by Linda Robinson, Todd C. Helmus, Raphael S. Cohen, Alireza Nader, Andrew Radin, Madeline Magnuson, Katya Migacheva
Research Questions
What is political warfare?
How is it (or an appropriate analogous term) applied today?
How powerfulness the US government, along amongst its allies in addition to partners, nearly effectively reply to or engage inwards this type of conflict to attain its ends in addition to protect its interests?
The the States today faces a publish of actors who employ a broad arrive at of political, informational, military, in addition to economical measures to influence, coerce, intimidate, or undermine US interests or those of friends in addition to allies; many of these measures are oftentimes collectively referred to equally "political warfare." This study analyzes political warfare equally it is practiced today yesteryear both province in addition to nonstate actors, in addition to provides detailed recommendations regarding the nearly effective ways that the US government, along amongst its allies in addition to partners, tin reply to or engage inwards this type of conflict to attain US ends in addition to protect US interests.
The authors examine historical antecedents of political warfare in addition to current-day practices through in-depth instance studies of Russia, Iran, in addition to the Islamic State. They job these cases to derive mutual attributes of modern political warfare. The authors in addition to thence position effective agency for responding to these challenges. Drawing on documentary in addition to plain query equally good equally extensive semistructured interviews amongst practitioners inwards the US authorities in addition to elsewhere, they decide gaps inwards practices in addition to capabilities for addressing political warfare threats. The study concludes amongst recommendations for countering political warfare yesteryear creating a to a greater extent than effective, coordinated, in addition to cost-sensitive approach to effective statecraft, including specific measures for the US State Department in addition to the US military, especially the special operations community.
Key Findings
Characteristics of Modern Political Warfare
Nonstate actors tin acquit political warfare amongst unprecedented reach.
Political warfare employs all the elements of national power.
Political warfare relies heavily on unattributed forces in addition to means.
The data arena is an increasingly of import battleground, where perceptions of success tin endure determinative.
Information warfare industrial plant inwards diverse ways yesteryear amplifying, obfuscating, and, at times, persuading. Compelling evidence supplied inwards a timely trend 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 in addition to tin attain effects at lower cost.
Gaps inwards US Information Capabilities in addition to Practices
Strategic-level communications are high-profile in addition to bureaucratically risky, characteristics that militate against speed in addition to initiative.
The novel Global Engagement Center (GEC), established yesteryear presidential executive social club in addition to 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 US Department of Defense (DoD) rest to a greater extent than focused on authorities top-down communications.
Interagency coordination in addition to National Security Council guidance pertaining to message themes rest lacking.
Unattributed communications may accept counterproductive effects that should endure anticipated in addition to mitigated.
Interagency coordination remains a primal challenge.
Effective Statecraft in addition to Integration of Measures Short of War
The term political warfare is non ideal for a diversity of reasons, primary amid them its association amongst actual warfare. It may endure to a greater extent than useful to remember of effective statecraftand an integration of measures brusk of state of war equally necessary aspects of the US arsenal.
An integrated response to threats brusk of conventional state of war includes (1) the require for strategy, (2) the require for a whole-of-government approach to statecraft led yesteryear an appropriately enabled State Department, (3) the formulation in addition to coordination of responses amongst in addition to through other sovereign governments, allies, in addition to partners, in addition to (4) the improvement of armed forces contributions to such an integrated approach.
Recommendations
To ameliorate whole-of-government synergy, US armed forces commands, including all deployed headquarters, should equally a affair of class include civilian departmental representatives inwards social club to understand, coordinate with, in addition to back upwards US State Department in addition to other civilian programme execution.
DoD, in addition to special operations forces inwards particular, should incentivize in addition to ameliorate choice in addition to grooming for armed forces advisers serving at State Department headquarters, US embassies, in addition to other diplomatic posts to increment their effectiveness.
DoD, in addition to special operations forces, should offering armed forces planners to the State Department equally the latter builds its ain cadre of planners in addition to integrates regional in addition to functional bureau plans, to enable State to play a atomic number 82 role inwards responses to political warfare.
Military commanders should develop in addition to hold collaborative relationships amongst their civilian counterparts through regular visits in addition to frequent communications to develop mutual agreement of in addition to approaches to political-military conflict.
DoD should routinely assay to contain State Department regional expertise in addition to the electrical flow insights of the US solid position down squad into armed forces plans inwards social club to develop effective responses to political-military threats.
The special operations community should teach inwards a high priority to ameliorate in addition to implement fully resourced, innovative, in addition to collaborative data operations. MISO requires both increased manpower in addition to novel media training.
Military commanders in addition to the State Department should position critical data requirements for political warfare threats, in addition to the tidings community should increment collection in addition to analysis capabilities that are dedicated to detecting incipient subversion, coercion, in addition to other emerging threats brusk of conventional warfare.
DoD in addition to the State Department should back upwards deployment of special operations forces inwards priority areas deemed vulnerable to political warfare threats equally an early on in addition to persistent presence to render assessments in addition to develop timely in addition to feasible options for countering measures brusk of conventional war.
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