The new way the Army will conduct information operations

A new guide from the U.S. Army tells soldiers thinking about information warfare missions to consider a simple task: build a street map.

Such a map should include details about if a United Nations representative is nearby, whether a natural disaster took place and what kind of graffiti covers the walls. Layered with different attributes, events and details about communications, the map could provide a clear picture of which messages may work in specific locations.

That 118-page guide, named “The Conduct of Information Operations,” was released in October and is a fusion of cyber and information warfare that describes how the Army wants to conduct future missions.

“It provides Army leaders and [information operations] professionals with the essential information necessary to integrate IO effectively into their unit’s operation,” Lt. Col Joey Sullinger, a public affairs officer at the Army Combined Arms Center, whom Fifth Domain was referred to by other Army officials, in an email. “All members of the Army Profession ensure they conduct IO in accordance with the moral principles of the Army Ethic.”