America Continues To Fall For Information Warfare

Fake News. It's all we hear about lately. But I wonder how many know where the term came from. A quick hint. It wasn't from Donald Trump. President, Candidate or RealityTV Host. It was Russian Military Intelligence. Part of Russia's Doctrine on conducting Information Warfare.

NATO, among other things, provides a handbook. (Attached above) It's available to anyone interested and probably for good reason. Because in Information Warfare the weapons aren't bombs or bullets. Those are considered by Russia's Military to be inferior to Information Warfare in "defeating an enemy". The weapons are you and me.

And the Media.

In fact, according to Russia's Information Warfare Doctrine, an "enemy's" own Media is the preferred weapon above all others. In particular, the planting of "fake news".

Quick show of hands, in all the times you've heard the term "fake news" have you even once heard anyone explaining this? In any Reports, from the Media, from Politicians, have you ever heard anyone saying that our own Media is targeted by the most sophisticated Information & Psychological Warfare Apparatuses in the World for use against us?

You don't need to answer, I already know. The question is...Does our Media? Do our Politicians? Do any of the People who claim to be looking out for us and keeping us informed know that THEY are the first line of weaponry against us? And that we are the cluster-bombs. We're the ones who spread the fallout. The ones who cause the greatest harm by our shear numbers and direct influence upon those around us.

Especially those closest to us.

Did you know the NFL Player "Anthem" Protests were a prized issue for Russia's Military Intelligence Information Warfare Campaign against the US? On one NFL Sunday alone, Russia's Information Units posted over 2000 tweets on Twitter specifically aimed at making Americans fight each other.

Over 2000 in just one day. On just the "Anthem" Protests.

This is how Information Warfare works. Pick something that's easy to turn into a wedge and poke away. Poke and keep poking. And who gets turned into weapons? Well, in this case, our NFL Players, our Sports Media, Our President, and us.

Ever been on social media and seen something posted that just made your blood boil? Did you ever ask if instead of a Retiree in St Petersburg, Florida if it's actually an Intelligence Operative in St Petersburg, Russia?

Because there's a very good chance that for at least one of those experiences you've had, it was.

Did you know we are at war with Russia? The very first point in Russian Military Intelligence's Doctrine on Information Warfare is that we are already at war. The second point is (according to Russian Defense) we started it.

I don't know about you. But I don't remember starting any war with Russia. But that's what they think. And not just the United States. Russia's Information Warfare begins with Ukraine. That's where Russia's Military has been sharpening their skills. And giving them a fresh paint job. These are all built on old Cold War Era Information & Psychological Warfare Campaigns with the added twist of modern Communication & Information tools. Like the Internet, 24 Hour Cable News, Social Media and Artificial Intelligence. (A future article will focus on AI. Because once it's fully utilized, Information Warfare Campaigns can be targeted to individuals. That's a whole new level of scary.)

In addition to Ukraine & the United States, the European Union is a favorite target. There's lots of talk about the 2016 US Presidential Election. But there's some pretty solid evidence that the real coup pulled off by Russian Intelligence and its Information Warfare Campaigns is BREXIT. Without Russia's campaign of interference, indications are that the BREXIT Vote would have failed.

The 2016 US Presidential Election. Russia was heavily involved, But among the millions and billions of words said about it, how much was actually about Russia's Military Intelligence and its Information Warfare Campaign against the US? Even when dozens of Russian Intelligence Operatives were indicted, at least 95% of the coverage was "What was Trump's involvement?"

Even when we're under attack, we find a way to make it about us.

Our internal political fights have so dominated the national conversation on Russia's Information Campaign against the US, most Americans could be forgiven for not realizing that Russia's Information Campaign against the US. Instead, it would be easy for most to just think of it as one more fight between Democrats and Republicans.

The rest of the World thinks we're self-absorbed. They don't know the half of it.

Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have sophisticated Information Warfare Operations with Campaigns running against the "West". But they're not alone.

ISIS, Al Qaeda and most likely other Terrorist Organizations have begun adopting the advanced warfare techniques of the most highly developed Military Programs. And as frightening as the idea of active Information Warfare being waged against us by large Countries, that fear is nothing compared to the terror of these capabilities in the hands of Terrorist Organizations.

Ponder for just a minute how appealing this is to Terror Organizations. Small pockets with SmartPhones operating anywhere in the World can attack anywhere else in the World in seconds with warfare methods the Russian Military calls more effective than bombs and bullets.

More effective than bombs and bullets.

Every Terrorist Organization anywhere in the World is now Global by doing nothing more than putting a SmartPhone in the hands of a teenager. Think on that one as you hug your children.