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http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/parameters/98spring/thomas.htm
The Mind Has No Firewall
TIMOTHY L. THOMAS
>From Parameters, Spring 1998, pp. 84-92.
"It is completely clear that the state which is first
to create such weapons will achieve incomparable
superiority."
-- Major I. Chernishev, Russian army[1]
The human body, much like a computer, contains myriad data processors. They
include, but are not limited to, the chemical-electrical activity of the
brain, heart, and peripheral nervous system, the signals sent from the
cortex region of the brain to other parts of our body, the tiny hair cells
in the inner ear that process auditory signals, and the light-sensitive
retina and cornea of the eye that process visual activity.[2] We are on the
threshold of an era in which these data processors of the human body may be
manipulated or debilitated. Examples of unplanned attacks on the body's
data-processing capability are well-documented. Strobe lights have been
known to cause epileptic seizures. Not long ago in Japan, children watching
television cartoons were subjected to pulsating lights that caused seizures
in some and made others very sick.
Defending friendly and targeting adversary data-processing capabilities of
the body appears to be an area of weakness in the US approach to
information warfare theory, a theory oriented heavily toward systems
data-processing and designed to attain information dominance on the
battlefield. Or so it would appear from information in the open,
unclassified press. This US shortcoming may be a serious one, since the
capabilities to alter the data- processing systems of the body already
exist. A recent edition of U.S. News and World Report highlighted several
of these "wonder weapons" (acoustics, microwaves, lasers) and noted that
scientists are "searching the electromagnetic and sonic spectrums for
wavelengths that can affect human behavior."[3] A recent Russian military
article offered a slightly different slant to the problem, declaring that
"humanity stands on the brink of a psychotronic war" with the mind and body
as the focus. That article discussed Russian and international attempts to
control the psycho-physical condition of man and his decisionmaking
processes by the use of VHF-generators, "noiseless cassettes," and other
technologies.
An entirely new arsenal of weapons, based on devices designed to introduce
subliminal messages or to alter the body's psychological and
data-processing capabilities, might be used to incapacitate individuals.
These weapons aim to control or alter the psyche, or to attack the various
sensory and data-processing systems of the human organism. In both cases,
the goal is to confuse or destroy the signals that normally keep the body
in equilibrium.
This article examines energy-based weapons, psychotronic weapons, and other
developments designed to alter the ability of the human body to process
stimuli. One consequence of this assessment is that the way we commonly use
the term "information warfare" falls short when the individual soldier, not
his equipment, becomes the target of attack.
Information Warfare Theory and the Data-Processing Element of Humans
In the United States the common conception of information warfare focuses
primarily on the capabilities of hardware systems such as computers,
satellites, and military equipment which process data in its various forms.
According to Department of Defense Directive S-3600.1 of 9 December 1996,
information warfare is defined as "an information operation conducted
during time of crisis or conflict to achieve or promote specific objectives
over a specific adversary or adversaries." An information operation is
defined in the same directive as "actions taken to affect adversary
information and information systems while defending one's own information
and information systems." These "information systems" lie at the heart of
the modernization effort of the US armed forces and other countries, and
manifest themselves as hardware, software, communications capabilities, and
highly trained individuals. Recently, the US Army conducted a mock battle
that tested these systems under simulated combat conditions.
US Army Field Manual 101-5-1, Operational Terms and Graphics (released 30
September 1997), defines information warfare as "actions taken to achieve
information superiority by affecting a hostile's information, information
based-processes, and information systems, while defending one's own
information, information processes, and information systems." The same
manual defines information operations as a "continuous military operation
within the military information environment that enables, enhances, and
protects friendly forces' ability to collect, process, and act on
information to achieve an advantage across the full range of military
operations. [Information operations include] interacting with the Global
Information Environment . . . and exploiting or denying an adversary's
information and decision capabilities."[4]
This "systems" approach to the study of information warfare emphasizes the
use of data, referred to as information, to penetrate an adversary's
physical defenses that protect data (information) in order to obtain
operational or strategic advantage. It has tended to ignore the role of the
human body as an information- or data-processor in this quest for dominance
except in those cases where an individual's logic or rational thought may
be upset via disinformation or deception. As a consequence little attention
is directed toward protecting the mind and body with a firewall as we have
done with hardware systems. Nor have any techniques for doing so been
prescribed. Yet the body is capable not only of being deceived,
manipulated, or misinformed but also shut down or destroyed--just as any
other data-processing system. The "data" the body receives from external
sources--such as electromagnetic, vortex, or acoustic energy waves--or
creates through its own electrical or chemical stimuli can be manipulated
or changed just as the data (information) in any hardware system can be
altered.
