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Integrated Deterrence

Knowing allies and adversaries is key for multidomain operations, interoperability

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) In-Bum Chun/Republic of Korea Army

Multidomain operations are defined as the combined arms employment of joint and Army capabilities to create and exploit relative advantages that achieve objectives, defeat enemy forces and consolidate gains on behalf of joint force commanders, according to the United States Army’s 2022 Field Manual Operations. This approach involves integrating and synchronizing operations across multiple domains — land, air, sea, space and cyberspace — to achieve a synergistic effect that traditional, single-domain operations cannot.

The U.S. and its Allies and Partners endeavor to understand and complement each nation’s capabilities. They aim to use these capabilities in concert to achieve the common goal of defeating the enemy. Simultaneously, our adversaries, including North Korea, strive to understand our strengths and exploit our weaknesses. This constant push and pull necessitates a comprehensive understanding of both our capabilities and those of our allies and antagonists.

Republic of Korea (ROK) and U.S. Soldiers conduct a river-crossing exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, in March 2024. REUTERS

Understanding the Regime 

The North Korean regime has characteristics reminiscent of historical and ideological entities. It combines elements of an organized crime organization, brutal executions typical of the Soviet Union’s Stalin era, the dogmatism of Maoist China, a strict caste system and the fervor of a cult. This amalgamation creates a nation militarized to an extreme degree.

The North Korean regime’s secretive nature makes it exceptionally difficult to gather reliable information about its operations and intentions. The regime does not publish doctrinal journals, nor does it participate in public or even closed discussions with the outside world. In the rare instances when Westerners or South Koreans interact with North Koreans, there is a tendency to mirror-image their actions and words, projecting our own expectations and assumptions onto them.

It is important to listen carefully to North Korean leaders. Often, they explicitly state their intentions, and the U.S. and its Allies and Partners must take their words seriously to anticipate their actions accurately.

The Regime’s Capabilities

In the realm of multidomain operations, the North Korean military has already demonstrated significant capabilities. It possesses GPS jamming technology and has been developing other electronic countermeasure capabilities. North Korea also has advanced cyberwarfare capabilities. Armed with nuclear weapons, North Korea poses a direct threat to South Korea and Japan, and it is only a matter of time before the regime develops the capacity to strike the continental U.S.

A burgeoning relationship with Russia and the strategic flexibility this offers, along with the potential to leverage the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) support, further enhances North Korea’s position. The U.S. and its Allies and Partners can anticipate increased North Korean activity in space, as the regime continues to develop its technological and strategic capabilities.

ROK Soldiers walk past a military facility in Paju near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. REUTERS

North Korea’s Objectives

The North Korean regime is acutely aware that its military cannot match U.S. tanks, aircraft or even the individual U.S. Soldier in traditional military competition. Its leaders seem resigned that they cannot defeat the U.S. in a head-to-head multidomain conflict. However, they harbor a deep-seated contempt for Americans and have identified a different battlefield: the cognitive domain.

North Korea has long recognized that the true center of gravity for the U.S. is the will of the American people — essentially, U.S. public opinion. From the beginning, the regime’s grand strategy has focused on three primary objectives: discrediting the South Korean government as corrupt and decadent; weakening the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. Alliance; and executing a high-profile attack to inflict massive casualties and shock the U.S. public.

In the 1980s, for example, the North Korean regime believed sinking a U.S. carrier and killing 5,000 U.S. Sailors in one stroke would significantly undermine American resolve. In practice, however, such an action would strengthen U.S. resolve and increase patriotism. Current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un still believes that if the regime could kill enough Americans to prolong a conflict, the U.S. would eventually withdraw due to lack of public support.

This type of cognitive warfare is already underway. The regime uses intimidation, bribery and deceptive rhetoric to influence and manipulate public opinion and decision-making. The critical question is: What are the U.S. and its Allies and Partners doing to counter these efforts?

While we meticulously draft operational plans and then create annexes for information operations, strategic communications and civil-military operations, I firmly believe our adversaries, particularly communist regimes, often prioritize psychological operations. They craft their overall strategies around their psychological operation plans, ensuring that all other operations support their cognitive warfare objectives.

ROK Soldiers lock a guard post gate near the DMZ in Paju, South Korea, in 2020. REUTERS

Countering Cognitive Warfare

The ROK-U.S. Alliance has neglected the importance of winning the hearts and minds in conflict. Civil-military operations are crucial because this is where our adversaries, including North Korea and potentially the PRC, are concentrating their efforts. Our opponents are capable of withstanding unimaginable casualties, maintaining strict control over their populations, and simultaneously infiltrating and influencing alliance public opinion.

The battle for hearts and minds is ongoing, and North Korea and the PRC have a head start. Their focus on cognitive warfare — using propaganda, psychological manipulation and strategic communication — aims to erode the will and unity of their adversaries. To counter this, the U.S. and its Allies and Partners must develop and implement comprehensive strategies that address both the cognitive and conventional domains of warfare.

Future Countermeasures

First and foremost, we must recognize the critical need to focus on building trust with  our populations and those of our allies. This involves developing robust strategic communication plans and civil-military initiatives that resonate with the public and counter enemy propaganda.

Second, we need to strengthen our alliances by starting with a clear and unified strategy. This includes transparent communication, joint training exercises and coordinated information campaigns to ensure all allies are working toward the same objectives.

In the words of ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, “If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be in peril in a hundred battles.” Understanding our adversaries’ cognitive strategies and developing our own approach to cognitive and conventional warfare will be essential in maintaining our strategic advantages and ensuring long-term success. But it is more important to start with understanding our allies.

Ukrainian authorities believe parts of a missile used in a Russian strike against Kharkiv in January 2024 were made in North Korea. REUTERS

By recognizing the importance of cognitive warfare and integrating it into our overall strategy, the U.S. and its Allies and Partners can better prepare to counter the threats posed by the North Korean regime and other adversaries. This approach will require a concerted effort across all levels of military and governmental operations, emphasizing the importance of psychological operations, strategic communications and civil-military relations as key components of our national defense strategy.

To effectively counter the North Korean regime’s multidomain operations and cognitive warfare strategies, we must:

  1. Develop and implement comprehensive information operations and strategic communications plans that counter deceptive North Korean propaganda.
  2. Strengthen alliances through unified strategies and coordinated efforts.
  3. Emphasize the importance of civil-military operations to win the hearts and minds of both our populations and those of our allies.
  4. Continuously adapt and innovate to stay ahead of our adversaries in the evolving landscape of multidomain operations and cognitive warfare.

By taking these steps, we not only are prepared to defend against conventional threats but also to counter our adversaries’ insidious and pervasive strategies of cognitive warfare.  

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