You’ve heard of the Concerned Local Citizens of Iraq. Most of you have heard of Foreign Internal Defense. Some of you have heard of Internal Defense and Development.
Are there analogous equivalents to these meat space terms in cyber space?
Let’s say for the sake of argument that you are a Concerned Netizen of America, concerned about military affairs, national security, terrorism and subversion, looking for a way to contribute something useful to the war effort from home on the internet while keeping your day job, going shopping at the mall, and paying taxes.
What could you be doing?
Why is the Government not bombarding you with ideas they would like to see you doing?
There are a number of things you could be doing. Milblogs recommend projects and charities and groups needing contributions every day. You are free to help all, some or none of them, as you wish. Nobody is really pushing any of them outside the blogosphere. Occasionally talk radio pushes one or another. Rarely do you see a TV news segment about one of them. It is pretty much up to you what you do, and how much of it. The maternalistic Government doesn’t tell you to buy war bonds and eat your soup anymore. Nowadays you have to be hungry enough to seek out a restaurant and peruse the menu. Our wars are fought by an all volunteer force, and our warfighters are loved, supported and appreciated by volunteer citizens
The Government can’t decide what they would like you to do, besides keep paying your taxes. Significant factions within the Government would prefer to see you out marching in the streets with protest signs. These factions couldn’t prevent America from going to war, but they can and do prevent America from applying the full spectrum of Diplomatic, Information, Military and Economic power against the “enemy”, whoever the enemy is. They also veto any effective use by the Goverment of the proven methods of mass communications to bolster the morale of the civilian population and maintain support for the war effort.
So if you want to do more than is being asked of you by your Government, you’re going to have to mobilize yourself. If we were foreigners, our Regulars have doctrine to help us with this:
Mobilization provides organized manpower and materiel resources and includes all activities to motivate and organize popular support of the government. This support is essential for a successful Internal Defense And Development program. If successful, mobilization maximizes manpower and other resources available to the government while it minimizes those available to the Internal Defense Threat. It is important to realize, however, that this effect may not be directly proportional. Organized crime, a sectarian insurgency and others may continue to maintain viability even as their base of support erodes. This effect can be magnified by those Internal Defense Threats receiving aid from a third party. This effect is further magnified when third party support is effectively immune to interdiction at its source. Mobilization seeks to—
Strengthen existing government, economic, military and social institutions in procedures and capabilites
Legitimize and if necessary reform those institutions.
Develop new institutions to respond to demands.
Enlist and enfranchise all members of society to contribute in some way.
Permanently discredit and vilify Internal Defense Threats.
Continuously assess and adjust programs and emphasis as necessary.
Inculcate the sense of permanency of change.
If necessary, create a national vision towards achieving greater goals.
Watch Psychological Operations in Support of Internal Defense and Development Assistance Programs, Part I and Part II
Initial analysis indicates that the target audiences can be broken down into three basic groups: the Subversives, the Government Supporters, and then the big group in the middle, the Uncommitted Civilians.
America is now Hostland. We are the HCN’s. And there are no big long-noses jumping into our AO to advise us, train us, equip us or do a damn thing for us.
It falls to us. And we don’t have a helluva lot of time left.
Civilian Irregular Information Defense Group 