The only body-related information warfare element considered by the United
States is psychological operations (PSYOP). In Joint Publication 3-13.1,
for example, PSYOP is listed as one of the elements of command and control
warfare. The publication notes that "the ultimate target of [information
warfare] is the information dependent process, whether human or automated .
. . . Command and control warfare (C2W) is an application of information
warfare in military operations. . . . C2W is the integrated use of PSYOP,
military deception, operations security, electronic warfare and physical
destruction."[5]
One source defines information as a "nonaccidental signal used as an input
to a computer or communications system."[6] The human body is a complex
communication system constantly receiving nonaccidental and accidental
signal inputs, both external and internal. If the ultimate target of
information warfare is the information-dependent process, "whether human or
automated," then the definition in the joint publication implies that human
data-processing of internal and external signals can clearly be considered
an aspect of information warfare. Foreign researchers have noted the link
between humans as data processors and the conduct of information warfare.
While some study only the PSYOP link, others go beyond it. As an example of
the former, one recent Russian article described offensive information
warfare as designed to "use the Internet channels for the purpose of
organizing PSYOP as well as for `early political warning' of threats to
American interests."[7] The author's assertion was based on the fact that
"all mass media are used for PSYOP . . . [and] today this must include the
Internet." The author asserted that the Pentagon wanted to use the Internet
to "reinforce psychological influences" during special operations conducted
outside of US borders to enlist sympathizers, who would accomplish many of
the tasks previously entrusted to special units of the US armed forces.
Others, however, look beyond simple PSYOP ties to consider other aspects of
the body's data-processing capability. One of the principal open source
researchers on the relationship of information warfare to the body's
data-processing capability is Russian Dr. Victor Solntsev of the Baumann
Technical Institute in Moscow. Solntsev is a young, well-intentioned
researcher striving to point out to the world the potential dangers of the
computer operator interface. Supported by a network of institutes and
academies, Solntsev has produced some interesting concepts.[8] He insists
that man must be viewed as an open system instead of simply as an organism
or closed system. As an open system, man communicates with his environment
through information flows and communications media. One's physical
environment, whether through electromagnetic, gravitational, acoustic, or
other effects, can cause a change in the psycho-physiological condition of
an organism, in Solntsev's opinion. Change of this sort could directly
affect the mental state and consciousness of a computer operator. This
would not be electronic war or information warfare in the traditional
sense, but rather in a nontraditional and non-US sense. It might encompass,
for example, a computer modified to become a weapon by using its energy
output to emit acoustics that debilitate the operator. It also might
encompass, as indicated below, futuristic weapons aimed against man's "open
system."
Solntsev also examined the problem of "information noise," which creates a
dense shield between a person and external reality. This noise may manifest
itself in the form of signals, messages, images, or other items of
information. The main target of this noise would be the consciousness of a
person or a group of people. Behavior modification could be one objective
of information noise; another could be to upset an individual's mental
capacity to such an extent as to prevent reaction to any stimulus. Solntsev
concludes that all levels of a person's psyche (subconscious, conscious,
and "superconscious") are potential targets for destabilization.
According to Solntsev, one computer virus capable of affecting a person's
psyche is Russian Virus 666. It manifests itself in every 25th frame of a
visual display, where it produces a combination of colors that allegedly
put computer operators into a trance. The subconscious perception of the
new pattern eventually results in arrhythmia of the heart. Other Russian
computer specialists, not just Solntsev, talk openly about this "25th frame
effect" and its ability to subtly manage a computer user's perceptions. The
purpose of this technique is to inject a thought into the viewer's
subconscious. It may remind some of the subliminal advertising controversy
in the United States in the late 1950s.
