Structuring the IW diagnosis problem

The effect of command and control C2 systems in 20th-century warfighting doctrine has been to distance commanders from the battlefield. Relying on a complex array of electronic sensing and communication systems, commanders now operate in a virtual battlespace. This is essentially an information battlespace consisting of intelligence assessments, operational plans, and logistic options, all integrated through a communication infrastructure. This infrastructure is a natural conduit for an attack on command and control functions through attrition of the information space. Such attacks are said to constitute Information Warfare (IW). This paper surveys some of the hard issues that will need to be addresses in the “diagnosis” of IW and proposes a research approach.