Table Of Content

1926 Issler Pgs 7/17/01 1:32 PM Page 100 (cid:2) Pre-deployment view of defense support payload. Space Warfare Meets A S A N Information Warfare By G O R D O N D. I S S L E R O peration Desert Storm has been pro- Coalition forces gained an edge with superior in- claimed as the first space war. Because telligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets the ability of the United States to oper- and effective operational security and deception ate in space was not challenged, there activities. This superiority enabled the coalition to was no battle for space superiority. However there mask its true intentions and convince the Iraqis was a contest for information superiority. Both that an amphibious operation was forthcoming sides conducted surveillance and reconnaissance even as forces moved in place for the left hook operations to gather and exploit information. maneuver that caught the enemy by surprise. Information warfare has been a central element of military operations for the Armed Forces Major Gordon D. Issler, USAF, serves in the Intelligence, Surveillance, since the Persian Gulf War. Defensive and offen- and Reconnaissance Directorate at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, and sive information operations are conducted to gain also has been assigned to U.S. Space Command. information superiority over an enemy. With the 100 JFQ / Autumn 2000 Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 2000 2. REPORT TYPE 00-00-2000 to 00-00-2000 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Space Warfare Meets Information Warfare 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION National Defense University,Institute for National Strategic Studies,260 REPORT NUMBER 5th Avenue SW Fort Lesley J. McNair,Washington,DC,20319 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 5 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 1926 Issler Pgs 7/17/01 1:32 PM Page 101 Issler Until legal, political, and technical con- straints on the weaponization of space are over- come, operations should be focused on fostering the objective of gaining and maintaining superiority in the information campaign. This article examines the merger of these areas to produce a synergistic effect on the operational level. Space Operations The doctrinal void for military space operations should be filled by Joint Publication 3-14, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Space Opera- tions. When approved this pub will provide an overview of missions conducted by military space forces, establish procedures for their support to O’Brien) tdheep lwoyarefdig hinte tr,h ean tdh eidateenrt. ifIyt cspoavceer sf oforcuers pthriamt aarrye P. Branden mhainsscieomnesn: ts, psapcaec es ucopnptorortl, oapnedr afotirocne sa,p fpolirccaet ieonn-. mera ( Two of these areas are well known to warfighters Ca while the other two are not fully developed. Sup- mbat port operations include spacelift, satellite com- Co mand and control, and surveillance and deconflic- U ME tion of space systems which provide capabilities to 13th execute space operations. Force enhancement in- Communicating with cludes reconnaissance and surveillance, environ- USS Tarawa,East mental monitoring, communications, imagery Timor. increasing importance of achieving information and global geospatial information and services, dominance, the role of space has become promi- and positioning—delivering spacepower to joint nent. As the Secretary of Defense has reported: forces in the form of battlespace awareness. Control consists of surveillance, protection, The support provided by space forces significantly re- prevention, negation, and ensuring the friendly duces the fog, friction, and uncertainty of warfare. use of space while denying it to an enemy. This Joint forces can rapidly see, hear, and exploit the envi- mission area is restrained by earlier decisions not A ronment when space forces are properly integrated AS to weaponize space as well as budgetary and tech- N into the joint plan. This results in improved situa- nical limits. In addition, a plethora of commercial tional awareness, reduced response time, and a con- satellites that provide remote sensing, imagery, siderably more transparent battlespace, which pro- and communications services to potential ene- vides the [joint force commander (JFC)] dominant mies complicates space control negation. The battlespace awareness. force application mission is focused on weapons Given the importance of space to information op- that pass through space, such as intercontinental erations, the next conflict may include a space war ballistic missiles. Since space control and force ap- in the face of efforts to diminish U.S. advantages. plication have not matured as warfighting capa- Recent decisions indicate that DOD leaders bilities, efforts must be directed to space support regard space operations as inextricably linked to and force enhancement to expand the current information operations. Changes in the unified U.S. information advantage. command plan assigned increasing responsibili- Joint Pub 3-14 offers direction for planning ties for information operations to U.S. Space space support to operational level warfare by Command (SPACECOM). It assumed