Edward Rothstein compares the global terrorist networks with the Internet (using clever allusions to Sherlock Holmes), that was designed to withstand (nuclear) attacks against any of its nodes. He argues that such a decentralized, multiply connected network of loosely coupled agents would be hardly affected by traditional bombing raids.
David Ronfeldt and John Arquilla explain their theory of "Netwar" -- the idea that future combatants will use use network forms of organization, doctrine, strategy, and technology attuned to the information age. They close with an examination of how Netwar theory can help policymakers in responding to the al Qaeda terrorist network.
An interesting comparison between Bin Laden's terrorist network and the peer-to-peer Napster network. The author considers the parallels between the tactics used to shut down Napster and potential strategies against terrorist networks.
A fascinating and accessible analysis of the new kind of war that the September 11th terrorist attack portends. The author argues that future adversaries will organize themselves into 'distributed networks' that will require a different method of attack and defense. "It takes a tank to fight a tank. It takes a network to fight a network."
A fascinating and accessible analysis of the new kind of war that the September 11th terrorist attack portends. The author argues that future adversaries will organize themselves into 'distributed networks' that will require a different method of attack and defense.
The U.S. military is counting on the information superhighway in its march toward continued battlefield supremacy. As outlined in two recent studies describing future force goals, network-centric warfare is at the core of plans to ensure that military domination is maintained. The aim is for information to be the primary tool enabling U.S. forces to respond to and overcome any military challenge in any arena worldwide.
Just as information system users are becoming accustomed to the concept of cyberwar, a new form of information conflict is emerging that rests on a completely different set of principles. Popularly known as netwar, it is based on a strategy of accessing a network, not to destroy it but to maintain and operate it as a tool to gather support and maintain communications.