Humanity has been faced with the problem of information wars at all levels since time immemorial, and bows, arrows, swords, guns and tanks, in the end, only completed the physical defeat of a community that had already been defeated in the information war.
The technological revolution led to the emergence of the term "information age" due to the fact that information systems became part of our lives and changed it radically. The information age has also changed the way warfare is conducted, providing commanders with an unprecedented quantity and quality of information. Now the commander can monitor the progress of combat operations, analyze events and convey information.
One must distinguish between war information age and information war. Information Age warfare uses information technology as a means to successfully conduct combat operations. On the contrary, information warfare views information as separate object or a potential weapon and as a profitable target. Information Age technologies have made possible the theoretical possibility of direct manipulation of enemy information.
Information appears based on events in the surrounding world. Events must be perceived in some way and interpreted in order to become information. Therefore, information is the result of two things - perceived events (data) and the commands required to interpret the data and associate meaning with it.
Note that this definition is absolutely not related to technology. However, what we can do with information and how quickly we can do it depends on technology. Therefore, we introduce the concept of an information function - this is any activity related to the receipt, transmission, storage and transformation of information.
The quality of information is an indicator of the difficulty of waging war. The better information the commander has, the greater his advantages over his enemy.
Thus, in the US Air Force, analysis of reconnaissance results and weather forecasts is the basis for developing a flight mission. Accurate navigation increases mission efficiency. Together, they are types of military information functions that increase the effectiveness of combat operations.
Therefore, we will define military information functions - these are any information functions that ensure or improve the solution of military missions by troops.
At a conceptual level, we can say that states seek to acquire, use, and protect information that serves their purposes. These uses and protections can be in the economic, political and military spheres. Knowing the information held by the enemy is a means to enhance our power and reduce or counter the enemy's power, and to protect our assets, including our information.
Information weapons affect the information owned by the enemy and his information functions. At the same time, our information functions are protected, which allows us to reduce his will or ability to fight. Therefore, let us define information war - this is any action to use, destroy, distort enemy information and its functions; protecting our information against such actions; and the use of our own military information functions.
This definition is the basis for the following statements.
Information warfare is “the complex joint use of forces and means of information and armed warfare.
Information warfare is a communication technology to influence the enemy’s information and information systems in order to achieve information superiority in the interests of national strategy, while simultaneously protecting one’s own information and one’s information systems.
Information warfare is only a means, not an end goal, just as bombing is a means, not an end. Information warfare can be used as a means to conduct a strategic attack or countermeasure.
The first to use the term “information warfare” was the American expert Thomas Rona in a report he prepared in 1976 for Boeing, entitled “Weapons Systems and Information Warfare.” T. Rona pointed out that information infrastructure is becoming a key component of the American economy. At the same time, it becomes a vulnerable target, both in war and peacetime. This report can be considered the first mention of the term “information war”.
The publication of T. Ron's report marked the beginning of an active media campaign. The very formulation of the problem was of great interest to the American military, which tends to deal with “secret materials.” The US Air Force began actively discussing this subject as early as 1980.
From a military point of view, the term “information war” in our time was used in the mid-80s of the 20th century. in connection with the new tasks of the US Armed Forces after the end of the Cold War. This was the result of the work of a group of American military theorists including G.E. Eccles, G.G. Summers and others. Subsequently, the term began to be actively used after Operation Desert Storm in 1991 in Iraq, where new information Technology were first used as a means of warfare. Officially, this term was first introduced in the directive of the US Secretary of Defense DODD 3600 dated December 21, 1992.
A few years later, in February 1996, the US Department of Defense introduced the "Doctrine of Combating Command and Control Systems." The publication defines counter-command and control as "the combined use of security techniques, military deception, psychological operations, electronic warfare, and physical destruction of command and control assets, supported by intelligence, to prevent the collection of information, influence, or destroy enemy command and control capabilities." over the battlefield, while protecting one's own and allied forces, and preventing the enemy from doing the same."
Most importantly, this publication defined the concept of command and control warfare. And this was the first time that the US Department of Defense defined IW capabilities and doctrine.
At the end of 1996, Robert Banker, a Pentagon expert, presented a report at one of the symposiums on the new military doctrine of the US armed forces of the 21st century (the “Force XXI” concept). It was based on the division of the entire theater of military operations into two components - traditional space and cyberspace, with the latter being even more important. R. Banker proposed the doctrine of “cyber maneuver,” which should be a natural complement to traditional military concepts aimed at neutralizing or suppressing enemy armed forces.
