Military deception information

Military deception (MILDEC) is an attempt by a military unit to gain an advantage during warfare by misleading adversary decision makers into taking action or inaction that creates favorable conditions for the deceiving force.^[1]^[2] This is usually achieved by creating or amplifying an artificial fog of war via psychological operations, information warfare, visual deception, or other methods.^[3] As a form of disinformation, it overlaps with psychological warfare.^[4] Military deception is also closely connected to operations security (OPSEC) in that OPSEC attempts to conceal from the adversary critical information about an organization's capabilities, activities, limitations, and intentions, or provide a plausible alternate explanation for the details the adversary can observe, while deception reveals false information in an effort to mislead the adversary.^[5]

Deception in warfare dates back to early history.^[6] The Art of War, an ancient Chinese military treatise, emphasizes the importance of deception as a way for outnumbered forces to defeat larger adversaries.^[7] Examples of deception in warfare can be found in ancient Egypt,^[8] Greece,^[9] and Rome,^[10] the Medieval Age,^[11] the Renaissance,^[12] and the European Colonial Era.^[13] Deception was employed during World War I and came into even greater prominence during World War II.^[14] In modern times, the militaries of several nations have evolved deception tactics, techniques and procedures into fully fledged doctrine.^[15]^[16]^[17]

^ Caddell 2004, p. 1.
^ Friedman, Herb. "Deception and Disinformation". Psy Warrior.com. Mechanicsburg, PA: Ed Rouse. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
^ Caddell 2004, pp. 2–3.
^ Friedman.
^ U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (26 February 2019). FM 3–13.4: Army Support to Military Deception (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Army Publishing Directorate. pp. 2–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
^ Baker, Richard (17 November 2011). "The lost and found art of deception". Army.mil. Washington, DC.
^ Petraeus, David (26 March 2018). "'The Art of War': As relevant now as when it was written". The Irish Times. Dublin, Ireland.
^ Malin, Cameron H.; Gudaitis, Terry; Holt, Thomas J.; Kilger, Max (2017). Deception in the Digital Age. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. p. xix. ISBN 978-0-1241-1639-9 – via Google Books.
^ Krentz, Peter (2009). Van Wees, Hans (ed.). War and Violence in Ancient Greece: Deception in Archaic and Classical Greek Warfare. Swansea, Wales: Classical Press of Wales. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-9105-8929-8 – via Google Books.
^ Sheldon, Rose Mary (2005). Intelligence Activities in Ancient Rome. New York: Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-2030-0556-9 – via Google Books.
^ Titterton, James William (27 June 2019). Abstract: Trickery and Deception in Medieval Warfare, c. 1000 – c. 1330. White Rose eTheses Online (phd). Leeds, England: University of Leeds.
^ Greenspan, Stephen (2009). Annals of Gullibility. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-313-36216-3 – via Google Books.
^ Macknik, Stephen L.; Martinez-Conde, Susana (1 March 2017). "Deploying Deception on the Battlefield". Scientific American. London: Springer Nature America, Inc.
^ Ragucci, Jason (30 November 2015). "Good luck, Charlie". Army.mil. Washington, DC.
^ Combined Arms Center, p. iii.
^ Director Joint Force Development (26 January 2012). Joint Publication 3–13.4: Military Deception (PDF). Washington, DC: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. p. xiii.
^ Hamilton, David L. (1986). Deception in Soviet military doctrine and operations (PDF). Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School. p. 3.

[FOOTNOTECaddell20041-1] Caddell 2004, p. 1.

[2] Friedman, Herb. "Deception and Disinformation". Psy Warrior.com. Mechanicsburg, PA: Ed Rouse. Retrieved 7 October 2020.

[FOOTNOTECaddell20042–3-3] Caddell 2004, pp. 2–3.

[FOOTNOTEFriedman-4] Friedman.

[5] U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (26 February 2019). FM 3–13.4: Army Support to Military Deception (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Army Publishing Directorate. pp. 2–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.

[6] Baker, Richard (17 November 2011). "The lost and found art of deception". Army.mil. Washington, DC.

[7] Petraeus, David (26 March 2018). "'The Art of War': As relevant now as when it was written". The Irish Times. Dublin, Ireland.

[8] Malin, Cameron H.; Gudaitis, Terry; Holt, Thomas J.; Kilger, Max (2017). Deception in the Digital Age. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. p. xix. ISBN 978-0-1241-1639-9 – via Google Books.

[9] Krentz, Peter (2009). Van Wees, Hans (ed.). War and Violence in Ancient Greece: Deception in Archaic and Classical Greek Warfare. Swansea, Wales: Classical Press of Wales. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-9105-8929-8 – via Google Books.