responsibil- joint task forces (JTFs). Unfortunately, it adopts a ity for the military computer network defense construct that synchronizes forces rather than in- mission, and command and control of the Joint tegrating information throughout JTF. Information Operations Center (formerly known A supported CINC/JFC)/JTF commander should desig- as the Joint Command and Control Warfare Cen- nate a coordinating authority for space operations ter) in October 1999 and for the military com- under the JFC (for example, the [joint force air computer network attack mission in October 2000. ponent commander]). In this position, the desig- nated coordinating authority will coordinate space support on behalf of all commanders in theater in support of the JFC’s objectives and act in the capacity Autumn 2000 / JFQ 101 1926 Issler Pgs 7/17/01 1:33 PM Page 102 (cid:2) SPACE WARFARE Positioning satellite communications, Kosovo. Hughes) Eric mpany ( Co Signal 55th Cceonmtebra ta bdoiraercdt iUonS S McKissic) TAhlleieodd oFroer cReo.osevelt, Donne Navy ( S. U. of “supported commander” for space with primary re- If a component needs intelligence, it goes to sponsibility in theater for joint space operations plan- the JTF (J-2), and the intelligence community de- ning purposes. To ensure prompt and timely support, termines the appropriate system to task for the CINCSPACE may authorize direct liaison authorized desired information. If a component needs added between the coordinating authority and service com- communications capacity, it goes to the JTF (J-6), ponents of SPACECOM. and the communications community determines the appropriate system. There are synergistic ef- On the operational level, however, space ac- fects within these functional communities. tivities differ from those on land, at sea, or in the Joint Pub 3-14 goes on to discuss the space air because their effects are unique; providing in- forces that deploy in theater to support a JTF. formation while not deploying forces in theater “[SPACECOM] deploys task-organized [joint space that must be synchronized support teams (JSSTs)] operational control to the space provides key commun- or deconflicted. Space-de- JFC/JTF commander to facilitate tasking and use rived information should ications, intelligence, weather, of joint space forces, provide space-derived infor- be integrated in JTFs across warning, and navigation functional lines. Space pro- mation, and ensure space support is provided to the combatant commander.” This appears to du- vides key communications, information plicate or even contradict earlier identification of intelligence, weather, a “coordinating authority for space operations.” warning, and navigation The draft publication also recognizes the capabil- information even though it is not the end-all, be- ity of component space support teams that de- all for any functional area. Although it is a critical ploy to support service components of JTFs. Addi- battlefield operating system, the Armed Forces tional deployable support teams such as the fight with a system of systems; it must be inte- National Intelligence Support Team (NIST) and grated with other systems, and not organized sepa- the Joint Information Operations Center (JIOC) rately in order to achieve superiority in command, team are also considered to be complementary to control, communications, intelligence, navigation, efforts by space support teams. But such teams and information processing. are only stopgap measures. Current missions and 102 JFQ / Autumn 2000 1926 Issler Pgs 7/17/01 1:33 PM Page 103 Issler Titan II lifting off, measures, deception activities, psychological op- Vandenberg Air Force erations, electronic warfare, physical destruction, Base. special information operations, and perhaps computer network attack. Defensive operations integrate and coordinate policies, procedures, operations, people, and tech- nology to protect information and information systems. Activities include counterdeception, counterpropaganda, counterintelligence, electronic warfare, and special operations, employing both lethal and nonlethal means. For effective integration in a joint force, commanders organize an information operations cell. JFCs typically assign the responsibility to staff members, usually the operations officer (J-3). The composition of the cell is mission dependent, but it retains the central responsibility of crafting a coherent strategy aimed at contributing to JFC Wallis) objectives. This strategy is developed on the JTF C. level, then disseminated to components for de- Air Force (Jennifer tcJoaeiillnle tcd h Tpiaelrafg nennto iCrnmogo aalrlndydi nf udanteiccoetnino tBnroas laiarzsde daa nmexdee maclusbtoei orp noa.fr tTtihhciee- Kissic) U.S. ptiazeteds tianrg dete vliestlo. pJoiningt tPhueb j3o-i1n3t idinetnetgifriaetse dth ep rjiooirnit- Donne Mc aJTcFtisv tithireos uagnhd t hdee fceenlsl,e inagcleundciinegs tthhae tJ ociannt sWuaprpfaorret S. Navy ( door cmtraintuarl eg utoid faanccilei taartee nthoet siunftfeigcireantitolyn boafl asnpcaecde AMnoanlyitsoisr iCnegn Ategre, nJocyin, tN Caotimonmaul nSieccautirointys ASegceunrcityy, U. and information operations. Defense Intelligence Agency, and Defense Infor- Information Management mation Systems Agency. Moreover, JTFs are