29 - The information revolution and the transformation of warfare

Abstract

This chapter discusses the information revolution and the transformation of warfare. “Doing strategy” has never been easy, but because of the information revolution, the difficulties facing the national security strategist have never been more complex or daunting, and the plate of critical strategic issues has never been fuller. While infrastructures have always been important to military and economic power, the growing reliance on interconnected computer networks to run infrastructures presents a vulnerability that a strategic adversary can hardly ignore. The growing networkization of warfare is transforming how one fight as both conventional and unconventional military capabilities and operations are affected and shaped by technological, organizational, doctrinal, and operational imperatives of the information revolution. The connectivity among people, organizations, and societies continues to grow, creating new avenues and audiences for influence.