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An application of Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology to the development of a military information operations capability for the Australian Defence Force

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Abstract

There is widespread concern throughout many advanced nations concerning the potential for Information Operations to influence the outcome of Military Operations. This concern is shared by elements of the Australian Defence Force and Australian Australian government agencies. In order to ensure that any such potential does not adversely affect Australian interests, there is need to develop an Australian Military Information Operations capability. This document uses concepts from Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology to explore methods through which such a capability could be achieved.

Executive Summary

Military Information Operations focus on the decision-making aspects of warfare and operations other than war. There can be considered to be three aspects to such opera- tions: attack, defense and support. The objective of offensive operations of this kind is to diminish an adversary commander's ability to accurately direct his forces in a timely manner, and hence to reduce his warfighting effectiveness, ideally to such an extent that he is forced to capitulate. On the other hand, the objective of defensive operations is to protect the decision-making processes of friendly commanders from such attack. Support operations are common activities required for both attack and defense. There is widespread concern throughout many advanced nations concerning the po- tential for Information Operations to influence the outcome of Military Operations. This concern is shared by elements of the Australian Defence Force and other Australian gov- ernment agencies. In order to ensure that any such potential does not adversely affect Australian interests, there is a need to develop an Australian Military Information Oper- ations (MIO) capability. However, such a capability differs from conventional capabilities in that it is a property of an organisation as a whole, rather than one which can be attributed to individual elements of an organisation. Therefore, a holistic approach must be adopted towards its development and acquisition. Systems thinking, as embodied in the discipline of systems engineering, has served a vital role in the acquisition of conventional capabilities. It is therefore to be anticipated that it would also have an important role to play in developing and acquiring an MIO capability. A difficulty is that traditional systems engineering methodologies are not holistic. They assume that a unique system can be identified with functions that can be directly allocated to the subsystems and components of which that system is composed. They are consequently unsuitable for the purposes discussed here. Fortunately, soft system methodologies offer the possibility of adopting a more holistic approach, while remaining within the broader context of systems thinking. Of these, Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology appears to be the one that is most highly developed and generally accepted. Checkland's methodology can be applied at a highly abstract level to the study of the defence organisation, with a view to achieving an MIO capability. The object of such study is to identify and promote organisational change in directions which establish and enhance MIO capability, and, also, to provide a framework for eliciting and refining the requirements for technical means to support that capability. These requirements would subsequently be applied, within the scope of traditional systems engineering methodolo- gies, to the acquisition of appropriate technical support products. An application of the methodology to some recent relevant developments within HQAST is provided as an ex- ample.

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