Thus, in addition to land, sea, air and space, the spheres of combat operations now include the infosphere. As military experts emphasize, the main targets of defeat in new wars will be the enemy’s information infrastructure and psyche (even the term “human network” has appeared).
In October 1998, the US Department of Defense enacted the "Joint Information Operations Doctrine". This publication was originally called "Unified Doctrine of Information Warfare." It was later renamed the "Integrated Information Operations Doctrine." The reason for the change was to clarify the relationship of the concepts of information operations and information warfare. They were defined as follows:
information operation: actions taken to complicate the collection, processing, transmission and storage of information by enemy information systems while protecting their own information and information systems;
information war: a complex impact (a set of information operations) on the system of state and military control of the opposing side, on its military-political leadership, which already in peacetime would lead to the adoption of decisions favorable for the party initiating the information impact, and during the conflict would completely paralyze would be the functioning of the enemy's control infrastructure.
Now there are quite a few different definitions of IW from a technical and technological point of view. In the corridors of the Pentagon, for example, there is such a humorous definition: “Information warfare is computer security plus money.”
But seriously, the military approaches IW as it was formulated in Memorandum N30 (1993) of the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces.
Information warfare here refers to actions taken to achieve information superiority in support of a national military strategy by influencing enemy information and information systems while ensuring the security and protection of one's own information and information systems.
In the humanitarian sense, “information war” is understood as certain active methods of transforming the information space. In information wars of this type, we are talking about a certain system (concept) of imposing a model of the world, which is designed to ensure the desired types of behavior, about attacks on the structures of information generation, and reasoning processes.
The main forms of technical warfare are electronic warfare, warfare using electronic reconnaissance and guidance, remote targeted air strikes, psychotropic warfare, the fight against hackers, and cyber warfare.
Before seriously analyzing the various definitions of information warfare from a technical point of view, we note an important property inherent in it:
waging an information war is never random or isolated, but implies coordinated activity to use information as a weapon for combat operations - be it on the real battlefield, or in the economic, political, social spheres.
Therefore, as the main and most general definition of IW, I will propose the following:
“Information warfare is a comprehensive, holistic strategy driven by the increasing importance and value of information in matters of command, control and policy.”
The field of action of information wars with this definition turns out to be quite wide and covers the following areas:
1) the infrastructure of the state’s life support systems - telecommunications, transport networks, power plants, banking systems, etc.;
2) industrial espionage - theft of proprietary information, distortion or destruction of particularly important data and services; collection of intelligence information about competitors, etc.;
3) hacking and use of personal passwords of VIPs, identification numbers, bank accounts, confidential data, production of disinformation;
4) electronic interference in the processes of command and control of military facilities and systems, “headquarters warfare”, disabling military communications networks;
5) worldwide computer network The Internet, which is estimated to be home to 150,000 military computers, and 95% of military communications are over open telephone lines.
Whatever the meaning of the concept of “information warfare,” it was born among the military and denotes, first of all, tough, decisive and dangerous activity comparable to real combat operations. Military experts who formulated the doctrine of information warfare clearly imagine its individual facets: these are headquarters warfare, electronic warfare, psychotronic warfare, information-psychological warfare, cyber warfare, etc.
So, information warfare is a form of conflict in which direct attacks occur on information systems to influence the knowledge or assumptions of the enemy.
Information warfare can be carried out as part of a larger and more full set military actions.
Thus, the threat of information warfare refers to the intention of certain forces to take advantage of the amazing capabilities hidden in computers in the vast cyber space in order to wage a “non-contact” war in which the number of casualties (in the literal sense of the word) is reduced to a minimum. “We are approaching a stage of development when no one is a soldier anymore, but everyone is a participant in hostilities,” said one of the Pentagon leaders. “The task now is not to destroy manpower, but to undermine the goals, views and worldview of the population, in destruction of society."
A civil information war can be unleashed by terrorists, drug cartels, and underground dealers in weapons of mass destruction.
The military has always tried to influence the information the enemy needs to effectively control its forces. This was usually done through maneuvers and distractions. Since these strategies affected the information received by the enemy indirectly through perception, they attacked the enemy's information indirectly. That is, for the trick to be effective, the enemy had to do three things:
act after deception in accordance with the goals of the deceiver.
However, modern means of performing information functions have made information vulnerable to direct access and manipulation. Modern technologies allow the enemy to change or create information without first obtaining the facts and interpreting them. Here is a short list of characteristics of modern information systems that lead to the emergence of such vulnerabilities: concentrated storage of information, speed of access, widespread transmission of information, and the greater ability of information systems to perform their functions autonomously. Security mechanisms can reduce this vulnerability, but not to zero.
