“If You Have a Hammer…” Reshaping the Armed Forces’ Discourse on Information Maneuver

Abstract

Cyberspace has been conducive to unlock the potential of the information environment. Many disciplines within the intelligence and military remit have embraced concepts such as the information environment, cyberspace, and especially information maneuver – the concept of generating effects in the information environment. However, most still perceive information maneuver as the ‘2.0 version’ of existing intelligence gathering capabilities. Though intelligence for understanding and decision-making are essential foundations to employ information maneuver effectively, it is not solely using information as a source but also as a mean to act; generating informational effects in the cognitive, virtual or physical dimension using information as a target, vector or weapon to ultimately affect the cognitive dimension of audiences, friend or foe. Information maneuver is an entire new manner of exerting power by generating informational effects. Subsequently the question rises what role remains for the armed forces in the concept of information maneuver.

Keywords: cyberspace, intelligence, information, information maneuver, armed forces, influence operations

JEL Classification: K40, F51, F52, N40