US Views on "Wonder Weapons": Altering the Data-Processing Ability of the
Body
What technologies have been examined by the United States that possess the
potential to disrupt the data-processing capabilities of the human
organism? The 7 July 1997 issue of U.S. News and World Report described
several of them designed, among other things, to vibrate the insides of
humans, stun or nauseate them, put them to sleep, heat them up, or knock
them down with a shock wave.[9] The technologies include dazzling lasers
that can force the pupils to close; acoustic or sonic frequencies that
cause the hair cells in the inner ear to vibrate and cause motion sickness,
vertigo, and nausea, or frequencies that resonate the internal organs
causing pain and spasms; and shock waves with the potential to knock down
humans or airplanes and which can be mixed with pepper spray or
chemicals.[10]
With modification, these technological applications can have many uses.
Acoustic weapons, for example, could be adapted for use as acoustic rifles
or as acoustic fields that, once established, might protect facilities,
assist in hostage rescues, control riots, or clear paths for convoys. These
waves, which can penetrate buildings, offer a host of opportunities for
military and law enforcement officials. Microwave weapons, by stimulating
the peripheral nervous system, can heat up the body, induce epileptic-like
seizures, or cause cardiac arrest. Low-frequency radiation affects the
electrical activity of the brain and can cause flu-like symptoms and
nausea. Other projects sought to induce or prevent sleep, or to affect the
signal from the motor cortex portion of the brain, overriding voluntary
muscle movements. The latter are referred to as pulse wave weapons, and the
Russian government has reportedly bought over 100,000 copies of the "Black
Widow" version of them.[11]
However, this view of "wonder weapons" was contested by someone who should
understand them. Brigadier General Larry Dodgen, Deputy Assistant to the
Secretary of Defense for Policy and Missions, wrote a letter to the editor
about the "numerous inaccuracies" in the U.S. News and World Report article
that "misrepresent the Department of Defense's views."[12] Dodgen's primary
complaint seemed to have been that the magazine misrepresented the use of
these technologies and their value to the armed forces. He also underscored
the US intent to work within the scope of any international treaty
concerning their application, as well as plans to abandon (or at least
redesign) any weapon for which countermeasures are known. One is left with
the feeling, however, that research in this area is intense. A concern not
mentioned by Dodgen is that other countries or non-state actors may not be
bound by the same constraints. It is hard to imagine someone with a greater
desire than terrorists to get their hands on these technologies.
"Psycho-terrorism" could be the next buzzword.
Russian Views on "Psychotronic War"
The term "psycho-terrorism" was coined by Russian writer N. Anisimov of the
Moscow Anti-Psychotronic Center. According to Anisimov, psychotronic
weapons are those that act to "take away a part of the information which is
stored in a man's brain. It is sent to a computer, which reworks it to the
level needed for those who need to control the man, and the modified
information is then reinserted into the brain." These weapons are used
against the mind to induce hallucinations, sickness, mutations in human
cells, "zombification," or even death. Included in the arsenal are VHF
generators, X-rays, ultrasound, and radio waves. Russian army Major I.
Chernishev, writing in the military journal Orienteer in February 1997,
asserted that "psy" weapons are under development all over the globe.
Specific types of weapons noted by Chernishev (not all of which have
prototypes) were:
-- A psychotronic generator, which produces a powerful electromagnetic
emanation capable of being sent through telephone lines, TV, radio
networks, supply pipes, and incandescent lamps.
-- An autonomous generator, a device that operates in the 10-150 Hertz
band, which at the 10-20 Hertz band forms an infrasonic oscillation that is
destructive to all living creatures.
-- A nervous system generator, designed to paralyze the central nervous
systems of insects, which could have the same applicability to humans.
-- Ultrasound emanations, which one institute claims to have developed.
Devices using ultrasound emanations are supposedly capable of carrying out
bloodless internal operations without leaving a mark on the skin. They can
also, according to Chernishev, be used to kill.
-- Noiseless cassettes. Chernishev claims that the Japanese have developed
the ability to place infra-low frequency voice patterns over music,
patterns that are detected by the subconscious. Russians claim to be using
similar "bombardments" with computer programming to treat alcoholism or
smoking.
