Research
The use of information technology is defining the 21st century. It not only changes the way people communicate but also how they fight. This makes it necessary to more effectively integrate so-called information activities into military operations.
Recent developments in NATO doctrine on Strategic Communication and Information Operations highlight the need to influence human decision-making and behaviour; in other words, the need to create cognitive effects. This paper provides advice on how to adapt military command structures to use communication capabilities and specialised staff as a military tool.
To make this paper’s findings of immediate use, the German-Dutch Division 2025 project is used as a case study. It combines the German 10 Armoured Division and Dutch 13 Light Brigade to a binational high readiness force for collective defence by 2025.
This paper by Markus Iven, Laura Jasper and Michel Rademaker describes five key elements relevant to integrate information activities into military operations: combined arms, intelligence, targeting, Information Operations, and Strategic Communications. Although the paper provides advice for Dutch and German land force military leaders, this paper’s foundation in NATO doctrine also renders its findings applicable to other Allied land forces.
This production has been written as part of the project Platform Influencing Human Behaviour, commissioned by the Royal Netherlands Army. The aim of this platform is to build and share knowledge on information-based behavioural influencing in the military context. The first author holds the rank of captain in German armed forces and has been on a research visit at HCSS. Responsibility for the content rests solely with the authors and does not constitute, nor should it be construed as, an endorsement by the Bundeswehr or Royal Netherlands Army.
Authors: Markus Iven, Laura Jasper and Michel Rademaker
Editor: Alessandra Barrow