Related information.
What is information warfare? Should we be afraid of it or is it an absurd invention of “network hamsters”? Why did Vladimir Putin speak so confidently about it on television? Read on for answers to all these and many other questions. Let's start with the term itself. Information warfare is the impact on military personnel and civilians of another state through the active dissemination of certain information. There is also the term psychological warfare - psychological influence on military personnel and civilians of another state in order to achieve political or purely military goals. And the term “information-psychological warfare” that unites them was borrowed from US military circles. And one of the first (documented) manifestations of the information war was English newspapers, which wrote in reports about the Battle of Sinop (during the Crimean War of 1853-1856) that Russian soldiers shot at wounded Turks floating in the sea.
Key points of the information war
Mass and individual consciousness becomes the object of psychological influence. The highest ranks of the enemy “deserve” individual influence, their decisions can change a lot (president, prime minister, military leadership). Figuratively speaking, information warfare methods affect mass consciousness in a similar way to psychotherapy methods affecting individual consciousness. Information impact is carried out under any conditions (against the background of information noise or in conditions of an information vacuum).
Imposing alien goals - main feature information war, it is precisely this that makes it a war and sharply distinguishes it from ordinary advertising. A striking example is the establishment of “democracy” around the world in computer games, even at the cost of your life! And also an abundance of violence in foreign cartoons, games and films.
The means of waging such a war are almost any means of transmitting information - from the media to mail and gossip. Have you ever wondered why foreigners finance or completely buy out Russian media?
Information influence initially contains a distortion of facts (often radical) and imposes on those exposed to it (the enemy population) an emotional perception that is beneficial to the influencing party (in other words, zombification of people, up to complete subconscious submission). Why do you think foreigners are actively imposing their education system? Why are they rewriting world history?
WHAT IS BEHIND THE ATTEMPT TO REVIEW THE RESULTS OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR?
Their goal is for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to...
Methods of waging information wars
The usual methods of information warfare are the release of disinformation and presentation in a favorable way. important information. For example, information about Putin’s doubles, although every head of state has doubles, or his palaces (is it really him?), but which many foreign politicians also have. These methods make it possible to radically change the population’s assessment of reality in the enemy’s territory, while creating defeatist sentiments, in the future ensuring the transition of people to the side of the leader of information influence (information aggressor).
BRAINWASHING
As a historical example, let us recall the “charming letters” of Stepan Razin. In them, he presented himself as a restorer of justice, an honest fighter against the local authorities who had betrayed the tsar, and called on all those seeking freedom to his side. Years later, with the advent of mass media and massive increases in literacy levels, information warfare becomes more effective. The most striking example of a strong change in public consciousness was the activity of Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Public Education and Propaganda.
The Cold War of 1946-1991 can also be considered a classic example of information warfare. Some researchers believe that the collapse of the USSR was caused not only by the ambitions of local elites and economic reasons, but also by the effective use of psychological weapons by Western countries. Let us note that the KGB of the USSR carried out retaliatory “active measures” to influence foreign public opinion, as well as the actions of individuals and entire organizations.
The media is a source of reliable information. TRUST THEM
History of information wars
For the first time, printed means of influencing the population and enemy troops were widely used in the First World War. Great Britain used this weapon most actively. And since simply scattering propaganda leaflets over the positions of German troops had a fairly strong effect, London creates a special body responsible for the development of information materials containing the necessary interpretation of the conduct of war. (Have you ever wondered why education in English universities is considered the best in the world?) At the end of the war, the Entente countries created a special headquarters for the moral and psychological decomposition of the defeated German army, which played an important role in the outcome of the hostilities. The best journalists, artists and writers were involved in his work.
The rulers of Nazi Germany attached key importance to propaganda. According to Hitler, “…even before the armies begin hostilities, the enemy will be psychologically disarmed by propaganda. It is similar to artillery preparation before a frontal infantry attack in trench warfare. A hostile people must be demoralized, brought to the threshold of capitulation, and only after that an armed struggle must begin.” Note that small European countries were conquered according to this principle. German propaganda about imminent liberation from the “commissar-Jewish yoke” also played a role. But Goebbels' department had a serious problem. Propaganda based on lies remains effective for a limited time. Once the deception is exposed, it becomes noticeably more difficult to control the masses.
