The USA Needs a Lead "Facilitator" for the Cognitive Domain

The US Government's Information Operations Lead - Must NOT be in the Pentagon.  And it may be useful to have a Secretary for Influence Operations - but what' really missing?

Simple coordination and teamwork.  We need a true conductor, a lead, a facilitator with certain authorities, but not the direct control.  Why?
Because we need to learn how to operate as a "whole of government" enterprise, and get out of our industrial age mind sets, cultural impediments, and egos.  

For example, the DoD - is a department, one team, yeah sure.  That's the problem.  We reinforce the "Titanium Cylinders of Sub-Excellence" and the reward system that should support innovation, collaboration, information sharing, etc. is BROKEN.  

We compete - yes we do it very well, against ourselves.  While I applaud LTG Fogarty's efforts in moving to Information Operations, as well as his service cohorts - there is NOTHING stopping them, OSD P, SO/LIC, DOS, DHS, the IC, etc. in getting together to lay out a strategy, priorities, a strategic implementation plan etc. except themselves.  As a matter of fact, just ask WHAT are the four services doing in concert - to build a multi-domain, integrated, resilient information operations enterprise?  Each of them are moving Cyber to Info Ops, but again, separate, silent and with some, but far from enough integrated planning.  It's not rewarded, so why try.  

Leaders - true leaders - do not need to own, control, etc. all.  That's an industrial age model.  While it is useful to have the $$, authority etc., if we wait for those fights we'll kill ourselves first before our enemies do.  

WHAT'S NEEDED? = FACILITATOR W/POTUS EO authorities to see all, and advise. 
We need the SECDEF, DNI, and NSC to designate a lead "facilitator" who by Executive Order is given access to ALL information, structure, manning etc.., and who reports to the NSA and the POTUS directly.  

Now, why in the heck would I say the above?  Because it's by far the most logical, simple, and direct way to drive action.  The NDAAs, NSS, etc. have already laid out requirements for the COCOMs to develop priorities, the Joint Staff already does planning, etc. But for some reason - in this arena - hell would freeze over first before we got our act together.  If you read the NDAA 2017 and 2019, you'll see that the DOD is SUPPORTING the lead element for Countering Disinformation and Propaganda - the Global Engagement Center.  So, how's that support thing going?  NOT. 

LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY - 
The hardest thing to do is to lead, but not own.  During my last three years in the DoD US Army G2, I led a forum of 700 plus members across 100+ IC, DOD, Federal organizations.  The key things I learned from this effort that apply here are that:

1. IMPACT: People want to make an impact - and if there is a priority, they will circle the wagons in an instant to help - until of course someone beats them for collaborating.  When we called special sessions to help a deploying general officer in this area - the community responded.  What is perfect? No.  But it gave that general officer a far better picture of what the left and right hands where doing, than he had before.  And, it gave him a few additional touch points.  The general's efforts were a priority for the CSA, the Chairman JCS and the POTUS.  But given the 1000 strategies and priorities, the support was helpful, but was far from optimal.  

2. INNOVATION: If you provide a way to share information about programs and new technologies - albeit many are loathe to do so in worry over their cheese being moved (so they hide or control their information) - others learn, leverage and not only avoid duplication, but advance innovation.

3. EMPOWERED & ENABLED: If you share all of your contact with others, staff from low to high, they are further ENABLED because they can go directly to xx person and ask, help, etc. 

THE MISSING LINKS:
What's missing? Shared and known priorities, the strategy and the implementation plan.
Lacking that we have 1000 strategies of mediocracy, going in 1000 different directions, leveraging little, informing few, and perpetuating internal competition while the Chines and Russians kick our ass, over, and over and over.  

Hell, we're not even ready to combat the disinformation and propaganda for the 2020 election - and we've had four years.  Why? Everyone owns a piece of the pie, but they are mostly all doing their own thing, their own way, and NONE of them is likely doing anything proactive.  This includes efforts to preclude, impede, or minimize and drive influence operations that cause our adversaries to react. 

It's time we get off the dime.  Many are trying and many are willing to do the right thing.  But most are doing their own thing, while they await the "leader" to be designated.  Stop.  Designate someone in each department, from them, let them choose a lead facilitator in lieu of an EO.  Team work, team!  It's hard, but not that hard.  But let's stop making excuses that we can't leverage the capacity, capabilities and people we now have working influence operations better.  

We can wait for the "chosen one," or we can act as a team and put egos aside and start driving proactive influence operations - via a whole of government approach, and provide this POTUS and others far more options than the one kinetic hammer we hand him as a default. 

Or, we can watch as China and Russia continue to cause us to react in our perpetual reactive posture. 

Thanx to René Díaz for highlighting the below article in a LinkedIn Post. 

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/02/should-us-have-secretary-influence-operations/163272/

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