Relevant Definitions
Note: The terms below are from JP 1-02, the DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, as Amended through April 2010.
communicate — To use any means or method to convey information of any kind from one person or place to another.
communications intelligence — Technical information and intelligence derived from foreign communications by other than the intended recipients. Also called COMINT.
communications net — An organization of stations capable of direct communications on a common channel or frequency.
communications network — An organization of stations capable of intercommunications, but not necessarily on the same channel.
communications satellite — An orbiting vehicle, which relays signals between communications stations. There are two types: a. active communications satellite — A satellite that receives, regenerates, and retransmits signals between stations; b. passive communications satellite — A satellite which reflects communications signals between stations. Also called COMSAT.
communications security — The protection resulting from all measures designed to deny unauthorized persons information of value that might be derived from the possession and study of telecommunications, or to mislead unauthorized persons in their interpretation of the results of such possession and study. Also called COMSEC.
communications security equipment — Equipment designed to provide security to telecommunications by converting information to a form unintelligible to an unauthorized interceptor and by reconverting such information to its original form for authorized recipients, as well as equipment designed specifically to aid in (or as an essential element of) the conversion process. Communications security equipment is cryptoequipment, crypto ancillary equipment, cryptoproduction equipment, and authentication equipment.
communications security material — All documents, devices, equipment, or apparatus, including cryptomaterial, used in establishing or maintaining secure communications.
communications security monitoring — The act of listening to, copying, or recording transmissions of one’s own circuits (or when specially agreed, e.g., in allied exercises, those of friendly forces) to provide material for communications security analysis in order to determine the degree of security being provided to those transmissions. In particular, the purposes include providing a basis for advising commanders on the security risks resulting from their transmissions, improving the security of communications, and planning and conducting manipulative communications deception operations.
communications system — Communications networks and information services that enable joint and multinational warfighting capabilities. See also command and control.
communications zone — Rear part of a theater of war or theater of operations (behind but contiguous to the combat zone) which contains the lines of communications, establishments for supply and evacuation, and other agencies required for the immediate support and maintenance of the field forces. Also called COMMZ. See also combat zone; line of communications; theater of operations; theater of war.
community relations — 1. The relationship between military and civilian communities. 2. Those public affairs programs that address issues of interest to the general public, business, academia, veterans, Service organizations, military-related associations, and other non-news media entities. These programs are usually associated with the interaction between US military installations and their surrounding or nearby civilian communities. Interaction with overseas non-news media civilians in an operational area is handled by civil-military operations
deception — Those measures designed to mislead the enemy by manipulation, distortion, or falsification of evidence to induce the enemy to react in a manner prejudicial to the enemy’s interests.
deception action — A collection of related deception events that form a major component of a deception operation.
deception concept — The deception course of action forwarded to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for review as part of the combatant commander’s strategic concept.
deception course of action — A deception scheme developed during the estimate process in sufficient detail to permit decisionmaking. At a minimum, a deception course of action will identify the deception objective, the deception target, the desired perception, the deception story, and tentative deception means.
deception event — A deception means executed at a specific time and location in support of a deception operation.
deception means — Methods, resources, and techniques that can be used to convey information to the deception target. There are three categories of deception means: a. physical means. Activities and resources used to convey or deny selected information to a foreign power. b. technical means. Military material resources and their associated operating techniques used to convey or deny selected information to a foreign power. c. administrative means. Resources, methods, and techniques to convey or deny oral, pictorial, documentary, or other physical evidence to a foreign power.
deception objective — The desired result of a deception operation expressed in terms of what the adversary is to do or not to do at the critical time and/or location.
deception story — A scenario that outlines the friendly actions that will be portrayed to cause the deception target to adopt the desired perception.
foreign assistance — Assistance to foreign nations ranging from the sale of military equipment to donations of food and medical supplies to aid survivors of natural and man-made disasters. US foreign assistance takes three forms: development assistance, humanitarian assistance, and security assistance.