For example, many Germans, looking for truthful information about the situation at the fronts, listened to English or Soviet radio broadcasts. Therefore, the Nazis equated listening to foreign radio broadcasts (within their troops) to high treason. The Soviet Union also hosted active participation in the information war. Soviet specialists developed synchronous broadcasting on the frequencies used in Germany. This made it possible to wedge into Nazi radio broadcasts right during broadcasting. For example, an excited voice shouted: “Lies!”, and then voiced a “true” message containing the Soviet point of view. The message itself was read in the simulated voice of Hitler or Goebbels. Such techniques had a strong impact on listeners. Why is it now that counterpropaganda to the West rarely goes beyond social networks? The answer is simple, the majority of Russian media are owned directly or through nominees by foreigners. Therefore, when Putin openly announced an information war against Russia, this news was quickly lost among the rest.
But the United States has achieved real success in information warfare and propaganda. Since in military operations their advertised weapons too often failed and the loss of manpower was quite large. Back in 1956, during the Korean War, the psychological warfare department of the US armed forces was transformed into the department of special warfare methods. Accordingly, information warfare operations receive special status, and special information warfare units are part of the Special Operations Forces (SSO).
The concept of information warfare developed by the Americans was tested in. Thus, when developing psychological operations, American psychologists took into account the mentality of the Vietnamese partisans and the main emphasis in propaganda was on psychological and social aspects, and not on politics. To morally exhaust the Viet Cong hiding in the jungle, continuous propaganda broadcasts from helicopters were organized. At the same time, emotional influence was actively used: broadcasting screams of horror, women’s and children’s crying, Buddhist funeral music and others. sound effects. (Have you ever wondered what caused the influx of bloody action films and horror films of Western and Japanese production? Why does it produce 200 low-quality films a year?) Radio propaganda was broadcast in Vietnamese from the territories of neighboring states: Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines and allowed to cover 95% of the population Vietnam. Despite the US defeat in Vietnam, the use of information warfare showed stunning results. About 250 thousand Viet Cong voluntarily laid down their arms and went over to the enemy side. And the corresponding conclusions were drawn.
PROPAGANDA
Why are we a threat to the US? Why are the USA and Western Europe waging an information war against Russia?
Let's consider the most probable reasons and their consistency: 1) Fear of . In fact, it is present, and quite “tangible”, since the United States has weapons that are inferior in most characteristics. But for a full-scale attack, Russia does not have enough army strength and weapons. Plus, long-term combat operations will require huge amounts of ammunition and ammunition; we are in the process of building them up. In the future, this reason has every chance to come to the fore. 2) Fear of economic enslavement. Since the largest banks belong to the USA and England, and Western investors bought up to 70% of Russian industry, then in economic terms we do not pose a threat to them. 3) Seizure of Russian territory and resources for the countries of the “golden billion”. This reason is very likely. And in The Gulf Stream acts as a catalyst. By changing its course, it will lower the average temperature in Western countries. For example, the US infrastructure is not designed for low temperatures. A large-scale restructuring of the heating system will result in enormous financial costs. 4) Creation of a common enemy in the person of Russia. And a distraction from internal problems. But the internal problems are very significant. Thus, some US states have repeatedly tried to withdraw from its membership. Global “obesity” of the US population, where more than 80% of the population have weight problems. There is also an aging population from China, Mexico, Africa to the US and Africa and Arab countries to Europe. The last two reasons are considered the most likely. And in order not to be wiped off the face of the earth, Russia must take (which it is already doing) the following steps: 1) Refusal of the propaganda of alcohol, tobacco and drugs, especially on television. 2) Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by the population. 3) Construction of gyms and stadiums, involving children in sports from a very early age. 4) Conducting patriotic education in kindergartens and schools. 5) Explaining to the population who the hidden enemy is and what impact it has on Russia. 6) Restoring the production of various domestic goods, gradual abandonment of Western products. 7) Returning controlling stakes in industry and the media to the state, which will help reduce taxes on the population and improve funding for education and medicine. 8) Refusal of the Western education system. Mikhail Zadornov eloquently showed what awaits us. 9) All trade within the CIS countries should be carried out in rubles, which will significantly strengthen it. Conclusions: We are seeing the fruits of the information war in Ukraine.
Many of its citizens believe that the United States and Europe will take care of them, and Russia will oppress them. Only they forget that Ukraine has never been and will never be part of the countries of the “golden billion”! This means that it will never be on an equal footing with the “masters of the planet.”
That's why Europe needs 45 million new citizens? There is a small nuance here: joining the European Union is still possible, but with the goal of obtaining arable land and other resources, and by that time less than half of the “natives” themselves will remain, or rather, a sufficient number to serve the new trophies of the West.
