Byting back : regaining information superiority against 21st-century insurgents / Martin C. Libicki ... [and others] ; prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Libicki, Martin C.

National Defense Research Institute (U.S.)

Series:

Rand counterinsurgency study ; v. 1.

Rand counterinsurgency study ; v. 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Insurgency.

Military art and science--United States.

Military art and science.

Afghan War, 2001-2021.

Iraq War, 2003-2011.

United States.

Physical Description:

xxxiv, 159 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, CA : Rand Corporation, 2007.

Summary:

U.S. counterinsurgency efforts, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, can exploit information power better. Because insurgency and counterinsurgency involve a battle for the allegiance of a population between the indigenous government and insurgents, information power comes from connecting with and learning from the population itself. The most basic information link with the population would be an information technology-enhanced, fraud-resistant registry-census. The most promising link would come from utilizing local cell phone networks, which are proliferating even among poor countries, to form the basis for security services such as enhanced-911 and forensics. A cooperative, well-wired citizenry constitutes eyes in the field. Such systems can link indigenous forces with each other and with U.S. forces without interoperability problems; they can also track how forces respond to emergencies. Outfitting weaponry with video cameras could provide lessons learned, surveillance, and a check on operator misconduct. Citizens can describe their lives in national Wikis. The authors argue that today's military and intelligence networks-closed, compartmentalized, controlled by information providers instead of users, and limited to U.S. war fighters-hamper counterinsurgency. Instead, the authors call for current networks to be replaced by an integrated counterinsurgency operations network linking U.S. and indigenous operators, based on principles of inclusiveness, integration, and user preeminence. Here is a practical plan for just that.

This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

Contents:

Why Information Superiority Matters in Counterinsurgency 2

Getting to Information Superiority in Counterinsurgency 7

Chapter 2 The Influence of User Requirements 11

When the Population Is the Terrain 12

Security Operations 13

Situational Awareness 14

Winning Allegiance 15

Military Operations During Counterinsurgency 16

Chapter 3 The Registry-Census 21

Categorizing the Information 23

Personal and Social Information 23

Systematic Incidents and Reportage Data 25

Buildings Data: The National CAD Model 27

Getting the Information 29

Information Reliability and Timeliness 31

Toward a National Identification System? 32

Registration 33

Acquiring Identities at Checkpoints 36

Acquiring Identities Without Checkpoints 37

Chapter 4 A Well-Wired Country 43

Systems Concept 44

Encourage Cell Phone Use 45

Shape the Cell Phone Environment 46

Associate Cell Phones with Registered Users 48

Geolocate Cell Phones Periodically and as Needed 50

Using the System's Capabilities 51

Government Services 51

Eyes on the Street 52

Actionable Intelligence 52

Other Uses 54

The Cell Phone Network as the Primary Counterinsurgency Communications System 55

Issues 57

Secret Surveillance? 58

Insurgent Responses 59

Lost or Stolen SIMs 62

Spoofing GPS Signals 65

Commercial Considerations 65

Follow-On Phases 68

Avoiding a Permanent Police State 70

A Note of Caution 76

Chapter 5 Embedded Video 79

Basic Concept and Technical Issues 81

Evasion Techniques 83

Uses 84

Video Made Public 86

Chapter 6 A National Wiki 89

Our Town 91

An Oral Wiki 95

Attribution 98

Language Translation 99

Accuracy and Deception 100

A National Wiki as a Feedback Mechanism for Government Services 102

Chapter 7 The Principles of ICON 105

Principle 1 Emphasize User Primacy, Inclusiveness, and Integration 107

Principle 2 Build ICON to Go Native 113

Principle 3 Audit, Audit, Audit 117

Abnormal Usage 118

Taggants 118

Honeypots 119

Surveillance 119

Principle 4 Tune ICON to the Level of Insurgency 120

Principle 5 Post Before Process 124

Principle 6 Establish a Standard Deck and Populate It from the National Wiki 126

Principle 7 Rank Information by Reliability and Relevance 127

Results and a Caveat 129

Chapter 8 Implications and Implementation 131

Census and National ID Cards 134

Cell Phones 134

Embedded Video 135

National Wiki 135

ICON 135

Governance, Accountability, and Public Expression 136

Adapting Information Capabilities to the Scope and Locus of the Insurgency 139

Implementation 141

Research and Development Needs 143

Appendix Disaggregated Information Requirements 145.

Notes:

"RAND National Defense Research Institute."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-159).

ISBN:

0833041894

9780833041890

OCLC:

170922430