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DRAGON BYTES.CHINESE INFORMATION-WAR THEORY AND PRACTICE Paperback – 2004

by TIMOTHY L. THOMAS (Author), FOREIGN MILITARY STUDIES OFFICE FOT LAVENFORTH (Editor), JACOB W. KIPP (Foreword)

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This work examines China's information-war (IW) theory and practice from 1995-2003. The effort rests upon the author's sustained and diligent research in Chinese open sources. Some specialists among the international audience may be surprised by the themes addressed in these sources and the presentation of key issues. The Chinese openly discuss not only computer network attacks and electronic preemption but also the development of IW units and an "integrated network-electronic warfare" theory (which closely approximates the US theory of "network-centric warfare"). - - - - - - Of special interest is the Chinese development of an IW theory that is representative of their country's philosophy and culture. By creating an "IW theory with Chinese characteristics" the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has offered an alternate way of viewing the application of IW than in the West. For example, the Chinese are integrating IW theory into such concepts as a "network People's War" that encourages the nation to be ready to attack networks in the event of a conflict and to conduct protracted IW operations. Additionally, new methods of applying IW are discussed, such as using electrons to implement strategies; and new areas of emphasis, such as information control alongside information superiority. Chinese analysts have attained a greater appreciation and understanding of the application of IW's power from their review of US and coalition actions in the Gulf War, the conflict over Kosovo, and the 2003 Iraqi War. The PLA has analyzed these impressions and lessons learned during the past several years. - - - - - - The military reader and security specialist will enjoy this different perspective that discusses several areas where US theorists have not tread to date. The findings will prove to be slightly alarming to those who believe that the Chinese are years behind other nations in information age developments. - - - - - - . Dr. Jacob W. Kipp

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This work examines China’s information-war (IW) theory and practice from 1995-2003. The effort rests upon the author’s sustained and diligent research in Chinese open sources. Some specialists among the international audience may be surprised by the themes addressed in these sources and the presentation of key issues. The Chinese openly discuss not only computer network attacks and electronic preemption but also the development of IW units and an “integrated network-electronic warfare” theory (which closely approximates the US theory of “network-centric warfare”). - - - - - - Of special interest is the Chinese development of an IW theory that is representative of their country’s philosophy and culture. By creating an “IW theory with Chinese characteristics” the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has offered an alternate way of viewing the application of IW than in the West. For example, the Chinese are integrating IW theory into such concepts as a “network People’s War” that encourages the nation to be ready to attack networks in the event of a conflict and to conduct protracted IW operations. Additionally, new methods of applying IW are discussed, such as using electrons to implement strategies; and new areas of emphasis, such as information control alongside information superiority. Chinese analysts have attained a greater appreciation and understanding of the application of IW’s power from their review of US and coalition actions in the Gulf War, the conflict over Kosovo, and the 2003 Iraqi War. The PLA has analyzed these impressions and lessons learned during the past several years. - - - - - - The military reader and security specialist will enjoy this different perspective that discusses several areas where US theorists have not tread to date. The findings will prove to be slightly alarming to those who believe that the Chinese are years behind other nations in information age developments. - - - - - - . Dr. Jacob W. Kipp

Paperback: 167 pages
Publisher: FOREIGN MILITARY STUDIES OFFICE; 1st edition (2004)
Language: English
ASIN: B000E7S42A
Package Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
Customer Reviews: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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James D. Crabtree

Lots of information but could have been better

January 30, 2019

Information Warfare is a very real thing and the People's Republic of China are one of the biggest proponents of this type of military endeavor. Thomas has looked at the writings of the Chinese establishment available to the West and has provided an assessment of the way China intents to fight on the information battlefield... indeed, how they have already fought. The emphasis of Information Warfare as seen by the Chinese is different than the U.S. approach to this type of struggle. China sees IW not as a means of gaining information "superiority" or "supremacy" but as a means of gaining control... of making THEIR objectives the objectives of their enemies. Information Warfare to the Chinese means propaganda, network attacks, "information frontiers," and the development of special "information-based" weaponry. China takes IW seriously enough to adapt it to their concept of People's War and to create not just active IW units but a comparatively large reserve force as well.

Unfortunately, I believe that whoever laid out the book and edited it let the author down. I think they layout could have been done more efficiently to aid in the flow of the book and some editing might have made this a more readable product. Also, the book only looks at events up to 2004... a more up-to-date book could eliminate some of the issues with this one.

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Richard Bejtlich

Lifting the veil on Chinese information warfare

December 31, 2010

A colleague introduced me to Dragon Bytes (DB) by Timothy L Thomas, and an expert on the Chinese hacker scene was kind enough to secure a copy of the book. I thank all of them for the extraordinary journey presented in DB. Published in 2004, DB is an historical review of key publications by Chinese information warfare (IW) theorists and thought leaders, as translated by the former Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) and other American translators. The author is an analyst with the Foreign Military Studies Office, and is a West Point graduate, a retired Army Lt Col, and a former Foreign Area Officer focusing on the USSR and Russia. DB covers Chinese IW thought from 1995-2003. Thomas' subsequent books, Decoding the Virtual Dragon, and The Dragon's Quantum Leap, cover later periods in Chinese IW history.

