Center for law and military operations report: the Judge Advocate General's legal center & school - CLAMO

Army Lawyer, March, 2004 by Pamela M. Stahl, Toby Harryman

Lieutenant Colonel Pamela M. Stahl & Captain Toby Harryman

   Information is at the very heart of many stability
   operations.... These operations are
   often sensitive and politically charged where
   perception and public support may be centers
   of gravity. In stability operations, IO
   [information operations] may be the most
   critical and acceptable means of achieving
   stated objectives consistent with the ROE. (1)

Judge advocates at all levels of command play an important role in advising commanders and their staffs on information operations (IO) during the full spectrum of military operations--from offensive and defensive operations to stability and support operations. (2) In Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF), judge advocates are participating in IO cells and IO working groups (IOWG), effects-coordination cells, and targeting meetings. During past field training exercises at home station and at the combat training centers, units often practiced offensive and defensive operations, and related IO. Few units conducted stability operations (3) xercises, unless as part of mission rehearsals for deployments to Bosnia or Kosovo. In current operations, however, units are conducting the full spectrum of military operations simultaneously, from offensive operations against suspected terrorist cells, to civil affairs projects rebuilding local communities. Developing and implementing IO themes and objectives throughout this spectrum of military operations can be quite complex.

This report provides a broad overview of Army IO doctrine and the judge advocate's role in the IO campaign, in particular in stability operations. Here, IO may become the center of gravity in "winning the hearts and minds" of the local population. Judge advocates assigned as operational law attorneys and those who deploy as part of a brigade operational law team (BOLT) must understand IO and their role in these operations.

This report addresses IO at the operational and tactical levels. It does not, however, address specific domestic and international laws relating to IO.

Joint and Army Doctrine on Information Operations

First, judge advocates must understand IO in the context of military operations. Army doctrine, consistent with Joint doctrine, defines IO as:

   [T]he 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 affect or defend information and
   information systems, and to influence decision-making....
   IO related activities
   include, but are not limited to public affairs
   (PA) and CMO [Civil Military Operations]. (4)

These activities help the commander gain information superiority. (5) Information superiority is an "enabling operation" that assists the commander in winning the fight. (6) Although this report discusses only IO, there are two related disciplines that also assist the commander in gaining information superiority: intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) (7) and information management (IM). (8) Specific objectives that contribute to information superiority include the following:

* Develop and maintain a comprehensive picture of enemies and adversaries; forecast their likely actions.

* Deny enemies and adversaries information about friendly forces and operations.

* Influence enemy and adversary leader perceptions, plans, actions, and will to oppose friendly forces.

* Influence noncombatants and neutrals to support friendly missions or not to resist friendly activities.

* Inform noncombatant and neutral organizations so they can better support friendly policies, activities, and intentions.

* Protect friendly decision making processes, information, and information systems.

* Continually provide relevant information (including intelligence) to the commander and staff in a useable form.

* Destroy, degrade, disrupt, deny, deceive, and exploit enemy decision making processes, information, and information systems, and influence those of adversaries and others. (9)

There are two types of IO--offensive and defensive. During operations, commanders synchronize offensive and defensive IO to produce complementary and reinforcing effects. Under Army doctrine, "[o]ffensive IO supports the decisive operations, while defensive IO protects friendly force critical assets and centers of gravity." (10) Offensive IO includes psychological operations (PSYOP), operational security (OPSEC), and military deception and may apply attack options such as electronic warfare (EW) and physical attack to produce the desired effect against an adversary's information systems. (11) United States forces conduct defensive IO through information assurance, (12) information security, physical security, OPSEC, counter-deception, counterpropaganda, counterintelligence, EW, and special information operations. (13) Additionally, IO requires integration with several other processes, to include intelligence preparation of the battlefield and targeting. (14)