Two new films “Leviathan” and “Men Since March 8” were indicative. The first shows Russia according to Western clichés, promoting alcoholism, smoking, corruption and adultery. The heroes of the second film are young Russian scientists who are optimistic about the future and successfully outdo their Swedish competitors.
Original publication: https://cont.ws/post/72763/
Submitting your good work to the knowledge base is easy. Use the form below
Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.
Similar documents
General prerequisites for the formation new system organization of state power on the eve of the First World War. Analysis public administration Russia during the period of the provisional government. Development of reform in Russia. Reform at present.
course work, added 01/23/2014
Russia in the pre-war years. Social system during the First World War. State apparatus, public organizations. Expanding the rights of governors and military authorities in local government. Administrative and financial legislation.
course work, added 02/09/2014
The role of the court and prosecutor's office during the Great Patriotic War. Constitutional foundations of the Soviet state and law during the Patriotic War. Composition of criminal legislation. The source of procedural norms in the activities of military tribunals.
course work, added 02/01/2011
Studying the history of the emergence of neutrality. Analysis of the concept of state neutrality during war. Actions of the state when enemy troops enter neutral territory. Responsibility for violation of neutrality by a neutral state.
test, added 08/06/2014
Concept and basic principles of security information security. The most important components of the national interests of the Russian Federation in the information sphere. General methods of ensuring the country's information security. The concept of information warfare.
abstract, added 05/03/2011
The possibility of reducing human suffering caused by war through international humanitarian law. The connection of war with politics and with the state as the most important political institution. Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
abstract, added 10/21/2009
Changes in the judicial system during the war, military tribunals. Changes in labor legislation. Judicial practice on counter-revolutionary agitation. Social composition of convicts. Common plots of counter-revolutionary agitation and propaganda in the USSR.
thesis, added 07/03/2017
The idea of the rule of law, its concept and history of formation. The relationship between the concepts of “rule of law” and “civil society”. Formation of the rule of law in the Russian Federation: concept, main features, problems and development prospects.
course work, added 02/18/2010
The concept of goals, methods and components of information warfare
In the information war there are three main goals:
· control of the information space and ensuring the protection of one’s information from enemy actions;
· use of control over the information space to conduct information attacks on the enemy;
· increasing the overall effectiveness of the armed forces through the widespread introduction of military information functions.
Information warfare includes two large groups of events:
· influencing enemy military personnel and civilians with the aim of introducing certain attitudes into the mass consciousness (propaganda, “psychological warfare”);
loss of information information processes and enemy information and control systems, regardless of the means used.
Components information war:
· psychological operations to influence the motivation of enemy military personnel;
· disinformation – providing the enemy with false information about our forces and plans;
· electronic warfare, which consists of “blinding” enemy electronic reconnaissance systems;
· physical destruction of elements of enemy information systems;
· information attack - destruction or distortion of information without visible damage to the media;
· protecting your information.
Types of information attacks
There are 2 ways to influence the enemy's information functions - indirectly or directly.
For example, let's say our goal is to make the enemy think that an air regiment is located where it is not located at all, and to act on this information in a way that is beneficial to us.
Indirect information attack: Using engineering tools, we can build mock-ups of aircraft and decoy airfield structures, and simulate activities to work with them. We rely on the enemy to observe the false airfield and believe it to be real. Only then will this information become what the enemy should have in our opinion.
Direct information attack: if we create information about a false air regiment in the enemy's information storage, the result will be exactly the same. But the means used to achieve this result will be very different.
What is the defense side of information warfare?
The defensive side of information warfare is security measures aimed at protecting information - to prevent the enemy from carrying out a successful information attack on our information functions. Modern defense measures such as operational security and communications security are typical means of preventing and detecting indirect enemy actions aimed at military information functions. On the contrary, protective measures such as computer security include actions to prevent, detect direct information actions of the enemy and organize counteractions.
