How to win the information war

Seriously study the characteristics of information war, proceed from the reality of the requirements of information war for national defense construction, strengthen national defense construction, and prepare for winning information war. Information warfare and its characteristics Information warfare is the product of the information age and the inevitable product of the development of social productive forces to the information society. The war in the agricultural age, with information but without information technology. The transmission of information depends on natural communication and people's channels, and the command of the army depends on the signals transmitted by people and people. In the war in the agricultural era, information technologies such as telegraph, telephone and radar appeared, which can transmit information through electromagnetic waves, opening the way for large-space long-distance operations. But this is a mechanized war, not an information war. When missiles are used as information weapons in war, information warfare will sprout; When missile warfare is combined with electronic warfare, the power of information warfare has shocked the world military field; When the battlefield information infrastructure has been built, CI system has been established, information forces (digital forces) have been established, and digital programmed weapons such as viruses and hackers have been put on the stage and played an increasingly important role, information warfare has also been formed. In short, it is a war in which information technology and its materialized weapons and equipment are widely used to win by seizing information superiority and information control, which can be called information war. The basic characteristics of information warfare are: 1. Information technology is widely used in war, which is a technology to expand people's access, transmission, processing and utilization of information. Basically, it is sensor technology, communication technology and computer technology. At present, the sensing technology on the battlefield is very developed, mainly including various reconnaissance satellites, radars, reconnaissance planes, unmanned reconnaissance planes, bugs, ground sensors, maritime reconnaissance ships, sonar, night vision equipment and so on. It constitutes a three-dimensional omni-directional information remote sensing control system for outer space, air, ground, sea and underwater. In particular, the use of various reconnaissance satellites has made the battlefield unprecedentedly transparent. During the Gulf War, the US military used various reconnaissance satellites, such as electronic reconnaissance satellites, photographic reconnaissance satellites, geodesic satellites, meteorological satellites and early warning satellites. , and the information obtained accounts for about 90% of all information. Since 1980, communication technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. Communication satellite, optical fiber, data, image, fax communication and developing intelligent communication constitute a diversified and high-speed information transmission system in today's battlefield. The 90-day traffic before and after the Gulf War exceeded the 40-year traffic in Europe. During the peak period, there are more than 700,000 calls a day. Military satellites constitute the basic command and control means of the US military in the Gulf War. They not only play a major role in war zones and war zones, but also provide high-speed data processing systems for precision guided weapons. American defense satellite communications provide 75% of all inter-war communications, and navigation satellites also provide accurate navigation data together with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The acquisition and transmission of a large amount of information in the war caused the flood of information. In the vast amount of information, how to sort out, analyze and screen, discard the false and retain the true, make comprehensive inference and make decisions needs the help of computer's calculation, memory, retrieval, reasoning and some thinking functions. At present, the speed of the computer can complete the operation that takes a person several days, months or longer. Computer technology is developing towards intelligence and grid, which has played a great role in the war. During the Gulf War, the multinational forces dispatched more than 1 1000 sorties to fight in the airspace of the same Iraq-Kuwait battlefield from different airports, in different directions, at different altitudes and at different times. In addition, they must overcome the different language barriers of multinational forces and basically achieve a coordinated order. Among them, computer technology is an important reason. This also reflects one aspect of computer processing and using information. In terms of computer technology, virtual reality, confrontation simulation, etc., several schemes can be selected and compared to provide reference for commanding war (combat). 2. The combination of information and energy forms an information weapon system. Information weapons not only stay in the function of information acquisition, transmission and processing, but also extend to information attack and information defense, hard killing and soft killing weapons, mainly including information suppression, information attack and interception, and information interference. Such as radio suppression and anti-suppression, radar destruction and anti-destruction, computer virus confrontation, hacker interference and prevention, weapon precision guidance and anti-guidance. Some information technologies are weapons in themselves. Computers are not only command tools, but also weapons. The combination of information technology and energy forms the information weapon system. Including: various platforms of information warfare; Various informational projectiles, such as missiles and mines; Individual information weapons and equipment, such as information helmets, clothing, communication tools and weapons; Infrastructure of information network battlefield, such as various satellites and CISR systems; Digital programming weapons for computing network system operations, such as viruses and hackers. The above five aspects constitute the information weapons and equipment system. Compared with conventional weapons and equipment, information weapons and equipment cannot be equated. If a conventional aircraft is equipped with wings of information technology, the detection range of