Good episode from the Cognitive Crucible featuring Mike Vickers.
During this episode, the Honorable Dr. Mike Vickers provides his thoughts on a wide range of strategic issues–all of which have connections with the information environment. Mike makes the case that America is like the cyclops in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Like the cyclops, the United States is being blinded and deceived by clever adversaries. Mike also discusses China, India, Estonian technology implementation, the authoritarian-democracy trade off, and international relations theory. He also gives a nuanced examination regarding “whole-of-nation” sloganeering. On one hand, Mike discourages simple phrases that might promote inadequate solutions; on the other, he does agree that we are at a point where we need to cohere around a national strategy and direct our instruments of power productively–including our citizenry.
#63 VICKERS ON IO AND THE CYCLOPS
As I wrote about in my most recent newsletter, there are a lot of hucksters out there when it comes to the information space. Just because you use the internet (too) doesn’t mean you understand how all of this stuff works. It’s great to hear an episode (like this one) where it is clear the guest completely gets it.
I especially enjoyed Mr. Vickers punctuating the fact that there is a difference between “cyber” and “information operations.” He correctly points out that many people – commanders especially (my thoughts, not his) – tend to lump these two things together.
And they are not the same.
Cyber is more tech-based.
Information operations are more people-based.
Sometimes it is good to “lump” things together, as we seem to be doing right now with the whole “information advantage” concept.
Sometimes it is better to “split” things apart.
On this topic (cyber/IO), we should be splitting, because the expertise required to do either is vastly different.
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Carrying the Gun 