SMA hosted a speaker session, presented by Mr. James Farwell (The Farwell Group), as a part of its SMA IIJO Speaker Series.
Mr. Farwell’s brief focused on strategic views of information warfare and the impact that it is having. He began by stating that communication strategy and information warfare are about shaping and changing behavior, as well as managing expectations, using language, action, images, or symbols to achieve a desired effect or end-state. There is no formula for information warfare, however, Mr. Farwell emphasized. He also cautioned the US government (USG) to not let definitions become diversions, as the process of defining terms is often counterproductive. He added that information has always been a feature of warfare; modern technology has just altered how we use it. Information warfare is more common in the operating environment today, however, it will only continue to become more common. In some cases, Mr. Farwell argued, kinetic operations will require priority. In others, information will. He used Ukraine and the 2006 Lebanon War as case studies.
Mr. Farwell then stated that information is important in understanding goals and strategies, and it determines success. In our highly connected world, the internet has transformed the use of communication, blurring boundaries between war and politics and elevating the importance of communication. Furthermore, in our highly connected world, where “every living room can be a battlespace,” information can play a role equal to or superior to kinetic action, Mr. Farwell argued. He stated that strategy requires understanding the power of networks and how to capitalize on them. A major challenge, however, is moving faster than the competition.
Next, Mr. Farwell highlighted that information is “central to the National Defense Strategy’s acknowledgement that we live in a complex global security environment characterized by long-term strategic competition between nations to influence global audiences.” He also stated that successful information warfare requires that you define what constitutes winning or the desired end-state. From that comes strategy, operations, tactics, and metrics. Clear definitions of the obstacles to success are also required, according to Mr. Farwell. He stressed that one must also understand the strategic realities and dynamics on the ground. He used Operation Vigilant Resolve in Fallujah, Iraq in April 2004 and Custer’s attack at Little Big Horn as examples of the disconnect between political leadership at home’s understanding of a situation and that of troops on the ground.
Mr. Farwell then emphasized that the US needs to know its enemy through target audience appreciation. Communication strategy requires dependable intelligence about what the enemy is doing and how it will react when its society faces changes that lead to catastrophe, according to Mr. Farwell. He added that the US must also understand both the potential for information operations and the liability for failure. He used President Lincoln’s approach to the Civil War, President Roosevelt’s approach to World War II, and Putin’s approach to Syria as examples.
To conclude, Mr. Farwell provided a series of quick recommendations. The US must 1) gain local stakeholder support; 2) ensure that its public affairs and information operations work cohesively; 3) inspire support by showing that it will win; 4) encourage local leaders to take the lead as it launches operations; 5) achieve information dominance; 6) deny the enemy opportunities to spread false propaganda; 7) develop a message that resonates with the local population and secure buy-in from local leaders; and 8) let the media tell the story, rather than the government.
To access Mr. Farwell’s book for free, please visit https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/InfoWarfare_Web_1.pdf.
James P. Farwell is an expert in information warfare, influence operations, and cyber policy and strategy, with a geo-topical expertise in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. He has advised the U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Strategic Command, Office of Undersecretary of Defense (Policy), Office of Undersecretary of Defense (Intelligence), and the U.S. Marine Corps on these topics. As a political consultant he was the executive director of John McCain’s Ad Council for his 2008 race for President, former Speaker Newt Gingrich as Speaker and as a candidate for President in 2012. In 2016 he advised Governor John Kasich as a member of his national security team. He has advised heads of state in elections in South Korea, Greece, and Bermuda.
An attorney, Farwell is Of Counsel to Elkins PLC in New Orleans specializing in cybersecurity and holds the advanced CIPP/US certification in cybersecurity. He writes regularly for journals and newspapers, including Parameters, Strategic Studies Quarterly, The National Interest, Survival, and other publications. He is the author of The Pakistan Cauldron (Washington: Potomac Books, 2011); Persuasion & Power (Washington: Georgetown U. Press, 2012); Communication Strategy (Tampa: Joint Special Operations University, 2015) (Co-author: Darby Arakelian); Revitalizing Cities (Lafayette: U. of Lafayette Louisiana, 2016); and The Architecture of Cybersecurity (co-authors V. Roddy, G. Elkins, Y. Chalker) (Lafayette: Sans Souci/U. of Lafayette Louisiana, 2017). His book, Information Warfare, is set for publication by the Marine Corps University Press. He has written an opera, The Fabulist, to be produced at the Charing Cross Theatre in London by Tony Award-winner Steven Levy, expected to open in late 2017 or early 2018; and a comedy, Legal Insanity, to be produced by Steven Levy in the United Kingdom in 2018. He is an associate fellow, Kings Centre for Strategic Communication, Department of War Studies, Kings College, U. of London; Visiting Scholar, Tulane School of Business; and a non-resident Senior fellow for the Middle East Institute.
This speaker session supported SMA’s Integrating Information in Joint Operations (IIJO) project. For additional speaker sessions and project publications, please visit the IIJO project page.
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