Strategic Communication For Influence Operations: Emerging Challenges for National Security Intelligence

Nation states shape their strategic environment to gain ascendancy over rivals with minimal human and material cost. The contemporary arena of communication has significantly enhanced the prospects of influence campaigns against selected targets for favourable responses. The pervasive information revolution has made identification, forewarning countering influence operations an uphill task for national security. Various instruments of strategic communication offer every actor an opportunity to manipulate information and mold the public opinion, accordingly. Influence campaigns thrive in an unabated accessibility environment, which infuses a tendency of reliance on personal judgments or peculiar narratives.Consequently, an official narrative becomes irrelevant, and a propensity for waning respect towards the institutions increases.The state's intelligence apparatus has to get out of conventional mode and realign itself for dealing with the impending challenges.