RECENT POSTS
Information Operations: Origins and Fundamentals – Part I
Information Warfare (IW) is expected to play an increasingly dominant role in 21st Century conflict, wherein military superiority is a composite function of combat, electronic and information superiority. In a two-part write-up, the concept of IW/ Information Operations (IO) is introduced. This first part highlights the importance of information on the battlefield, reviews the idea of three “waves” of warfare proposed by the futurists Alvin and Heidi Toffler, and dwells on certain theoretical underpinnings of IW, such as a Cognitive Hierarchy, an Information Model of Warfare and the notion of an Information Battlespace.
The Changing Nature of Warfare – Part II
Part I of this write-up discussed the changing nature of warfare over the last several centuries, based on Lind’s categorisation of “Generations of Warfare” as well as the concept of “Revolution in Military Affairs” (RMA). This part looks at the fast changing pace at which warfighting concepts are undergoing change in the present century, especially as a result of the ongoing rapid technological advancements. It gives an overview of some new conceptualisations of modern warfare such as “Asymmetric Warfare”, “Unrestricted Warfare” and “Hybrid Warfare”. It also dwells briefly on new Information Age warfighting concepts, such as “Network Centric Warfare”, “Information Warfare” and “Cyber Warfare”.
Network Centric Warfare – Origins and Main Characteristics
Network Centric Warfare (NCW) is an emerging theory of war in the Information Age. The term “network centric warfare” broadly describes the combination of strategies, emerging tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as organizations that a networked force can employ to create a decisive warfighting advantage. NCW provides a military the ability to attain a high level of shared battlespace awareness that is exploited to achieve strategic, operational, and tactical objectives in accordance with the commander’s intent. This write-up gives an overview of the origin, development and main characteristics of this 21st Century warfighting concept.
The Changing Nature of Warfare – Part I
Over the centuries, warfare has undergone significant transformation, due to new discoveries and innovative application of technologies, resulting in dramatic changes in military doctrine, organisational concepts, and conduct of military operations. The changing face of war was categorised as “generations of warfare” in 1989 by a team of US analysts, led by William S Lind. The changing nature of warfare is also reflected in the concept of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). This first of a two-part article takes a brief look at these two aspects, and their relevance to the current Indian security scenario.