Examples of information warfare
FROM THE HISTORY OF INFORMATION WAR
Information warfare began to play a prominent role in armed confrontation with the beginning of mass wars of the “machine” era. For the first time, printed means of influencing the enemy were widely used in the First World War. These funds were used especially actively by Great Britain. Scattering propaganda leaflets over the positions of German troops had an unexpectedly strong effect, and London created a special body to develop information materials containing the British interpretation of the war. At the end of the war, the Entente countries created a special headquarters for the moral and psychological decay of the German army, which played a certain role in the outcome of the fighting. Leaflets and posters of the First World War are an effective weapon of information propaganda. The main propagandist of the Third Reich, Goebbels, formulated a theory of propaganda, the main principles of which are: mental simplification, limitation and filtering of material, “drilling” repetition and emotional escalation. It should be recognized that German propaganda was highly effective at the beginning of World War II. In some campaigns in the initial period of the war, the Germans managed to achieve success without firing a single shot, such as during the occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, where the population greeted the Germans quite favorably, and in some, enemy resistance broke down in a short time. This is largely explained by the low moral qualities of the enemy soldiers, who were not ready to fight “to the last drop of blood” against the German troops, who had a very sinister reputation. And the fantastic number of Soviet prisoners taken by the Germans during the summer campaign of 1941 cannot be explained only by the German military genius. It is obvious that the German troops made a huge psychological impression on the enemy. However, later Goebbels' department faced a serious problem. Propaganda based on lies can only be effective for a while. When the deception is exposed, it becomes much more difficult to control the masses. Many Germans, in search of truthful information about the situation at the fronts, preferred to listen to English or Soviet radio broadcasts. In this regard, listening to foreign radio broadcasts in Nazi Germany was equated to high treason. The Soviet Union also actively participated in the information war. Soviet specialists developed their own methods, for example, simultaneous broadcasting on frequencies used in Germany. This made it possible to interfere with Nazi radio broadcasts mid-broadcast. But the United States of America has achieved the greatest success in information warfare and propaganda. Already in 1956, during the Korean War, the psychological warfare department of the US military was transformed into the department of special warfare methods. Thus, information warfare operations received special status, and special information warfare units became part of the Special Operations Forces (SSO). The concept of information warfare developed in the United States was tested in Vietnam. When developing psychological operations, the Americans took into account the mentality of the Vietnamese partisans. Propaganda emphasized social and psychological aspects rather than politics. In order to morally exhaust the Viet Cong hiding in the jungle, continuous broadcasting from helicopters was organized, and methods of emotional influence were used: broadcasting women and children crying, screams of horror, Buddhist funeral music and similar sound effects. Radio propaganda was conducted in Vietnamese from Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia and covered 95% of the country's population. Despite the US military defeat in Vietnam, the concept of information warfare has proven its worth. During the entire conflict, about 250 thousand Viet Cong voluntarily went over to the enemy’s side. And the military defeat of the United States came at a time when the population of the country massively opposed the continuation of hostilities, that is, the United States suffered not so much a military, but an informational and psychological defeat. From this, appropriate conclusions were drawn.
An example of information warfare is the Cold War of 1946-1991). Some researchers believe that the collapse of the USSR was caused not only by the ambitions of the republican elites and economic reasons, but also by the use of information methods by Western countries, which contributed to the beginning of internal political processes (perhaps causing them), which ended with perestroika and the collapse of the USSR.
The KGB of the USSR carried out so-called “active measures” to influence foreign public opinion, as well as individuals, state and public organizations. “Information-psychological operations” (a term among the US military), which are carried out by the US Department of Defense in our time, for example, in Iraq, are also considered an example of information warfare.
“The US Department of Defense will pay private contractors in Iraq up to $300 million to produce political materials, news, entertainment and social advertising for the Iraqi media to attract the local population to support the United States,” writes The Washington Post on October 3, 2008.
A striking example of information warfare is the Arab-Israeli conflict. The warring parties use a variety of information resources to their advantage: the printed press, television, radio, and the Internet. Hacker attacks are actively used in the information war: for example, the Israeli organization JIDF - “Jewish Internet Defense Forces” - blocked the action of the Internet community “Israel is not a country!”, posted on the social network Facebook networks and numbering more than 45 thousand users, and the group of Israeli hackers “Gilad Team”, who hacked more than 15 sites, placed the Israeli flag and the slogan “Hacked” on their pages. In turn, pro-Palestinian hackers hacked several thousand Israeli websites during Operation Cast Lead; as the Ynet news agency reported, more than 750 Israeli websites were hacked in the first 24 hours of the military clash. Arab media actively use various kinds of fabricated videos. Some of them have caused and are causing wide public resonance.
During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese government implemented measures aimed at concealing losses from American bombing. During the civil war in Angola in February 1988, a South African fighter-bomber was shot down by Cuban air defense. Its wreckage was subsequently passed off as the wreckage of many other aircraft that the Cubans claimed to have been shot down.
