Air Force Risks Defeat By Neglecting Information Warfare: Think Tank
Aug. 1, 2024 | By David Roza
The Air Force may be inviting catastrophe by neglecting information warfare, an emerging domain that service officials say is fundamental to air operations, according to a new report published July 30 by the RAND Corporation, a federally-funded think tank.
Despite talking a big game about information warfare for more than 20 years and forming a numbered air force in 2019 to serve as the information warfare (IW) hub, the Air Force has not published formal, actionable requirements that lay out the exact roles and responsibilities for IW organizations, which frustrates and confuses both IW Airmen and the non-IW groups they work with, RAND found.
IW encompasses several fields, including cyber operations, electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO), public affairs, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and weather. But the Air Force does not provide IW-specific training or clear guidance for Airmen involved, which leaves the field “highly-stovepiped along organizational and disciplinary lines,” contributes to miscommunication, and could even risk fratricide, the RAND report stated.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-information-warfare/
