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Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in the Information Age

Explore the transformation of civil-military relations in the digital era, from traditional roles to modern challenges. Analyze the impact of technology on warfare, intelligence operations, and critical infrastructure protection.

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Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in the Information Age

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  1. Civil-Military Relations in the Information Age Ralf Bendrath, BerlinFoG:IS Forschungsgruppe Research GroupInformationsgesellschaft und Information Society and Sicherheitspolitik Security PolicyInternational School on Disarmament and Research on ConflictsISODARCOTrento/Italy, August 2002

  2. Overview • What are civil-military relations? • Are they in a crisis? • Are they changing? • Some theory (only some!) • Examples • C4ISR / “system of systems” • critical infrastructure protection • information warfare • Conclusion

  3. Civil-Military Relations (CMR) • Traditionally understood as: • relations between military commanders and the civilian government • clear distinction btw. civil and military spheres, roles, duties etc. • professional identity of the soldier as the exclusive “manager of organized violence” (S. Huntington: The Soldier and the State) • “Politicians decide about war, Soldiers wage war” • aim: civilian control of the military

  4. CMR in a Crisis? Not really! • 1990s: “Crisis of CMR” all over • but: just some generals too much interested in politics and some president not too much interested in war • simple solutions: fire the CJCS, elect a new president, throw money at it, ...

  5. “We give special thanks to Mr. Bush and all the allies: the British, the French, the Egyptians, CNN.”A Man from Kuwait, 1991

  6. CMR in a Crisis? Well... • maybe not that simple? • political impact of military action in times of worldwide media

  7. “If you spend all day on a computer typing, that warrior ethos goes away, and pretty soon you´re just a diary clerk or a supply guy.”Master Gunnery Sgt. Cardo Urso, chief instructor at the Marine Corps´ Martial Arts Training Program

  8. “Our future leaders of command must understand the interrelationships among military power, diplomacy, and economic pressure, as well as the role of various government agencies and non-governmental actors, in achieving our security objectives.”Joint Chiefs of Staff: Joint Vision 2010, Washington D.C. 1996

  9. “IO greatly expands the commander’s battlespace, including interaction with the media, industry, joint forces, multinational forces and computer / satellite networks worldwide.”Arneson/Starry, FM 100-6: Information Operations, in: Military Review, 1996

  10. “We are not in the business of killing.” General Norman Schwarzkopf

  11. CMR in a Crisis? Well... • post-heroic / no direct combat / tooth-to-tail • military profession & exclusivity • C4ISR / micro-management • intelligence • information warfare • national security and defense / CIP • Information age: systemic crisis of CMR?

  12. Theory I: Crisis • Crisis of • man (identity / the subject) • the state (networked state) • war (postmodern, info, cyber, high-tech, hyperreal, ...) • Crisis of modernity? • ”The most significant fact about civil-military relations is the modernity of the concept” (Amos Perlmutter, Political Roles and Military Rulers, London 1981)

  13. Theory II: The system of CMR • Crisis as a property of the system • individual • military profession • role / identity / exclusivity • social agents: • state, military - and others? • systemic norms: • civilian control of the military - what else?

  14. Change - What Change? • change within the military • change within the system of CMR • change of the system of CMR

  15. Examples • C4ISR / “system of systems” for conventional war • critical infrastructure protection • information warfare

  16. C4ISR / “System of Systems” • Network of everything • from individual soldier to White House • political micro-management • the end of mission tactics • less command, more control • Air Force without pilots? • FOFI for the single soldier • Real-time • computer-aided warfare • formal models of professional war

  17. C4ISR / “System of Systems” • Computer-mediated perception • reducing complexity • dissemination, need-to-know • simulation & over-specialization • C4KISR: control by machines? • Integration of intelligence systems • open source intelligence • tactical info for political bargains • intelligence units closer to fighters • Predator: CIA-operators as soldiers?

  18. C4ISR / “System of Systems” • Civil providers • IT-contractors on the battlefield • NMCI example • post-heroic military profession? • CIMIC • info-sharing with INGOs & NGOs

  19. Critical Infrastructure Protection • New enemies and threats • Teenagers? • Hacktivists? • Criminals? • Terrorists? • States? • Attack from at home or abroad?

  20. Critical Infrastructure Protection • Who is in charge? • Military? • Law enforcement agencies? • Intelligence? • Owners of the infrastructures? • What´s it in the end? • IT security • IT forensics • coordination

  21. Critical Infrastructure Protection • protect your own network! • info-sharing between LEA, Intelligence, private companies, IT-Sec community • new complexity • what is security? • national security? • economic security? • IT-security? • „national security“ obsolete for transnational networks?

  22. Information Warfare • distinctions become blurry: • Targets: military / civilian?

  23. Joint Chiefs of Staff: JP 3-13, Joint Doctrine for Information Operations, Washington D.C., October 1998, p. I-17

  24. Information Warfare • distinctions become blurry: • Targets: military / civilian? • Time: war - peace?

  25. Joint Chiefs of Staff: JP 3-13, Joint Doctrine for Information Operations, Washington D.C., October 1998, p. II-8

  26. Information Warfare • Targets: military / civilian? • Time: war - peace? • Space: battlespace / info-environment / cyberspace? • Operational: IO central, not only support • Identity: hackers, journalists, ...?

  27. Info-Ops = Counterinsurgency?“Low-intensity conflict is basically a struggle for people´s minds. (...) In such a battle, psychological operations are more important than fire power (...) Insurgencies, therefore, are primarily political and psychological struggles; military considerations are secondary.”U.S. Army TRADOC: Joint Low-Intensity Conflict Project Final Report, Vol. 1: Analytical Review of Low-Intensity Conflict, 1986

  28. Information Warfare • Soft Power / Noopolitik • Who targets information? • State Department? • White House? • Pentagon PA? • Pentagon Info-Ops? • VoA? • CNN? • MTV? • parlamentary & public control?

  29. Change of CMR? • Change within the military • end of mission tactics • de- / re-centralization • new tasks • info-ops • CIP • more tail than tooth • post-heroic soldiers • change already halfway done

  30. Change of CMR? • Change within the system of CMR • political fine-tuning of operations • but: some are like covert operations • parlamentary oversight? • politically / culturally educated soldiers • End of the “American Way of War” • intelligence closer to shooters • still in the process of change

  31. Change of CMR? • Change of the system of CMR • CIP: domestic / international security? • info-ops: non-physical violence • Soft Power • the end of war as we know it • cf. Foucault on domestic violence • much resistance against change

  32. It could be just junk mail, Colonel, or the beginning of a major enemy attack...

  33. Thanks for listening ! • Dipl. Pol. Ralf Bendrath • mailto: ralf.bendrath@fogis.de • http://www.fogis.de • http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~bendrath • http:// archive.infopeace.de

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