ICT, WARFARE AND PEACE; FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Brian Naudé

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 2

Scope

• Information and technology• Information warfare defined• Comprehension of information warfare• Considerations• ICT uses (War and Peace)• Challenges

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 3

• Information and technology

± 500 BC ± 1450 ± 2000

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 4

• Information warfare defined

“If there were a single, obvious definition of information warfare, someone would have already written it down”

“The integrated employment of the core capabilities of electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception, and operations security, in concert with specified supporting and related capabilities, to influence, disrupt, corrupt or usurp adversarial human and automated decision making while protecting our own”

No consensus definition apparent

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 5

• Comprehension of information warfare

Information DomainA-priori knowledgeInformation systemsInformationdata

Physical Domain

Cognitive DomainSituation:

Awareness UnderstandingAssessmentDecision making

Information & data

Individual world view & capabilities

Human Perception

Alberts et al

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 6

• Considerations

• InformationGenerated at a gargantuan rateMultitude of sourcesNo control

• TechnologyVast worldwide communications networksVirtual information spaceTechnology fusion

• OrganisationMany forms and control schemesCultural baseIntegration levelsICT influence of structure

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 7

• ICT uses

• Mass distribution of information to a local or foreign audience• Economic disruption of public institutions • Executing legal information transactions • Construction or disruption of military command and control,

administrative and logistic systems • Vulnerability of ICT systems

© CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.zaSlide 8

• Challenges

• Volume and Availability of Information

• Limited influence on communities with ICT• New ways use information

• Organisation and Technology Fusion

• Organisation structure fusion lags that of ICT• Economic benefits • Leap frog opportunity for developing countries