Cyber (formerly Information and Communications Technology): –
Adversaries have long used propaganda, disinformation, and deception to gain an advantage over opponents, shape how they think, control the flow of information, and attempt to win wars without fighting. The evolution of networking and communication technology (NCT) over time has expanded the reach and potential effectiveness of these efforts. Social media has emerged as such a powerful tool that some describe it as a weapon of modern warfare. It doesn’t stop there—online messaging, gaming, financial technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and a slew of other NCT have revolutionized the adversary’s tool kits for propaganda and deception.
Efforts to influence large populations that previously took decades of activity with significant financial resources and manpower can now happen in days, if not minutes, and at little cost. Governments worldwide are now threatened by the power of NCT and the individuals who can tap into that power. The balance of power is shifting from government to the people, and nefarious attempts to wield that power have become a national security concern. Informational approaches, enhanced by NCT, are often applied in support of other instruments of national power, commonly dominated by diplomatic, military, or economic tools. However, future strategy may warrant an approach that considers information as the supported instrument of national power because it offers the best opportunity to advance U.S. interests without a greater risk of military conflict with Russia or China.
NCT offers a powerful tool to defend against malign influence while safeguarding the democratic values of free nations around the world. It can give a voice to the voiceless in authoritarian regimes and level the playing field against powerful adversaries with considerable influence capabilities and values contradictory to our own. Social media companies, the U.S. government, and many of its allies and partners are unprepared to address these challenges, despite the known use of NCT by bad actors and perceived societal ills. The United States runs the risk of resorting to ineffective knee-jerk reactions in the name of security. Additionally, ill-informed responses could threaten civil liberties, particularly speech and privacy, and have the potential to create more damaging long-term effects than an adversary's intended harms.
This paper will summarize the semester-long research activities of the NCT industry study through the following structure: an overview of the strategic environment, a definition of the industry, an analysis of NCT and the instruments of power, and finally, recommendations to secure and increase the benefits of a more connected world through regulatory reform, partnership, education, and national strategy.
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