airborne radar is increased, the ability of long-range combat and precise guidance is enhanced, and the stealth coating is applied with night vision function, the combat energy of this aircraft will be improved geometrically. The combination of information and energy can not only make the combat platform obtain information in time, give full play to its effectiveness and give the missile a correct direction, but also make the missile automatically absorb information and hit the target. This goes beyond the function of the projectile itself, enhances the original function of the weapon and forms a new type of combat effectiveness. Therefore, the use of information weapon system is an important feature of information warfare. In a sense, only when information-based weapons are widely used in wars and become the dominant weapons that affect the outcome of wars, can the arrival of information-based wars be most effectively marked. The form and state of weapons and equipment used in war determine the form and state of war. It is precisely because a large number of mechanized weapons and equipment with high maneuverability are used in the war that it can also be called mechanized war. Only when information weapons and equipment are used in the war to dominate the process of the war can it be called information war. 3. Information Networked Battlefield The information networked battlefield is mainly composed of three systems: information acquisition, transmission, processing and utilization, which are connected into a network on the basis of a complete information infrastructure and work as a whole (not alone). Remote sensing reconnaissance system obtains information from source, transmits it to destination (such as computer processing center) through channel transmission system, and analyzes, judges and uses the obtained information. The result of information processing and utilization is to make decisions, make up your mind, what troops and weapons to use, what combat tasks to perform, what targets to attack or protect, and so on. This also requires a huge military action and weapon strike system to carry out combat tasks. Sometimes troops or information weapon systems can directly obtain information, and can directly attack enemy targets or resist enemy attacks according to pre-planned and general intentions without waiting for special action instructions. This is a great advantage of information sharing in information battlefield. The situation of attacking or protecting the target is obtained by the remote sensing reconnaissance system and fed back to the information processing center for evaluation. This is a process of obtaining, transmitting, processing and utilizing important information. Battlefield information network, in addition to the general network system of information acquisition, transmission, processing and utilization, also needs a guarantee supply system to ensure the normal and smooth work of the above network system. The security supply system mainly includes energy supply system, fault maintenance system, electronic warfare system, virus treatment system and personnel living supply system. Among them, electronic countermeasures and virus systems are both offensive and defensive, defending themselves and attacking the enemy. In this way, five systems form a battlefield information network. Namely: information acquisition system, transmission system, processing and utilization system, military action system and security supply system. The central link connecting the five systems is CI system (command, control, communication, computer and intelligence). With the perfect CI system, it constitutes a complete information network battlefield. 4. An unprecedented struggle for information control In a war, the information struggle between the enemy and ourselves began before the war and ran through the whole war. Even after the war, the information struggle continued. The information struggle in the war has been going on, from the outbreak of the war to the end of the war; In space, from front to back, the whole land, sea, air and space, as well as the electromagnetic fields and computer cyberspace of participating countries are competing. This kind of information struggle, with the need of strategy and the difference of battlefield situation in time and space, is everywhere, although there are also priorities. The so-called information control right is the dominance of controlling battlefield information. Only by mastering the dominance of battlefield information can we gain the initiative and freedom of battlefield action and use various information attacks and information defense means to defeat the enemy. This information control right is mainly manifested in three basic links, namely, information acquisition, information transmission, information processing and utilization. Only by obtaining information can we remain alert and clear-headed; Only when the information is transmitted smoothly can you command freely; Only by timely and correct information processing and utilization can we plan, gain time, organize forces, suppress, attack and destroy the enemy. Strictly speaking, the so-called information struggle is mainly the struggle on these three links. The information struggle in the three basic links can be summarized as five basic means: reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance, interference and anti-interference, destruction and anti-destruction, destruction and anti-destruction, control and anti-control. To win in the information struggle, we must create the material basis of the above five basic means and apply them skillfully and flexibly in practice. Whoever has an advantage in the above three basic links and five basic means will have the right to control information and win the war. These basic features can also be derived from a series of other features, such as the expansion of space, the shortening of the war process, the unprecedented transparency of the battlefield, long-range precision strikes, nonlinear operations, the integration of heaven and earth, cyberspace operations, and the high cost of war. Strengthening national defense construction under the background of information war. Taking the new guiding ideology of national defense strategy as the core, the Central Military Commission, proceeding from national interests, timely adjusted and improved our military's strategic policy. According to China's national conditions, we must adhere to and develop the guiding ideology of defense strategy, which is the core guiding ideology of China's information warfare. Under the condition of information war, this strategic policy of active defense has given it new connotation, and it is necessary to keep pace with the times, study new problems and characteristics, meet new challenges and establish new concepts. 