-- The 25th-frame effect, alluded to above, a technique wherein each 25th
frame of a movie reel or film footage contains a message that is picked up
by the subconscious. This technique, if it works, could possibly be used to
curb smoking and alcoholism, but it has wider, more sinister applications
if used on a TV audience or a computer operator.
-- Psychotropics, defined as medical preparations used to induce a trance,
euphoria, or depression. Referred to as "slow-acting mines," they could be
slipped into the food of a politician or into the water supply of an entire
city. Symptoms include headaches, noises, voices or commands in the brain,
dizziness, pain in the abdominal cavities, cardiac arrhythmia, or even the
destruction of the cardiovascular system.
There is confirmation from US researchers that this type of study is going
on. Dr. Janet Morris, coauthor of The Warrior's Edge, reportedly went to
the Moscow Institute of Psychocorrelations in 1991. There she was shown a
technique pioneered by the Russian Department of Psycho-Correction at
Moscow Medical Academy in which researchers electronically analyze the
human mind in order to influence it. They input subliminal command
messages, using key words transmitted in "white noise" or music. Using an
infra-sound, very low frequency transmission, the acoustic
psycho-correction message is transmitted via bone conduction.[13]
In summary, Chernishev noted that some of the militarily significant
aspects of the "psy" weaponry deserve closer research, including the
following nontraditional methods for disrupting the psyche of an
individual:
-- ESP research: determining the properties and condition of objects
without ever making contact with them and "reading" peoples' thoughts
-- Clairvoyance research: observing objects that are located just beyond
the world of the visible--used for intelligence purposes
-- Telepathy research: transmitting thoughts over a distance--used for
covert operations
-- Telekinesis research: actions involving the manipulation of physical
objects using thought power, causing them to move or break apart--used
against command and control systems, or to disrupt the functioning of
weapons of mass destruction
-- Psychokinesis research: interfering with the thoughts of individuals, on
either the strategic or tactical level
While many US scientists undoubtedly question this research, it receives
strong support in Moscow. The point to underscore is that individuals in
Russia (and other countries as well) believe these means can be used to
attack or steal from the data-processing unit of the human body.
Solntsev's research, mentioned above, differs slightly from that of
Chernishev. For example, Solntsev is more interested in hardware
capabilities, specifically the study of the information-energy source
associated with the computer-operator interface. He stresses that if these
energy sources can be captured and integrated into the modern computer, the
result will be a network worth more than "a simple sum of its components."
Other researchers are studying high-frequency generators (those designed to
stun the psyche with high frequency waves such as electromagnetic,
acoustic, and gravitational); the manipulation or reconstruction of
someone's thinking through planned measures such as reflexive control
processes; the use of psychotronics, parapsychology, bioenergy, bio fields,
and psychoenergy;[14] and unspecified "special operations" or anti-ESP
training.
The last item is of particular interest. According to a Russian TV
broadcast, the strategic rocket forces have begun anti-ESP training to
ensure that no outside force can take over command and control functions of
the force. That is, they are trying to construct a firewall around the
heads of the operators.
Conclusions
At the end of July 1997, planners for Joint Warrior Interoperability
Demonstration '97 "focused on technologies that enhance real-time
collaborative planning in a multinational task force of the type used in
Bosnia and in Operation Desert Storm. The JWID '97 network, called the
Coalition Wide-Area Network (CWAN), is the first military network that
allows allied nations to participate as full and equal partners."[15] The
demonstration in effect was a trade fair for private companies to
demonstrate their goods; defense ministries got to decide where and how to
spend their money wiser, in many cases without incurring the cost of
prototypes. It is a good example of doing business better with less.
Technologies demonstrated included:[16]
-- Soldiers using laptop computers to drag cross-hairs over maps to call in
airstrikes
-- Soldiers carrying beepers and mobile phones rather than guns
-- Generals tracking movements of every unit, counting the precise number
of shells fired around the globe, and inspecting real-time damage inflicted
on an enemy, all with multicolored graphics[17]
Every account of this exercise emphasized the ability of systems to process
data and provide information feedback via the power invested in their
microprocessors. The ability to affect or defend the data-processing
capability of the human operators of these systems was never mentioned
during the exercise; it has received only slight attention during countless
exercises over the past several years. The time has come to ask why we
appear to be ignoring the operators of our systems. Clearly the information
operator, exposed before a vast array of potentially immobilizing weapons,
is the weak spot in any nation's military assets. There are few
international agreements protecting the individual soldier, and these rely
on the good will of the combatants. Some nations, and terrorists of every
stripe, don't care about such agreements.
