READY FOR TODAY – EVOLVING FOR TOMORROW
THE INFORMATION MANOEUVRE
CONCEPT TAILORED TO THE ARRC
Captain Bogdan Ionescu, Romanian Army
Modern warfare has evolved in such a way that at times it is challenging to keep pace
with change. Whilst technological advances in traditional military equipment such as
tanks, fighter aircraft and ships are clearly noticeable, the same insight into the progress
made in the information domain is not so simple or, perhaps, as readily apparent. Today,
information is omnipresent and, due to its intangible nature, it is far from clear how
it should be used in such a way that the entirety of its effects, positive and negative,
provide advantage to the party that possesses it.
While the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
(ARRC), as a NATO High Readiness
Force (Land) (HRF (L)) headquarters,
has some of the means required to
achieve information superiority, it is
now in the process of learning how
to bring these means together to fully
exploit the operational benefits they
offer. The new Information Manoeuvre
Concept, approved by the UK Executive
Committee of the Army Board in late
2017, provides guidelines and principles,
and these may now be adapted to suit
the ARRC’s operational culture and
resources.
What is Information
Manoeuvre? A UK and ARRC
perspective
Information Manoeuvre is a concept
that integrates and synchronises land’s
information capabilities to establish unity
of effort for intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR) assets,
information activities and outreach
(IA&O), communications and information
systems (CIS), counter intelligence (CI)
and cyber and electromagnetic Activities
(CEMA), plus spectrum management
operations. This is in order to deliver
an information advantage – to shape
our audience’s perceptions and change
or maintain behaviours. It will do so
by providing primarily four outputs
Figure 1 – Main characteristics of the Information Manoeuvre Concept.
(understand, communicate, persuade
accommodate the five Information
and protect) across
three
dimensions
Manoeuvre
requirements. Consequently,
Figure 1 – Main
characteristics
of the Information
Manoeuvre Concept.
(physical, virtual and cognitive) over two
it is important that the integration of this
fronts (at home and abroad).
approach result in the current system
being modified rather than fundamentally
While countries have different ways of
overhauled.
synchronising the potential of digital
technologies, it is ultimately a personal
In line with this approach, the creation
choice on how to better take advantage
of an Information Manoeuvre Integrated
of information and its effects. In the UK,
Board (IMIB) to synchronise functions,
the implementation of the Information
allocate
resources
and
maintain
Manoeuvre approach may be essential
continuity of purpose across the
to the ARRC’s success in across all three
headquarters could be extremely
of its roles. An outline of the concept is
beneficial. The composition of the IMIB
laid out in Figure 1. 1
would have to be carefully managed so
that each relevant ARRC Branch is able
The ARRC already has in place
to provide appropriate representation at
structures that may be adapted to
1 UK Force Troops Command
ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
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