Operational Security, Manipulation of Information, and Decision-Making in Network-Enabled Warfare

The key points of operational security are to identify and protect critical information. When the critical information has been identified, the reliability and integrity of that information must be secured. In this paper, the key question is what kind of manipulation of information is possible and what kinds of challenges the idea of network-enabled warfare can bring to decision-making and leadership. The study is more philosophical than practical or technical. The results of this paper are based on qualitative study. This study addresses two models of collecting information. In the traditional model, information is filtered up from lower levels, with analysis before it is delivered to the next level. In the network model, information is delivered to storage (the network) by the sensors and different levels of staff have access to the information storage where they can get the information they need. The results of this study are based on a focused interview carried out in the Signal Regiment in Finland (2008). The interviewees were five communications and information officers, ranked between captain and lieutenant-colonel, who were familiar with the concept of network-enabled warfare. The random sample on which the conclusions of this study are based was quite homogeneous and small. As officers' educational background and experience can affect interpretations of the definitions of the subjects, the conclusions describe only the interviewees' conceptions of critical information, information manipulation, and leadership in modern warfare.