P.A.L. Ducheine

Targeting: the challenges of modern warfare

This book offers a multidisciplinary treatment of targeting. It is intended for use by the military, government legal advisers and academics. The book is suitable for use in both military training and educational programs and in Bachelor and Master degree level courses on such topics as War Studies and Strategic Studies. The book first explores the context of targeting, its evolution and the current targeting process and characteristics. An overview of the legal and ethical constraints on targeting as an operational process follows. It concludes by surveying contemporary issues in targeting such as the potential advent of autonomous weapon systems, ‘non-kinetic’ targeting, targeting in multinational military operations and leadership decapitation in counter-terrorism operations. The deep practical experience and academic background of the contributors ensures comprehensive treatment of current targeting and use of force issues.

Non-Kinetic Capabilities: Complementing the Kinetic Prevalence to Targeting

Targeting is used in military doctrine to describe a military operational way, using (military) means to influence a target (or addressee) in order to achieve designated political and/or military goals. The four factors italicized are used to analyse non-kinetic targeting, thereby complementing our knowledge and understanding of the prevalent kinetic targeting. Paradoxically, non-kinetic targeting is not recognized as a separate concept; kinetic and non-kinetic are intertwined facets of targeting. Kinetic targeting refers to the targeted application of military force based on the release or concentration of kinetic energy against opposing forces or objects with (primarily) lethal effects in the physical domain, whereas non-kinetic targeting describes the targeted application of (other military and non-military) capabilities against addressees to generate (additional) non-kinetic effects in the non-physical and physical domain . This chapter attempts to provide a better demarcation between kinetic and non-kinetic targeting, first by reviewing recent developments in military operations and targeting and introducing a ‘full spectrum approach ’. It then enumerates and analyses a number of typical non-kinetic capabilities : information activities, key leader engagement, lawfare, criminal legal action, security detention, assets freezes, and cyber operations. The chapter concludes that although non-kinetic targeting does not exist as a stand-alone concept, it is vitally important in contemporary military operations. It provides opportunities to engage and affect additional target audiences (including supporters) with less devastating effects (including constructive effects) by offering additional means to conduct operations, stressing the crucial role of non-kinetic elements like information, perception, cohesion, understanding, and will.

The notion of cyber operations

The aim of this chapter is to elaborate on the notion of ‘cyber operations’ against the generic manner in which they are used by popular media as well as by academics. This chapter differentiates between actors and motives, covering operations conducted by both state and non-state entities. Special attention is paid to governmental cyber operations that are characterized by distinct roles and paradigms: governance, protection, law enforcement, intelligence and military operations. Despite similarities regarding means and methods used in various cyber operations, the critical test is the purpose of those launching such operations. For governmental actors, the purposes are vested in the aforementioned paradigms.

Manoeuvring and Generating Effects in the Information Environment

This chapter aims to offer a framework for States in general and armed forces in particular for generating effects in or through the information environment by answering the question: “How to generate effects in or through the information environment and therefore, how to manoeuvre in this information environment?” This environment is part of the larger operational environment and consists of three dimensions: the cognitive, virtual and physical. These dimensions in turn host certain layers and these hold targetable entities. States can create effects in this environment by wielding the instruments at their disposal (diplomacy, informational, military and economic) for various purposes (anticipation, prevention, deterrence, protection, intervention, stabilization and normalization). In order to be able to do so, States must organise and equip themselves for manoeuvring in the information environment. To show that indeed States can use this environment, this chapter highlights some cases where an actor uses the information environment to great effect, being: the U.S. Election Information Campaign (2016) and the BlackEnergy Operation (2015) in Ukraine. These cases are indicative of the potential of manoeuvring in the information environment by States and their armed forces.