into breakout groups to consider four themes with broad IO applications.