The Information technology and the cyber threat in the irregular war of the 21st century

Abstract

The   so   called   Fourth   GenerationWarfare   also   identified   as   AsymmetricIrregular Conflict, characteristic of IrregularWarfare (IW), is living an effective processof   evolvement,   in   which   InformationTechnology  (IT)  is  a  relevant  factor.  In  itsmost  modern  concept,  doctrinally,  amongdifferent  kind  of  operations  and  activities,IW comprises Information Operations (IO). IO have five great competences: ComputerNetwork   Operations   (CNO);   EletronicWarfare  (EW);  Military  Deception  (MD);Operations   Security   (OPSEC);   andPsychological   Operations   (PSYOP).Currently,   different   kind   of   non   staterevolutionary  organizations  are  employingIT in Fourth Generation Warfare, extractingfrom   it   maximum   of   advantage.   Theserevolutionary  movements  are  identified  asSecond Generation Insurgencies, in order tobe differentiated from those of the Cold WarPeriod.   Particularly,   Cyber   PsychologicalOperations (CYOP) are being optimized bydifferent  irregular  forces.  Unquestionably,USA is  the  Nation  State  where  IT  is  mostdeveloped.   The   evolution   known   asRevolution   of   Military   Affairs   (RMA),materialized  in  the  First  Persian  Gulf War,nowadays,  gives  place  to  the  concept  ofNetwork Centric Warfare (NCW). However,NCW implies more than just incorporating latest  technologies;  it  also  addresses  howmissions  are  accomplished,  how  units  arecombat  organized,  how  they  relate  to  oneanother,  and  how  they  are  efficiently  andeffectively supported. In the context of theIW   improvement   in   the   21st   Century,focusing IT, the concepts of   Cyber Warfare(CW) and Information Security (IS) standsout.  These  concepts  are  based  upon  theoffensive   and   defensive   employment   ofinformation  and  systems  of  information  todeny, exploit, corrupt or destroy adversary’svalues  based  upon  information,  systems  ofinformation and computer networks.In   Brazil,   consideringtheimprovement of its political strategic height,it’s more and more evident that CW and ISactivities are a relevant portion on defendingthe  vital  interests  of  the  Brazilian Nation State.