foreign disaster — An act of nature (such as a flood, drought, fire, hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption, or epidemic), or an act of man (such as a riot, violence, civil strife, explosion, fire, or epidemic), which is or threatens to be of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant United States foreign disaster relief to a foreign country, foreign persons, or to an intergovernmental organization.
foreign disaster relief — Prompt aid that can be used to alleviate the suffering of foreign disaster victims. Normally it includes humanitarian services and transportation; the provision of food, clothing, medicine, beds, and bedding; temporary shelter and housing; the furnishing of medical materiel and medical and technical personnel; and making repairs to essential services.
foreign humanitarian assistance — Department of Defense activities, normally in support of the United States Agency for International Development or Department of State, conducted outside the United States, its territories, and possessions to relieve or reduce human suffering, disease, hunger, or privation. Also called FHA.
humanitarian and civic assistance — Assistance to the local populace provided by predominantly US forces in conjunction with military operations and exercises. This assistance is specifically authorized by Title 10, United States Code, Section 401, and funded under separate authorities. Also called HCA.
humanitarian assistance — Programs conducted to relieve or reduce the results of natural or manmade disasters or other endemic conditions such as human pain, disease, hunger, or privation that might present a serious threat to life or that can result in great damage to or loss of property. Humanitarian assistance provided by US forces is limited in scope and duration. The assistance provided is designed to supplement or complement the efforts of the host nation civil authorities or agencies that may have the primary responsibility for providing humanitarian assistance. Also called HA.
humanitarian assistance coordination center — A temporary center established by a geographic combatant commander to assist with interagency coordination and planning. A humanitarian assistance coordination center operates during the early planning and coordination stages of foreign humanitarian assistance operations by providing the link between the geographic combatant commander and other United States Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and international and regional organizations at the strategic level. Also called HACC.
humanitarian demining assistance — The activities related to the furnishing of education, training, and technical assistance with respect to the detection and clearance of land mines and other explosive remnants of war.
humanitarian mine action — Activities that strive to reduce the social, economic, and environmental impact of land mines, unexploded ordnance and small arms ammunition – also characterized as explosive remnants of war.
humanitarian operations center — An international and interagency body that coordinates the overall relief strategy and unity of effort among all participants in a large foreign humanitarian assistance operation. It normally is established under the direction of the government of the affected country or the United Nations, or a US Government agency during a US unilateral operation. Because the humanitarian operations center operates at the national level, it will normally consist of senior representatives from the affected country, assisting countries, the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and other major organizations involved in the operation. Also called HOC.
human resources intelligence — The intelligence derived from the intelligence collection discipline that uses human beings as both sources and collectors, and where the human being is the primary collection instrument. Also called HUMINT.
information — 1. Facts, data, or instructions in any medium or form. 2. The meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in their representation.
information assurance — Measures that protect and defend information and information systems by ensuring their availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation. This includes providing for restoration of information systems by incorporating protection, detection, and reaction capabilities. Also called IA.
information-based processes — Processes that collect, analyze, and disseminate information using any medium or form. These processes may be stand-alone processes or sub-processes that, taken together, comprise a larger system or systems of processes.
information box — A space on an annotated overlay, mosaic, map, etc., which is used for identification, reference, and scale information.
information environment — The aggregate of individuals, organizations, and systems that collect, process, disseminate, or act on information.
information management — The function of managing an organization’s information resources by the handling of knowledge acquired by one or many different individuals and organizations in a way that optimizes access by all who have a share in that knowledge or a right to that knowledge.
information operations — The integrated employment of the core capabilities of electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception, and operations security, in concert with specified supporting and related capabilities, to influence, disrupt, corrupt or usurp adversarial human and automated decision making while protecting our own. Also called IO.
information report — Report used to forward raw information collected to fulfill intelligence requirements.
