The role of war games in knowledge of the principles of combating disinformation

 

“Disinformation and the manipulation of information have always existed, in the military as well as in the civilian world. But the context, the tools available, the conditions of this transformation and the major players have singularly evolved to the point of overturning the rules and increasing immeasurably the risks and threats that the manipulation of information poses to We. Taking into account these developments, it is now accepted that the information field is a sixth environment, a space in which information of all kinds and the numerous actors concerned evolve freely, whether they are transmitters or targets of this information used as a means or as a weapon.[1]»

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In July 2023, the British Ministry of Defense released the influential wargaming handbook on its site. This manual for the British armed forces seeks to explain "how wargaming can be used to explore influence." It also examines how influence effects could be better represented in games. » Similar work is being carried out in continental Europe to enable the integration of influence into war games in order to understand its workings and protect against its effects.

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This second edition of the cyber wargaming seminar aims to present the role of war games in understanding the principles of combating disinformation. It will consist of two stages: a presentation of the mechanisms necessary for war games to represent the effects of influence and a presentation of war games dedicated to influence to all ECW participants.

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• 1st part: presentation of the mechanisms necessary for war games to represent the effects of influence

The theoretical framework of influence mechanisms will be presented in order to understand the contributions of war games to their understanding. The speakers will present the contributions of war gaming in the management and fight against disinformation.

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• 2nd part: presentation of war games dedicated to influence Several demonstration spaces will be open to the public

This 2nd part will experiment with the points covered during the seminar on cognitive threats in cyber space (November 19) through a serious game (although it is not obligatory to have attended). This will involve understanding how the war game dedicated to influence can be relevant to understanding the disinformation actions carried out to influence and modify the behavior of target audiences. Because “Human behaviour is a central concern of much Defence and security activity, andoperational success frequently depends upon influencing the attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of different audiences. Adequately representing and exploring the impact of behavioural interventions on conflict and security outcomes is challenging however, because precise causal mechanisms are elusive, and informational and non-kinetic activities embody significant uncertainty in their impact and effectiveness.[2]»

 

[1] Girard Loïc, "Désinformation et manipulation, quelles réponses françaises dans le champ informationnel ? ", cahiers de la Revue de la Défense nationale, 2020, chocs stratégiques, Regards du CHEM (69e session), p. 171-186.

[2] Joad Nick, Influence wargaming handbook, Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre, UK MOD, July 2023.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6494481b9e7a8b00139329d8/Influence_Wargaming_Handbook_web.pdf