supported by a JIOC support team that deploys in- Although space concepts are not well devel- theater and typically is integrated in the oped, concepts for information operations have information operations cell. The center is the pri- matured rapidly. Joint Pub 3-13, Joint Doctrine for mary agency for support of combatant com- Information Operations, mands with joint information operations and as- CINCSPACE should retain com- provides an overview sists in planning, coordinating, and executing of information mis- batant command and operational information operations worldwide. sions conducted by control of military space forces joint forces, an organi- Integrated Operations zational construct for To facilitate information operations, CINC- JTF information opera- SPACE should retain combatant command and tions, and a planning methodology to integrate operational control of military space forces sup- such activities into joint campaigns. porting JTFs that operate in wartime locales (or- The Armed Forces conduct information oper- bits) each day with a global view. Space capabili- ations to maintain superiority and operate inside ties must be deployed in a theater or an enemy observe, orient, decide, and act synchronized with other theater assets. They are (OODA) loop. A coherent strategy directs offen- global and hence, to optimize capabilities, they sive and defensive information operations toward should be managed on the strategic level by a sin- JFC objectives. Offensive operations integrate gle functional component commander. In addi- both assigned and supporting capabilities and ac- tion, space supremacy is not a viable objective on tivities, supported by intelligence, to affect the operational level, just as the effort to com- enemy decisions and promote specific objectives. pletely deny enemy access to space is prohibitive. Actions attempt to degrade, disrupt, or destroy in- Strategic offensive and defensive considerations formation and information systems through the are beyond the level of the operational com- coordinated employment of operational security mander. Moreover, because the SPACECOM mission includes computer network defense, computer network attack, and JIOC operational control, it is logical to take the integration of Autumn 2000 / JFQ 103 1926 Issler Pgs 7/17/01 1:33 PM Page 104 (cid:2) SPACE WARFARE Analysts testing command post, Roving Sands ’00. m Varhegyi) Squadron (Ji mera Ca mbat Co 1st space and information operations to the next order of battle to include commercial assets, proj- level. CINCSPACE should merge JIOC support ects when they will pass over friendly forces, and teams and JSST and integrate space support into determines the kind of information provided. JTF operations via the information operations Armed with this knowledge, plans can be devel- cell. Space operations can be organized in this oped for defensive and offensive information op- way because it is not necessary to deploy large erations to mask JFC intentions. The space con- forces in theater. Their assets are already deployed trol mission of negation is actually an offensive and providing information from on-orbit loca- information operation (attack), because current tions. The limited space forces that deploy in a space systems are information systems. theater should integrate into the information operations cells on JTF and component levels and Space support must be integrated into plan- facilitate identification of realistic information re- ning for information operations and coordinated quirements. These personnel can communicate through information cells. Establishing a single JTF needs to SPACECOM, which then plans tai- authority for coordinating support and placing it lored space operations (as a supporting com- within a component degrades the synergism of mand) to provide information. integrating space and information on the opera- Planning space support for JTFs should be tional level. Assigning JIOC and computer net- eliminated from annex N (space operations) and work defense and attack missions to SPACECOM integrated into the information operations plan should contribute to integrating and merging in the basic plan and in annex C (operations). joint space support teams with JIOC support This would provide increased visibility for space teams and create joint information superiority operations and ensure that both space and infor- teams. These teams should train and exercise to mation operations are seen as integral to the deploy in support of JTFs and provide expertise joint campaign plan rather than included in a for the information operations cell. In addition, separate annex. Integrating space operations in a the separate annex for space operations must be joint campaign via the information operations eliminated. Planning for space support to JTFs cell can produce synergistic effects that will en- must be integrated with information operations able information superiority and dominant bat- planning and inserted in the operations annex of tlespace knowledge. the campaign plan. JFQ The elements of surveillance, prevention, protection, and negation can be integrated as part of the information operations campaign. The surveillance of space objects identifies enemy space 104 JFQ / Autumn 2000