information requirements — In intelligence usage, those items of information regarding the adversary and other relevant aspects of the operational environment that need to be collected and processed in order to meet the intelligence requirements of a commander.
information resources — Information and related resources, such as personnel, equipment, and information technology.
information security — The protection of information and information systems against unauthorized access or modification of information, whether in storage, processing, or transit, and against denial of service to authorized users. Also called INFOSEC.
information superiority — The operational advantage derived from the ability to collect, process, and disseminate an uninterrupted flow of information while exploiting or denying an adversary’s ability to do the same.
information system — The entire infrastructure, organization, personnel, and components for the collection, processing, storage, transmission, display, dissemination, and disposition of information.
national security -
A collective term encompassing both national defense and foreign relations of the United States. Specifically, the condition provided by: a. a military or defense advantage over any foreign nation or group of nations; b. a favorable foreign relations position; or c. a defense posture capable of successfully resisting hostile or destructive action from within or without, overt or covert.
psychological operations — Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the originator’s objectives. Also called PSYOP.
psychological operations assessment team — A small, tailored team (approximately 4-12 personnel) that consists of psychological operations planners and product distribution/dissemination and logistic specialists. The team is deployed to theater at the request of the combatant commander to assess the situation, develop psychological operations objectives, and recommend the appropriate level of support to accomplish the mission. Also called POAT.
psychological operations impact indicators — An observable event or a discernible subjectively determined behavioral change that represents an effect of a psychological operations activity on the intended foreign target audience at a particular point in time. It is measured evidence, ascertained during the analytical phase of the psychological operations development process, to evaluate the degree to which the psychological operations objective is achieved.
psychological operations support element — A tailored element that can provide limited psychological operations support. Psychological operations support elements do not contain organic command and control capability; therefore, command relationships must be clearly defined. The size, composition and capability of the psychological operations support element are determined by the requirements of the supported commander. A psychological operations support element is not designed to provide full-scale psychological operations capability; reachback is critical for its mission success. Also called PSE.
public affairs — Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA.
public affairs assessment — An analysis of the news media and public environments to evaluate the degree of understanding about strategic and operational objectives and military activities and to identify levels of public support. It includes judgments about the public affairs impact of pending decisions and recommendations about the structure of public affairs support for the assigned mission.
public affairs ground rules — Conditions established by a military command to govern the conduct of news gathering and the release and/or use of specified information during an operation or during a specific period of time.
public affairs guidance — Normally, a package of information to support the public discussion of defense issues and operations. Such guidance can range from a telephonic response to a specific question to a more comprehensive package. Included could be an approved public affairs policy, contingency statements, answers to anticipated media questions, and community relations guidance. The public affairs guidance also addresses the method(s), timing, location, and other details governing the release of information to the public. Public affairs guidance is approved by the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Also called PAG.
public diplomacy — 1. Those overt international public information activities of the United States Government designed to promote United States foreign policy objectives by seeking to understand, inform, and influence foreign audiences and opinion makers, and by broadening the dialogue between American citizens and institutions and their counterparts abroad. 2. In peace building, civilian agency efforts to promote an understanding of the reconstruction efforts, rule of law, and civic responsibility through public affairs and international public diplomacy operations. Its objective is to promote and sustain consent for peace building both within the host nation and externally in the region and in the larger international community.
public information — Information of a military nature, the dissemination of which through public news media is not inconsistent with security, and the release of which is considered desirable or nonobjectionable to the responsible releasing agency.
propaganda — Any form of adversary communication, especially of a biased or misleading nature, designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly.
strategic communication - Focused United States Government efforts to understand and engage key audiences to create, strengthen, or preserve conditions favorable for the advancement of United States Government interests, policies, and objectives through the use of coordinated programs, plans, themes, messages, and products synchronized with the actions of all instruments of national power. Also called SC.
strategy – A prudent idea or set of ideas for employing the instruments of national power in a synchronized and integrated fashion to achieve theater, national, and/or multinational objectives.
