The U.S.A. today faces a position out of actors who employ a broad attain of political, informational, military, as well as economical measures to influence, coerce, intimidate, or undermine States interests or those of friends as well as allies; many of these measures are oftentimes collectively referred to equally "political warfare." This written report analyzes political warfare equally it is practiced today past times both province as well as nonstate actors, as well as provides detailed recommendations regarding the nearly effective ways that the States government, along amongst its allies as well as partners, tin response to or engage inwards this type of conflict to accomplish States ends as well as protect States interests.
The authors examine historical antecedents of political warfare as well as current-day practices through in-depth illustration studies of Russia, Iran, as well as the Islamic State. They exercise these cases to derive mutual attributes of modern political warfare. The authors as well as then position effective agency for responding to these challenges. Drawing on documentary as well as champaign inquiry equally good equally extensive semistructured interviews amongst practitioners inwards the States authorities as well as elsewhere, they decide gaps inwards practices as well as capabilities for addressing political warfare threats. The written report concludes amongst recommendations for countering political warfare past times creating a to a greater extent than effective, coordinated, as well as cost-sensitive approach to effective statecraft, including specific measures for the States State Department as well as the States military, peculiarly the special operations community.
Key Findings
Characteristics of Modern Political Warfare
Nonstate actors tin behave political warfare amongst unprecedented reach.
Political warfare employs all the elements of national power.
Political warfare relies heavily on unattributed forces as well as means.
The data arena is an increasingly of import battleground, where perceptions of success tin live on determinative.
Information warfare plant inwards diverse ways past times amplifying, obfuscating, and, at times, persuading. Compelling evidence supplied inwards a timely mode is the best antidote to disinformation.
Detecting early-stage political warfare requires a heavy investment of tidings resources.
Political warfare tin generate unintended consequences.
Economic leverage is increasingly the preferred tool of the strong.
Political warfare oftentimes exploits shared ethnic or religious bonds or other internal seams.
Political warfare extends, rather than replaces, traditional conflict as well as tin accomplish effects at lower cost.
Gaps inwards States Information Capabilities as well as Practices
Strategic-level communications are high-profile as well as bureaucratically risky, characteristics that militate against speed as well as initiative.
The novel Global Engagement Center (GEC), established past times presidential executive lodge as well as located at the Department of State, focuses on third-party validators or influencers from the bottom up, whereas Military Information Support Operations (MISO) inside the States Department of Defense (DoD) stay to a greater extent than focused on authorities top-down communications.
Interagency coordination as well as National Security Council guidance pertaining to message themes stay lacking.
Unattributed communications may bring counterproductive effects that should live on anticipated as well as mitigated.
Interagency coordination remains a substitution challenge.
Effective Statecraft as well as Integration of Measures Short of War
The term political warfare is non ideal for a diverseness of reasons, main amidst them its association amongst actual warfare. It may live on to a greater extent than useful to shout out upward of effective statecraft as well as an integration of measures curt of state of war equally necessary aspects of the States arsenal.
An integrated response to threats curt of conventional state of war includes (1) the withdraw for strategy, (2) the withdraw for a whole-of-government approach to statecraft led past times an appropriately enabled State Department, (3) the formulation as well as coordination of responses amongst as well as through other sovereign governments, allies, as well as partners, as well as (4) the improvement of armed services contributions to such an integrated approach.
Recommendations
To ameliorate whole-of-government synergy, States armed services commands, including all deployed headquarters, should equally a affair of course of teaching include civilian departmental representatives inwards lodge to understand, coordinate with, as well as back upward States State Department as well as other civilian computer programme execution.
DoD, as well as special operations forces inwards particular, should incentivize as well as ameliorate alternative as well as preparation for armed services advisers serving at State Department headquarters, States embassies, as well as other diplomatic posts to increment their effectiveness.
DoD, as well as special operations forces, should offering armed services planners to the State Department equally the latter builds its ain cadre of planners as well as integrates regional as well as functional bureau plans, to enable State to play a Pb role inwards responses to political warfare.
Military commanders should develop as well as hold collaborative relationships amongst their civilian counterparts through regular visits as well as frequent communications to develop mutual agreement of as well as approaches to political-military conflict.
DoD should routinely attempt to contain State Department regional expertise as well as the electrical current insights of the States Blue Planet squad into armed services plans inwards lodge to develop effective responses to political-military threats.
The special operations community should larn inwards a high priority to ameliorate as well as implement fully resourced, innovative, as well as collaborative data operations. MISO requires both increased manpower as well as novel media training.
Military commanders as well as the State Department should position critical data requirements for political warfare threats, as well as the tidings community should increment collection as well as analysis capabilities that are dedicated to detecting incipient subversion, coercion, as well as other emerging threats curt of conventional warfare.
DoD as well as the State Department should back upward deployment of special operations forces inwards priority areas deemed vulnerable to political warfare threats equally an early on as well as persistent presence to supply assessments as well as develop timely as well as feasible options for countering measures curt of conventional war.
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