When any discussion gravitates to conducting Information Operations (IO), it invariably ends with the comment that “we haven't seen it do anything of value”. This criticism, although often well founded, generally originates from individual with little or no training in IO. Exposure does not equate to expertise.
Having said that, good intentions do not equate to expertise either. The current state of affairs in the IO community is disjointed. Who is responsible, what is their role, and more fundamentally, what, in fact, is IO?
The last question is paramount to any discussion. IO is not the five pillars/capabilities (as many would believe), but rather, is an effort to influence decision making. In this arena, we are sorely lacking in success. Our efforts have floundered because, DoD wide, there is no standard for conducting IO. This is readily evident within the manpower area as most services treat IO as an additional skill and not a core competency. Until that changes we will continue to see little of the fruits of our efforts.
It is time to codify IO, elevate it to a career path and fully implement its capabilities. We must understand that the five pillars are part of the means of IO and not IO. General Patreaus clearly understood this while at Ft. Leavenworth when he undertook the effort to refocus the Army's approach. While there maybe a great deal of disagreement on his approach, it should give one cause to stop and relook our past efforts. His conclusions are more in line with influencing the decision making process, and that is the ultimate goal of IO.
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