This article has used the term data-processing to demonstrate its
importance to ascertaining what so-called information warfare and
information operations are all about. Data-processing is the action this
nation and others need to protect. Information is nothing more than the
output of this activity. As a result, the emphasis on information-related
warfare terminology ("information dominance," "information carousel") that
has proliferated for a decade does not seem to fit the situation before us.
In some cases the battle to affect or protect data-processing elements pits
one mechanical system against another. In other cases, mechanical systems
may be confronted by the human organism, or vice versa, since humans can
usually shut down any mechanical system with the flip of a switch. In
reality, the game is about protecting or affecting signals, waves, and
impulses that can influence the data-processing elements of systems,
computers, or people. We are potentially the biggest victims of information
warfare, because we have neglected to protect ourselves.
Our obsession with a "system of systems," "information dominance," and
other such terminology is most likely a leading cause of our neglect of the
human factor in our theories of information warfare. It is time to change
our terminology and our conceptual paradigm. Our terminology is confusing
us and sending us in directions that deal primarily with the hardware,
software, and communications components of the data-processing spectrum. We
need to spend more time researching how to protect the humans in our data
management structures. Nothing in those structures can be sustained if our
operators have been debilitated by potential adversaries or terrorists
who--right now--may be designing the means to disrupt the human component
of our carefully constructed notion of a system of systems.
NOTES
1. I. Chernishev, "Can Rulers Make `Zombies' and Control the World?"
Orienteer, February 1997, pp. 58-62.
2. Douglas Pasternak, "Wonder Weapons," U.S. News and World Report, 7 July
1997, pp. 38-46.
3. Ibid., p. 38.
4. FM 101-5-1, Operational Terms and Graphics, 30 September 1997, p. 1-82.
5. Joint Pub 3-13.1, Joint Doctrine for Command and Control Warfare (C2W),
7 February 1996, p. v.
6. The American Heritage Dictionary (2d College Ed.; Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1982), p. 660, definition 4.
7. Denis Snezhnyy, "Cybernetic Battlefield & National Security,"
Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, No. 10, 15-21 March 1997, p. 2.
8. Victor I. Solntsev, "Information War and Some Aspects of a Computer
Operator's Defense," talk given at an Infowar Conference in Washington,
D.C., September 1996, sponsored by the National Computer Security
Association. Information in this section is based on notes from Dr.
Solntsev's talk.
9. Pasternak, p. 40.
10. Ibid., pp. 40-46.
11. Ibid.
12. Larry Dodgen, "Nonlethal Weapons," U.S. News and World Report, 4 August
1997, p. 5.
13. "Background on the Aviary," Nexus Magazine, downloaded from the
Internet on 13 July 1997 from www.execpc.com/vjentpr/nexusavi.html, p.7.
14. Aleksandr Cherkasov, "The Front Where Shots Aren't Fired," Orienteer,
May 1995, p. 45. This article was based on information in the foreign and
Russian press, according to the author, making it impossible to pinpoint
what his source was for this reference.
15. Bob Brewin, "DOD looks for IT `golden nuggets,'" Federal Computer Week,
28 July 1997, p. 31, as taken from the Earlybird Supplement, 4 August 1997,
p. B 17.
16. Oliver August, "Zap! Hard day at the office for NATO's laptop
warriors," The Times, 28 July 1997, as taken from the Earlybird Supplement,
4 August 1997, p. B 16.
17. Ibid.
Lieutenant Colonel Timothy L. Thomas (USA Ret.) is an analyst at the
Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Recently he has
written extensively on the Russian view of information operations and on
current Russian military-political issues. During his military career he
served in the 82d Airborne Division and was the Department Head of Soviet
Military-Political Affairs at the US Army's Russian Institute in Garmisch,
Germany.
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