Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 5, Number 1, Spring / Summer 2020 | Page 21

The Case for the Sixth Domain of War: Psychological Warfare in the Age of Advanced Technology
from war in the cyber domain is our ever-increasing
dependence on the electromagnetic
spectrum (EMS), which
is the foundation upon which entrance
into the virtual space and the storage of
information is possible (Schreier 2015).
It is the targeting and exploitation of
this underlying technological infrastructure
that makes the cyber domain
distinct from the other domains. The
modern world has become so reliant
upon cyberspace for all aspects of life
that the loss of the ability to operate in
cyberspace is potentially crippling in all
domains. Indeed, cyberspace enables
faster and more efficient transmission
of information within and across all of
the other domains. Networks, information
technology (IT) systems, and computer
databases enable national leadership
and the military to create a higher
level of shared situational awareness, to
better synchronize command, control,
and intelligence, and to translate information
superiority into combat power
(Schreier 2015). All types of national-level
operations are increasingly reliant
on the use of data and information,
and virtual transmission through cyberspace
allows its ingestion and analysis,
sometimes almost instantaneously.
Therefore, we believe that the
definition of “cyberspace” offered by
the DoD needs to be expanded. While
it does correctly state that cyberspace
is a part of the broader information environment,
its second mistake is that
it does not recognize its role as a force
multiplier that enhances the effectiveness
of the information environment
as a whole. For this reason, we offer the
following to accurately reflect the true
nature of the role of cyberspace:
A global domain that operates
within, and as an enabler of,
the information environment
through the use of the information
technology infrastructures and
resident data, including the internet,
telecommunications networks,
computer systems, and
embedded processors and
controllers.
As a result of cyberspace’s role
in enhancing the effectiveness of the
information environment, subsequent
cyber-enabled delivery methods of information
will continue to evolve. This
means effects for psychological operations
will require their own domain
and the definition of cyberspace will
not need to include human-related
tools and effects. This is precisely where
the cyber domain ends, and where the
psychological domain begins. Because
while the distinguishing feature of war
in the cyber domain is its targeting of
the structures that enable cyberspace
to function, war in the cyber domain
does not include the influence operations
that seek to, for example, spread
disinformation and propaganda or hurt
adversaries by leaking damaging information
about them (Greenberg 2019).
Where the Psychological
Domain Begins
The human dimensions of information
have always existed within
the information environment.
Often called by another name, “psychological
operations” (or PSYOPS) have
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