During the NATO military operation against Yugoslavia in 1999, the Yugoslav media, shortly before the bombing ceased, reported that the country's air defense destroyed more than 160 NATO planes and helicopters. Immediately after the bombing ceased, the chief of the Yugoslav General Staff, Dragoljub Ojdanich, announced 68 planes and helicopters shot down, and a year later this figure was reduced to 37
The information war also took place during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict in August 2008. Thus, Mikheil Saakashvili initially stated:
More than 80 thousand soldiers invaded our territory, more than three thousand armored vehicles were brought in, and about a thousand more armored vehicles stood at our borders. Our territories were bombed by several dozen, and maybe hundreds of aircraft, which made more than 200 sorties. In reality, it was an attempt to eradicate and destroy our people. This was not true: South Ossetia - 3 thousand personnel and at least 20 tanks and 25 self-propelled guns, Abkhazia - 5 thousand personnel, Russian contingent - 15 thousand personnel.
In November 2008, at a meeting of the temporary parliamentary commission to study the August events, Mikheil Saakashvili argued that “95% of the combat-ready units of the Russian armed forces fought against Georgia,” while, according to M. Saakashvili, the Georgian army “shot down 17-19 aircraft . The 58th Russian Army was actually burned by the 4th Georgian Brigade,” and therefore “... after the destruction of the 58th Army, Russia released more than half of its Iskander stockpile.”
Subsequently, Mikheil Saakashvili stated:
To this day, many Europeans do not understand how the Georgians could even think that it is worth fighting for independence against 3 thousand tanks, 20 planes, 80 thousand foreigners who entered, but if we didn’t have the fighting gene, if we didn’t have If we had combat capabilities, then we would not have existed. During the conflict and immediately after it, Russian and South Ossetian representatives stated that more than 2,000 civilians died in South Ossetia; subsequently, the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation managed to document the deaths of only 162 civilians.
American specialists in computer technologies have repeatedly noted that the website of the President of Georgia was subject to a prolonged cyber attack from Russia in the form of an increase in false traffic in a ratio of 5000:1, which led to a significant slowdown and stop of the server. An attack was also carried out on the website of the Georgian parliament, where images of Saakashvili were posted that resembled Adolf Hitler.
Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Sociology of the Russian Chemical Technical University named after D. I. Mendeleev, Professor of the Department of Political Sociology of the Russian State University for the Humanities G. I. Kozyrev, in his work devoted to “the construction of the “victim” as a way of creating a controlled conflict situation,” writes that Western politicians and those controlled by them The media tried to present Georgia as a victim of aggression, attacked by Russia. But these events were only the culmination of a long and complex process of constructing a victim out of Georgia, which was carried out by the United States and its allies. Kozyrev makes a comparison with a similar operation that occurred earlier to construct victims from Kosovo Albanians, which was carried out in the Serbian region of Kosovo. The purposeful construction of Georgia as a victim-country, the author writes, essentially began with the coming to power of President M. Saakashvili. Periodically initiated by the Georgian side, provocations against Russian peacekeepers were interpreted by Western media as an encroachment by large and bloodthirsty Russia on small but proud, democratic Georgia. That is, world public opinion was being prepared for the fact that Russia is a potential aggressor, and Georgia is a victim [.
In our time of free access to a huge amount of information, the struggle for human minds has begun to be waged in this area. By providing the society with the necessary materials and news, it is possible to control the social moods and aspirations of the majority of the population.
What is information warfare?
The term “information warfare” was originally used in American military circles. Information war is psychological pressure on the whole society or part of it. Skillful presentation of the necessary information helps create certain moods and provoke a reaction. The first information about this type of war dates back to the 50s of the 19th century and concerns the Crimean War.
Information warfare can be waged both within a state and between different countries and is part of a complex process of confrontation. The presence of information pressure on society is an indicator of behind-the-scenes political actions or preparation for any changes. It does not require large financial investments and efforts. The effectiveness of information warfare depends on well-designed propaganda based on the feelings and desires of members of society.
Signs of an information war
The essence of information warfare is to influence society through information. Signs of an information war include:
- restricting access to certain information: closing web resources, television programs, printed publications;
- the emergence of different information sources with the same information;
- creating a negative psychological background on specific issues;
- the emergence of emotional tension in society;
- penetration of implanted information into various spheres of society: politics, culture, business, education.
Information war - myth or reality
Information wars between countries have become commonplace. Although the use of information propaganda in military conflicts has been known since the 19th century, this type of warfare acquired particular power at the end of the 20th century. This is due to the increase in the number of information resources: newspapers, magazines, television shows, and web resources. The more information a society has freely available, the easier it is to carry out information propaganda.
