In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee over the summer, Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon was ramping up efforts to carry out and counter information warfare, to include the use of cyber warfare and influence operations.
Gen. Selva said the Defense Department “must continue to improve its ability to exploit cyberspace as a pathway for information operations to affect adversary perceptions, decisions, and actions in support of strategic ends.”
He added that one focus would be to counter and defeat propaganda put out by adversaries. His testimony came after the media reported that Russian information warfare was used successfully during the 2016 election.
Meanwhile, he said, China has also been using information warfare to downplay or ignore Beijing’s efforts to assert control over strategic trade routes and waterways like the South China Sea.
“As our fluency continues to mature, we are refining new operational and organizational constructs and advanced tools to outpace competitors,” he said, without elaborating.
