In its 1996 report, the Defense Science Board (DSB) recommended that the Pentagon invest an additional $3 billion to strengthen defenses of its information networks. This report was viewed by some as unrealistic and prophetic by others, but in all cases it faced a readership with a very uneven appreciation of the effects of disruptive technology and discontinuous change. The defense establishment has increased its intellectual capital on the subject of Defensive Information Operations (DIO) considerably since 1996. However, it has yet to fully accommodate the realities of an information intensive future in its architecture, processes, and investments. Technology has continued to to evolve and the problems have become much more difficult and complex. DoD must now accomplish more than anyone could have imagined in 1996. Perhaps more important is the dawning realization that incremental modifications to our existing institutions and processes will not produce the adaption we need.
The reality seems compelling. At some future time, the United States will be attacked, not by hackers, but by a sophisticated adversary using an effective array of information warfare tools and techniques. Two choices are available: adapt before the attack or afterward. This report offers a realistic set of options to adapt before the attack.