1. Strictly obey political needs. Because the means of information warfare can have a great impact on the overall situation of war, war decision makers must accurately judge the nature, degree and direction of war threats from the height of national interests, and decide the degree of military response according to the needs of political and diplomatic struggles. Therefore, military action must be based on the purpose of the national political struggle, that is, to obey and serve the needs of the national political struggle, and to determine the military purpose, operational objectives, operational methods, guiding principles, etc. Information warfare, planning military actions within the scope permitted by the policy, carefully organizing, strictly controlling, winning the battle, and making a quick decision to make the enemy yield or give in, thus creating effective conditions for political settlement. 2. Carefully plan the overall situation of the war. The battlefield situation is changeable and the battlefield space is vast. All kinds of weapons and equipment are integrated and self-contained. At the same time, military warfare integrates political, economic and diplomatic means, and its operational support is complex and technical. Therefore, war decision makers must have superb command ability and exquisite strategic art to make a comprehensive and careful plan for information war. To carry out correct strategic guidance, we must first create a favorable operational environment, actively create fighter planes, carefully plan and form a favorable strategic situation in the use of war forces, the choice of operational means and the coordination of various modes of struggle, especially the use of terrain and climatic conditions, so as to win the winner of the war; Second, we should fully foresee all kinds of complicated situations, prepare for possible emergencies, respond calmly, actively seek and maintain strategic initiative, and achieve the purpose of flexibility; Third, we should take the initiative to grasp the progress of the war, pay attention to the planning of the war stage, be coherent, give the enemy continuous attacks, give the enemy no chance to breathe and fight back, and strive for a quick decision. We should pay attention to the comprehensive overall strength. Information warfare is not only the combination of combat energy of various services and arms, but also the great integration of various combat forces, various combat spaces, various combat modes and various fields of struggle, with the aim of concentrating and exerting the overall strength and comprehensive efficiency of the country to the maximum extent. To fight the information war well, we must master two outstanding characteristics and requirements. First, we should not only organize our own information warfare, but also deal with the enemy's information warfare technically, and pay more attention to giving full play to the technological advantages of the whole society, especially the information advantages, so as to form the overall comprehensive combat capability; Second, geographically, it is necessary to aggregate the overall advantages of the country in the main warring areas, form an overall joint force, build a five-dimensional battlefield system of land, sea, air, sky and electricity, and maximize the overall strength and information warfare. 4. Strengthen the preparation for information war. Information warfare has the advantages of sudden outbreak, short process, vast battlefield and system confrontation. There is little time and space for the two sides to change their posture and strength. At the beginning of the war, it is possible to enter the climax of strategic decisive battle. The victory or defeat of the war depends to a great extent on various preparations before the war. This is what is often said. In the information war, as long as we are good at actively preparing for war and creating a favorable strategic situation, we can win the high-tech information war. The content of information-based war preparation is very extensive. For our country, it is mainly political, economic, military and high-tech preparations. Second, under the premise of seeking to win the theoretical innovation of information warfare, we should vigorously cultivate new military talents. Strive to innovate and develop military theory, and provide more and more intellectual support and talent guarantee for completing military history; We should focus on the information-based army building, keep in mind the mission, forge ahead, and build a solid studio; It is necessary to focus on major practical problems, highlight pertinence, research and effectiveness, focus on solving key and difficult problems in military informatization construction, and produce effective and innovative results. 1. Improve the innovation mechanism of military theory, seize the favorable opportunity, and create a relaxed environment and mechanism. First, stimulate the innovative spirit of military theory, create a good atmosphere for everyone to love science and strive to be an expert in science and technology, and develop military theory with scientific theories, methods and knowledge; The second is to improve the conditions for military theoretical innovation, establish a combat laboratory by using virtual experiment technology, and combine computer reasoning with expert experience to provide new space and methods for military theoretical innovation; Third, create a relaxed environment for military art to contend, and cultivate military talents who dare to put forward new ideas, new concepts and new recruits; Fourth, establish and improve the single-key incentive mechanism to make all kinds of outstanding talents and valuable achievements stand out. Regardless of education, qualifications, age and position, talents with innovative achievements will be rewarded and reused. In this way, a new situation has been formed in which everyone is innovative, pays attention to innovation and dares to innovate. 2. The operational theory of actively controlling the cable to win, from a broader perspective, break through the traditional field, study new problems and theories, and seriously explore the ideas and methods of how our army can play its "strength guarantee, security guarantee, strategic support and important role" in the new century and new stage, so as to provide theoretical guidance for our army to effectively fulfill its new mission. 