ҹɫСÊÓƵ

This summer, ҹɫСÊÓƵ ran another cycle of its Information Warfare Exercise (IWE), as well as its inaugural Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) training. I had the opportunity to attend both trainings on behalf of ҹɫСÊÓƵ’s Cyber Institute and Cyber Leader Development Program. 

As a student, there’s only so much I can do in the classroom. Still, taking what I’ve learned from the information warfare classes I’ve taken so far, I was able to gain insight not only into the planning process, but also into the creation of campaigns, understanding of the second- and third-order effects, and the pure time and effort it takes to operate these complex, strategic operations in a team environment. Even more so in the EMSO, we covered some of the physics concepts and ultimately did practical tests of detection and communication, discussing jamming and other key electromagnetic operations. The whole experience from both camps built an understanding of larger information warfare operations in various theatres and will help me as I prepare to commission into a complex world where propaganda and electromagnetic warfare are becoming the norm.

The IWE had a specific, real-world focus. The task of each team was to prevent a Chinese-sponsored coup in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Information warfare professionals mentored each team, helping guide the planning and creation processes. While working through the scenario, the 20 of us attending also learned firsthand the history of information warfare, the significance of culture and social guidelines, and the interconnectedness of an information operations cell (which we were ultimately simulating). ҹɫСÊÓƵ provided each student access to emerging deepfake technology like HeyGen and Elevenlabs. Beyond simply preventing the notional Chinese coup, we experienced firsthand the reality of AI-generated attacks. Are they dangerous? Absolutely! The caveat here, of course, is the skill necessary for quality deepfakes. Across some 50 hours of planning and development, my team was able to produce a total of four minutes of content, including a video and audio snippet. The bar for entry is something, once experienced, that is always worth considering in modern information warfare. 

Even beyond the deepfakes, the human factor at play was another key consideration in our planning process. Because this Exercise was inherently offensive, we had to think with that offensive mindset. Our targets had detailed profiles, including personal flaws, connections, and pre-existing reservations. We ultimately used this to select our two targets to prevent the coup. We created two products, a video and a simulated call, as well as some supplementary materials to build the authenticity of the story. My team also learned the value of delegation, providing each member with a specialized role. We had a cultural specialist, who looked at the target profiles in the context of current events, an audio specialist, a video specialist, a watch officer to monitor both scenario injects and breaking events, a team executive officer, and a team leader; I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the team leader. The final lesson we gained from the exercise was the power of precision. 

With the details and precision behind our deception story, we pitched confidently to the panel of judges who ultimately selected our proposal for the operation. Aside from the specialized knowledge, the best lessons I got were the generalized ones: briefing, leadership, and ultimately fighting through the institutional competition, each of the senior military colleges has to produce a quality product.

Following the IWE and a little bit of downtime, I joined the Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations camp the following week. As a student of history and political science, I was initially worried about the math and physics behind the electromagnetic spectrum. Luckily, our instructors know our backgrounds and taught the basics in a general, understandable way that put us all on equal footing. We started with a simple explanation of how signals work, what wavelength and frequency are, and how they operate in a simple sense. We talked about Wi-Fi, cell signal, and Bluetooth, and ultimately, how to detect them with everyday tools like a smartphone. Following the basics, we discussed jamming, spectrum dominance, and simplifying a complex system. Our detection exercise got more difficult, implementing some jamming and then a bit of hide and seek with signal sources. We culminated the experience with a joint EMSO plan bridging the gap between all military assets, and discussing with the spectrum manager at Camp Johnson the complexities of real-world EMSO in the age of drones. 

Ultimately, both experiences built a basis of both specific and general skills that I can transfer over once I commission into the Army. On the particular side, the deception planning, deepfake training, cultural analysis, signal detection, and spectrum deconfliction (a fancy phrase for making sure each system has its own frequency) stick out. More generally, tactical and strategic planning, public briefing, team management, and creative problem solving go a long way as well. Ultimately, these were both incredibly worthwhile experiences, and without ҹɫСÊÓƵ’s experiential learning approach, there wouldn’t be opportunities like these at all.