Australian Defence Force personnel have returned from a major multi-partner information warfighter exercise better prepared to plan and execute operations in the information environment.
Hosted by the US Marine Corps Information Operations Centre (MCIOC) in Virginia, it was attended by 120 participants from 12 partner nations.
Australian participation was led by Army’s 1st Intelligence Battalion, which has been participating in the activity for close to a decade.
MCIOC Deputy Operations Officer Jim McNeive said the exercise was designed to make participants think, while developing capabilities and interoperability at the ‘tactical edge’ of the information fight.
“Increasingly, battles are fought in and through the information environment by influencing decisions, behaviours and beliefs of key actors,” Mr McNeive said.
“The US Department of Defense and Marine Corps has recognised information as the 7th warfighting function, demanding a mechanism to train folks for deployment.
“Military professionals must consider how to influence, inform or deceive in support of operational objectives and be able to articulate concepts in ways that commanders can understand.”
The ADF contingent included Psychological Operations personnel from 6th Brigade, civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) planners from 2nd (Australian) Division and military public affairs specialists from Cyber Command’s 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit.
‘Judging by the large international representation this year, we can see our allies and partners are journeying down a similar path in terms of prioritising information in military planning.’
Planners and practitioners from the US Marine Corps, US Army, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, Singapore and Brazil also participated.
“Judging by the large international representation this year, we can see our allies and partners are journeying down a similar path in terms of prioritising information in military planning,” Mr McNeive said.
The 14th iteration of the exercise began with a two-day information exchange to align thinking and promote professional development, covering topics such as the will to fight, modern capabilities, and lessons from Ukraine and Gaza.
The exchange inspired creative thinking during the follow-on division-level wargame, and concurrent tactical planning activity executed in the field with role-player interactions, with two opposing teams planning information activities to achieve competitive advantage against a backdrop of escalating conflict.
It included social media amplification, key stakeholder engagement, strategic messaging, traditional and SMS broadcasting, special capabilities and tactical deception.
Australian Army CIMIC planner Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Leanne Kavanagh led a civil affairs detachment into a village at Camp Upshur as part of the red team’s plan, and encountered the opposing blue force seeking to do the same.
She said misinformation confused the battlespace, and teams soon gained a first-hand understanding of the military strategist principle ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’.
“In-scenario events stressed professional knowledge and quickly forced teams to adjust their concepts,” WO2 Kavanagh said.
“Adapting quickly matters in a rapid and contested information environment; it relies on a solid planning process and clear picture of the target audience, and the desired effect on that audience.
“It has been fantastic to see how well the multinational teams developed over the course of the exercise to solve the problem set, while laying foundations for future collaboration.”