3. To expand the theoretical innovation achievements of our army, we must keep up with the new military trends in the world, focus on all kinds of major practical difficulties, highlight pertinence, foresight and effectiveness, strengthen theoretical innovation in winning the information war, study how to build the information army according to the development of information technology, and improve the national defense mobilization mechanism of the information war. So as to effectively produce theoretical results with practical guiding significance, and provide scientific ideological weapons for our officers and men to fulfill their new missions and control the information war. Third, based on the strategy of strengthening the army through science and technology. What kind of war, what kind of army. In the future information war, we must unswervingly implement the strategy of strengthening the army through science and technology and comprehensively improve the level of informationization, so as to seize the opportunity in the new military revolution. 1. Take information technology innovation as the driving force, aim at the forefront of world science and technology development, accelerate the pace of innovation with information technology as the main body, provide scientific and technological support for the modernization of our army, and promote the progress of mechanized weapons to information weapon systems. 2. To improve the information technology content of the army means to build the army by relying on information technology, focus on improving the information technology content of the army, give full play to the role of information, change old ideas, establish the core role of informatization in army building, arm the army with the achievements of the information revolution, and fully realize the combat capability of "seeing, spreading quickly, hitting accurately and hitting accurately". 3. The establishment of information equipment system is an equipment system based on information, supported by information technology and centered on C4ISRK. The future information war is the confrontation of the system, and whoever has defects in the equipment system will suffer. Our army must increase investment in information construction, build a platform for information development, control and make good use of information resources, and control the material flow with information flow, so that the developed weapons and equipment can develop in a more accurate, flexible, reliable and timely direction and respond to complex information wars at any time. 4. Strengthen information warfare training, strengthen information warfare personnel training, and improve the information quality of the troops. The main manifestations are as follows: first, they have a strong sense of information and a strong desire to obtain information, and they use various methods and means to collect information; Second, the level of informationization is relatively high, and they are familiar with the technical performance of the information weapons of the enemy and the enemy, and are skilled in using them; The third is to master the methods of processing information skillfully and correctly distinguish all kinds of information in the mixed information ocean. Fourth, realize the leap-forward development of weapons and equipment. There are two main ways: one is to develop new weapons, and the other is to upgrade old weapons with information technology to meet future operational requirements. We should go both ways, and we should go well. Five, to implement the talent strategic project as a guarantee. Talent is the key to control information warfare. New military talents need to have good comprehensive quality, compound knowledge structure and comprehensive ability. To this end, we should do the following: 1. We should establish the winning concept of new military talents, and the goal of implementing the talent strategy project is to build "five talent teams", specifically to train a large number of commanders, staff officers, scientists, technical innovation experts and non-commissioned officers with good comprehensive quality. Because information technology and knowledge have become important combat effectiveness, operations must rely on information talents to plan. 2. Establish the quality index requirements for new military talents. Information-based warfare has high requirements for future military talents. In my opinion, future military talents must have "excellent political and ideological quality, profound military theoretical quality, flexible strategic and ideological quality, advanced military technical quality, superb military command quality, profound insight, accurate prediction, decisive decision-making, flexible coordination, timely response and bold innovation." In short, we should use new scientific and technological achievements, scientific and technological means and advanced national successful experience to cultivate new high-quality talents. Follow the high-tech frontier, pursue persistently, dare to be the first, break away from convention, seize opportunities, meet new opportunities and find new methods. 3. Improve the training mode of new military talents. First, give full play to the channel role of colleges and universities. Take the road of opening up national education and cultivating new talents, and realize three changes: First, the investment in education has changed from extensive to intensive, and an intensive training mode with less input and more output and quality and efficiency as the core has emerged. Second, the training content has changed from single type to comprehensive type. The third is to realize the transformation of training methods from closed to open. Break the professional restrictions and college boundaries, realize the sharing of teaching strength and information resources, and cultivate specialized talents with the help of local universities and scientific research units. Second, we should give full play to the role of major exercise platforms. In the era without war, exercise is the best platform for assessing, testing and evaluating the quality of commanders. If you want to be comfortable in the ever-changing information war, you must sharpen, beat, cultivate, improve and grow in practice. Third, we should strive to explore diversified training channels. Author: Shi Yanfen, Communication Station of Hengshui Civil Defense Office.