Information Warfare – From Doctrine to Permanent Conflict

Abstract

In the final phase of the Cold War the relevance of information technology for the military had gained momentum, resulting in the formulation of the concept and soon thereafter also the doctrine of Information Warfare in NATO, Warsaw Pact and Asian countries. In all pioneering countries, Information Warfare was meant to use any technological and appropriate non-technological means to disrupt the ability of an adversary to purposefully pursue its goals in times of crisis and war. Information Warfare tactics employ means to influence public opinion and the media just as well as to disrupt computer systems, or physically destroy communication lines or military headquarters. Information War is waged by organisations in the fluid continuum between intelligence agencies and military intelligence units, thus complementing the tasks they have been executing continuously since the end of World War II. Today we see how these concepts of Information Warfare have evolved into an element of everyday life.