DB is really unlike any of the books I have reviewed before, because it summarizes the IW doctrine of another country. As a former Air Force intelligence officer, I helped develop our nation's IW plans in the late 1990s and have defended civilian infrastructures for the last 10 years. DB provides a view of a world that is plain to see if only the reader knows where to look and can read Chinese. Thanks to FBIS translations and Thomas' keen eye, Western readers can learn what the Chinese military says about IW.

I'd like to highlight a few concepts and excerpts that I feel are important to understanding Chinese IW theory.

The Chinese do not seek to simply copy Western IW concepts. Rather, they stress development of IW "with Chinese characteristics." They draw heavily on Marx and Engels for their military doctrine, including People's War, and believe Mao brought Marx's ideas to fruition in China. They feel that IW is a natural implementation of People's War, especially when individual Chinese citizens can participate simply by virtue of owning a computer. Unlike Western militaries and governments, China vigorously integrates civilians and reservists into their military framework, to include individual "hackers."

Traditionally China has pursued "active defense" as their military model, meaning they do not seek (or claim not to seek) conquest beyond their borders. Rather, they respond with People's War when attacked by aggressors. IW, however, does not lend itself to an active defense strategy because losing the initiative means losing the war. Chinese IW theorists increasingly abandoned "active defense" with IW and now promote active offense, which takes various forms.

Chinese IW theorists are advocates of proper thinking over force (p 101). Unsurprisingly, theorists channel Sun Tzu by seeking to "win without fighting" through IW. They devote a lot of energy to developing strategy and "strategems," sometimes considered to be "tricks" or "schemes" to overcome superior forces. They believe information is as important as energy and materials, and "warfare may be waged around the struggle for intellectual resources, such as the allegiance of a high-tech expert or the patented right to a piece of technology" (p 13).

The Chinese military sees Western culture, particularly American culture, as an assault on China, saying "the West uses a system of values (democracy, freedom, human rights, etc.) in a long-term attack on socialist countries... Marxist theory opposes peaceful evolution, which... is the basic Western tactic for subverting socialist countries" (pp 102-3). They believe the US is conducting psychological warfare operations against socialism and consider culture as a "frontier" that has extended beyond American shores into the Chinese mainland. The Chinese therefore consider control of information to be paramount, since they do not trust their population to "correctly" interpret American messaging (hence the "Great Firewall of China"). In this sense, China may consider the US as the aggressor in an ongoing cyberwar.

Dr Shen Weiguang, China's "father of IW," defines IW as "two sides in pitched battle against one another in the political, economic, cultural, scientific, social, and technological spheres," (p 32) or as "brain war" (p 40). Thomas reports Shen's views thus: "information control is the doorway to an opportunity to dominate the world" (p 33). Shen mentions "total IW" where "information aggression" involves "violating the information space of another country and plundering its information resources" (p 36). Shen recommends creating an "information academy" and believes "'attack in order to defend' is more effective than defense alone in many cases since advance warning is impossible and the effectiveness of defense is hard to predict" (p 45). However, Shen seems to believe IW should be constrained by international norms, since he also advocates developing a "set of information rules" to limit IW (p 48). Finally, academic Deng Xiaobao discusses "dwindling distinctions... between wars and non-wars (referring here to the lack of distinction between IW and times of peace, where an IW can start with an information assault and the side under attack may not be able to judge that it is a war)" (p 125).

I strongly recommend reading DB and Thomas' subsequent works if you want to better understand Chinese IW history and thinking.

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Timely

February 19, 2013

This book is an outstanding analysis and synthesis of Chinese IW theory, doctrine and practice, and another superior product of the Foreign Military Studies Office at FT Leavenworth. Tim Thomas uses Chinese sources in translation to describe Chinese IW strategic thinking, and how the Chinese viewed NATO invovlement in the Balkans. What was especially interesting are the Chinese perceptions of the battle for Iraq in 2003. Chinese IW theory is based on using informationized forces in accordance with Sun Tsu's "... subduing the enemy withoput battle..." This requires superior military strength, full preparedness, destruction of the enemy's startegy, and the ability to cultivate, conduct, and foster discipline.The goals are to "... force the enemy side to regard their goal as our goal..." and to "... force the opponent to give up the will to resist and end the confrontation and stop fighting by attacking the enemy's perception and belief via information energy."

Tim Thomas also describes many of the exercises conducted by the PLA. As a nation, the USA is way too complacent, and completely unprepared to face the Chinese determination to replace our hegemony with their own. It won't be pretty if, or when, that happens.

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