War

Eight Conditions for the Success of Psychological Warfare (Part 1)

Abstract:

The question of what makes psychological warfare successful has never been addressed in a methodological, systematic, and clear manner in the existing PSYWAR literature. To identify these conditions, this study scanned the key works on psychological warfare, backed by sources in the fields of military history, strategy, psychology, and communication science. The conditions presented in this study are eight in total, ranging from the need for military victories to the targeted use of violence, from control of the information space to credibility. In the second part of this study, to illustrate the implementation of these conditions in a real military operation, the eight conditions are used to assess the performance of Russian online psychological operations against Ukraine and the Hamas online psychological campaign against Israel. Findings reveal how the model’s eight conditions explain the success/failure of these two psychological campaigns.

Predicting the Success of Psychological Warfare (Part 2): Testing the Model in Two Case Studies

Abstract:

The previous study (See Part 1), attempted to identify the conditions for the success or failure of psychological warfare, based on a systematic scan of the literature and sources in the fields of military history, strategy, psychology, and communication science. This scan resulted in eight predictors, ranging from the need for military victories to the targeted use of violence, from control of the information space to credibility. In the second part of this study, to illustrate the implementation of these conditions in a real military operation, the eight conditions are used to assess the performance of Russian online psychological operations against Ukraine and the Hamas online psychological campaign against Israel. The eight conditions model provides a good explanation of the differences in these two campaigns’ effectiveness.

Published In

Volume 24, Issue 3

Written By

Gabriel Weimann

Keywords

Psychological Warfare

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Strategic Cognition War

Abstract:

Whilst the major strategic objectives of war have not changed for centuries, this paper posits that the physical aspects of them—such as resources, territory and influence, or coercion of populations—have been superseded by the control of social cognition in the target. This paper examines the development of Information War to a deeper level. The ‘Information Age’, spurred on by technological advances in persuasive and cognitive control, has led to strategic aims becoming the control of cognitive processes in the target’s population, where the target can be a domestic population as well as a foreign one. Also, this paper has been expanded to include systems controlled by artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and networks.

Published In

Volume 21, Issue 3

Written By

William (Bill) Hutchinson

Keywords

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Some Basic Principles of Information Warfare: A Reappraisal for 2021

Abstract:

Whilst the objectives of Information War have not changed much from 2001 and centuries before that, the practice of Information Warfare has. War tends to have the same objectives over time whilst the ways it is pursued—Warfare—has changed significantly. This paper is an update of the theoretical background to Information Warfare from the perspective of the definitions of its basic elements: data, knowledge and information, systems and network theory, power and the developing ubiquity of digital communications between individuals, groups, digital sensors, and Artificially Intelligence (AI) driven robots. It finishes on some of the potential political and social issues that might be encountered in future practices of Information Warfare.

Published In

Volume 20, Issue 4

Written By

William (Bill) Hutchinson

Keywords

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Building a Conceptual Framework for Cyber’s Effect on National Security

Abstract:

Cyber changes everything; cyber changes nothing. That important, yet unhelpful, truism captures the state of debate concerning the effects of cyber technologies on national security. This ‘either/or’ pathology stems from the lack of a conceptual framework. Thankfully, this is changing. The Department of Defense’s 2015 cyber strategy presents an understanding of the strategic environment. Admiral Rogers’ 2015 vision and guidance for U.S. Cyber Command captures how cyber changes military art. Herein lies the foundation for building a conceptual framework. Based on these documents and general strategic theory, seven dicta for the further development of a conceptual framework are offered.