Information Warfare Exercise

by Information Activities Cell

30 Cdo’s IA Cell, accompanied by staff from CTCRM’s IW course, took part in the USMC Marine Corps Information Operations Centre (MCIOC) led Information Warfare Exercise (IWX 25.1). The exercise ran from 27 October to 8 November and focused upon a warfighting scenario against a peer adversary. It involved two concurrent components; a wargaming serial and a tactical patrol lane serial, which was known as the Information Manoeuvre Exercise (IMEX) of IWX. Both the IMEX and the wargame were broken down into multinational teams of blue and red forces. The IMEX consisted of two teams who competed for influence of key decision makers in a Neutral Economic Zone (NEZ) during competition and provided support to manoeuvre forces during conflict. The wargaming serial consisted of two blue teams and two red teams, additionally one red and blue team contained SOF planners. Both pairs of red and blue teams operated against one another in the scenario, though the teams with SOF elements had the additional opportunity to utilise and integrate SOF capabilities to support conventional force objectives.

UKCF contributed seven and three personnel respectively, split across the wargame and IMEX, across the various red and blue teams. The IMEX’s planning phase provided experience to all involved in tactical Info Ops planning in a six nation HQ, with a variety of planning experience and methodologies, culminating in a Concept of Information Brief to the supported Battalion Commander. The IMEX transitioned to the tactical phase on the second week of IWX, with each team utilising loudspeakers, FABS, KLEs, EW, UAS and IO products to gain informational advantage over the adversary.

The wargaming serial provided an opportunity for personnel to develop their understanding of how Information Related Capabilities (IRCs e.g. offensive EW, Cyber, PsyOps) could be utilised to support manoeuvre at the LSG level and how to synchronise IRCs with physical manoeuvre to facilitate Deception Operations (DECOPs). CONOPs were briefed daily in ‘turns’ to an adjudication panel which comprised Senior USMC officers and SMEs and to the opposing team, who were able to provide rebuttals and stress test plans as appropriate.