To wage an information war, there is no need to convince people or impose your point of view on them. You just need to make sure that the suggested information comes across as often as possible and does not cause rejection. At the same time, a person may not even suspect that he has become a participant in information influence. To conduct information warfare, they hire specialists with deep knowledge of marketing, social psychology, politics and history.
Information warfare goals
Conducting an information war is one of the components of the policies of many states. The battle for human minds is not an end in itself, but refers to a set of measures to maintain the security of one’s state or to influence the citizens of another state. Based on this, information warfare has the following goals:
- ensuring the security of your state;
- maintaining patriotic sentiments;
- influence on citizens of another state for the purpose of misinformation and achieving certain goals.
Types of information warfare
Information warfare can be used among the military and among civilians. For this purpose, one of the types of information warfare or a set of measures can be used. Types of information confrontation include:
- Information warfare on the Internet - different and often contradictory information is offered, used to confuse the enemy.
- Psychological operations are the selection and presentation of information that sounds like a counter-argument to the mood existing in society.
- Disinformation is the promotion of false information with the aim of sending the enemy side down the wrong trail.
- Destruction is the physical destruction or blocking of electronic systems important to the enemy.
- Security measures - strengthening the protection of your resources in order to preserve plans and intentions.
- Direct information attacks are a mixture of false and true information.
Methods of information warfare
Information war is called cold because it achieves the desired results without the use of weapons. There are such methods of information warfare among civilians:
- Involvement of influencers. The essence of this method is to support necessary actions or slogans by famous authoritative people.
- Accurate statements. The desired slogans are presented as one hundred percent true and do not require proof.
- The winning side. Society is asked to choose a solution that is presented as the best and is winning.
- Compulsion. This method is often used in slogans and sounds like a precise instruction to action.
- Substitution of information source. When it is not possible to stop the penetration of unwanted information, its author is called a source that does not enjoy public trust.
Information warfare and propaganda
Information warfare is effectively used in the political sphere. With its help, candidates for office fight for votes. Given the fact that most voters do not have access to true information, psychological influence techniques are used to influence them. Information warfare in the media is a popular way of influencing society. In addition, political propaganda can use the method of substituting information, distorting reality, coercion, and the participation of authorities.
How to protect yourself from information warfare?
Information warfare is used in different fields, but its goal always remains constant: to influence public opinion. Countering information warfare can be difficult, because manipulation and propaganda are developed by experienced specialists. To avoid becoming a victim of information influence, you should consider the opinions of different people on the issue of interest and use diverse sources of information. When understanding a difficult situation, it is worth answering the following questions:
- What is the other side of this coin?
- Who can benefit from this information?
- To what extent is the issue under consideration covered from different angles?
- Is there a logical chain and evidence on this matter, or is there direct suggestion, coercion and influence on emotions?
Information wars in the modern world
Thanks to modern technology, the information wars of our time can be waged all over the world. At the same time, it became possible to create a reality that does not correspond to reality. Modern world information wars are waged both between states and within states, between politicians, companies, organizations, and religious denominations. The main weapon in the information war is the media. Full control over them allows us to provide society with only the information that will form the necessary view of the problem.
All military operations in the modern world are covered in the media in such a way as to show the need to wage war and create negativity among the warring parties. Recent military conflicts in Syria and Ukraine are clear examples of this. Information warfare and terrorism are also directly related. It is not possible for an ordinary person to understand what is actually happening between the warring parties.
Information wars in politics
Political struggle takes place between political parties, organizations and other political institutions. The information war in this area occurs constantly, but intensifies before government elections. Influencing society with the help of information is carried out in such a way that members of society do not notice it and believe that they are making a choice on their own.
Modern information wars in politics aim to discredit the opponent in the eyes of the public and form the necessary opinion among members of society. To solve these problems, they hire specialists in information sabotage - ivors, who carry out an attack on the opponent using various information sources. The main methods of information attacks are: editing, rumors, myths, threats, bluffs, twisting information.
Information warfare in business
Information warfare in the business system is used to weaken the position of any corporation or enterprise. To conduct a confrontation in this area, the enemy tries to collect as much information as possible on the work of the company with which he competes. Particular attention is paid to the enemy's weaknesses. They are made public in an exaggerated form, showing the failure of the company's work.
Information war - consequences
The consequences of information wars can make themselves felt at the very beginning of the struggle. It is impossible to protect yourself from information influence, since it penetrates into all spheres of human life. The essence of information warfare lies in pressure on society, as a result of which members of society receive a distorted view of reality and are not able to draw the right conclusions and make the right decisions.
