War – Information Age Style

The United States, as well as many other nations, possess nuclear weapons. One nuclear bomb can destroy an entire city. But, will any respectable nation ever use one? "Conventional Warfare" still seems to be the method of choice for armies of established nation states. Air superiority has been key ever since WWII (airplanes were used in WWI, but were not very effective. The technology was too new to be fully understood and utilized). But, recent conflicts are showing that a new approach is needed. Superior air power has yet to produce a victorious outcome in Iraq and according to this article it is also failing in the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict. It is simply impossible to avoid killing civilians and only hit fighters. Guerilla armies cannot be beaten into submission by bombing peoples' homes. This only makes the civilians angry and makes them want to join the guerillas. This is where the information age comes in. The guerillas are winning the media war. They have even written manuals on how to do it. Information superiority is what will ultimately win the wars of the modern day.

Today's guerilla armies are networked. They use cell phones to communicate and detonate bombs. They use the Internet to spread their message and, sadly, show movies of their executions. They also know how to give the news media the kinds of stories that will get them on television. Do we see the common civilian in the Middle East turning against and dismantling the radical guerilla armies? No, just the opposite. The rules of engagement have changed. Traditional nation states are acting like large corporations. Both are operating in slow motion using rules that applied to the Industrial Age. Small armies, like small companies, and are organized using flatter, more nimble organizational structures and exploit information and communication technology.