From: iw@all.net
Subject: IW Mailing List history/951203
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Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 08:35:03 -0500
From: Bill Livingston 

My own background is mostly in what is now termed C2-Protection,
specifically in the protection of the electronic systems for
communications and data management from disruption or spoofing, whether
caused by hostile agents or through the inadvertent actions of friendly
elements.  As such, the potential causes for disruption are of critical
interest.  A threat cannot be countered if it is not recognized. 

My own activities do not include those categories which are non-
electronic in nature.  I realize that these other categories do fit
under an umbrella term such as Information Warfare, but they are outside
of my previous experience.  Thinking about this subject (and knowing how
fields grow and merge) has sparked my interest in the more esoteric
(from my myopic point of view) forms of IW, as it may not be long b in
interest (and the amount of funding and the number of available graduate
students) since then, `physics' now covers a multitude of (related?)
areas of investigation.  It has become a class with many members -
atomic, low energy nuclear, low temperature, solid state (which has also
become a class unto itself), high energy nuclear, astro-, bio-, etc. 
Groups in each of these fields can talk to members of other groups as
long as the discussion does not become technical to the point where the
jargon of each field becomes involved.  Then the languages differ
(modern Babel). 

Although I do not have any specifics for IW, I believe that the course
of evolution may be somewhat similar to that of `physics'.  While
funding was small and communication difficult, there were probably
several different groups performing tasks which they considered IW (in
some sense).  There was no problem with the term because there was
little interaction between groups.  Now that the rapid development of
technology has changed that, and that increased funding may follow, some
way of containing a number of different disciplines in the one (funding)
container is necessary.  While each of the groups will wish to share in
the increased fiscal pie, they will each continue to do their own jobs
as previously defined until the broadening of technology perforates the
borders of the various areas.  These fields range from psychological
warfare through electronic warfare to something called hacker-war
(whatever that is). 

My own activities do not include those categories which are
non-electronic in nature.  I realize that these other categories do fit
under an umbrella term such as Information Warfare, but they are outside
of my previous experience.  Thinking about this subject (and knowing how
fields grow and merge) has sparked my interest in the more esoteric
(from my myopic point of view) forms of IW, as it may not be long before
these additional forms of IW have their manifestations in the electronic
arena.  Thus I may well meet them yet, and the more I understand about
them the better equipped I will be to contribute usefully. 
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