[10] Sheldon, Rose Mary (2005). Intelligence Activities in Ancient Rome. New York: Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-2030-0556-9 – via Google Books.

[11] Titterton, James William (27 June 2019). Abstract: Trickery and Deception in Medieval Warfare, c. 1000 – c. 1330. White Rose eTheses Online (phd). Leeds, England: University of Leeds.

[12] Greenspan, Stephen (2009). Annals of Gullibility. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-313-36216-3 – via Google Books.

[13] Macknik, Stephen L.; Martinez-Conde, Susana (1 March 2017). "Deploying Deception on the Battlefield". Scientific American. London: Springer Nature America, Inc.

[14] Ragucci, Jason (30 November 2015). "Good luck, Charlie". Army.mil. Washington, DC.

[FOOTNOTECombined_Arms_Centeriii-15] Combined Arms Center, p. iii.

[16] Director Joint Force Development (26 January 2012). Joint Publication 3–13.4: Military Deception (PDF). Washington, DC: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. p. xiii.

[17] Hamilton, David L. (1986). Deception in Soviet military doctrine and operations (PDF). Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School. p. 3.

Military deception information

and 23 Related for: Military deception information

Military deception

Russian military deception

Deception

Denial and deception

Ruse de guerre

Operation Mincemeat

Military camouflage

Operation Fortitude

Military dummy

Military

Dudley Clarke

Ghost Army

MI9

United States Army deception formations of World War II

Roman Czerniawski

Operation Bodyguard

Mimicking operations

Ewen Montagu

First United States Army Group

Dummy tank

Dennis Wheatley

Operation Copperhead

Military career of Muhammad

War
Part of a series on

History Prehistoric Ancient Post-classical Early modern Pike and shot napoleonic Late modern industrial fourth-gen
Military Organization Command and control Defense ministry Army Navy Air force Marines Coast guard Space force Reserves Regular / Irregular Ranks Specialties: Staff Engineers Intelligence Reconnaissance Medical Military police Land units: Infantry Armor Cavalry Artillery Special forces Signal corps Naval units: Warships Submarines Aircraft carriers Landing craft Auxiliary ship Air units: Fighters Bombers Command Close air support Electronic-warfare Reconnaissance Combat systems: Fire-control system Fire-control radar Director (military) Combat information center Sonar Radar Historical: Ship gun fire-control Gun data computer Torpedo data computer Development: Basic training Military manoeuvrers Combat training
Battlespace Aerospace Air Airborne Space Land Cold-region Desert Jungle Mountain Urban Subterranean Tunnel Sea Amphibious Blue Brown Green Surface Underwater Cyber Information
Weapons Air defence Armor Artillery Barrage Biological Camouflage Cavalry Horses Air cavalry Chemical Combined arms Conventional Cyber Denial Disinformation Drone / Robot Electronic Infantry Loitering Missile Music Nuclear Psychological Radiological Unconventional
Tactics List of military tactics Aerial Airlift Air assault Airbridge Airdrop Battle Cavalry Charge Counterattack Counterinsurgency Defeat in detail Foxhole Drone Envelopment Guerrilla Morale Rapid dominance Siege Swarm Screen Tactical objective Target saturation Trench Withdrawal
Operational Military operation Operations research Blitzkrieg Expeditionary Deep operation Maneuver Operational manoeuvre group Raid
Strategy List of military strategies and concepts Military campaign Attrition Commerce raiding Counter-offensive Culminating Defence in depth Fabian Empty fort Mosaic Deception Defensive Depth Goal Naval Offensive Scorched earth
Grand strategy Asymmetric Blockade Broken-backed Class Cold war Colonial Conquest Containment Economic Endemic Fleet in being Irregular Liberation Limited Network-centric New generation Perpetual Political Princely Proxy Religious Resource Strategic Succession Technology Theater Total war World war
Administrative Branch Policy Staff Training Service Sociology
Organization Area of responsibility Chain of command Command and control Doctrine Principles of war Economy of force Medicine Engineers Intelligence Ranks Technology and equipment
Personnel Military recruitment Conscription Recruit training Military specialism Women in the military Children in the military Transgender people and military service Sexual harassment in the military Conscientious objector Counter-recruitment
Logistics History Military–industrial complex Arms industry Materiel Supply-chain management Base MOB FOB Outpost
Science Power projection Loss-of-strength gradient
Law Court-martial Geneva Conventions Geneva Protocol Islamic rules Justice Perfidy Jewish laws on war Right of conquest Rules of engagement Martial law War crime
Theory Air supremacy Command of the sea Full-spectrum dominance Overmatch Unrestricted Warfare
Related Outline of war Just war theory Principles of war Philosophy of war War film Military science fiction War game Lanchester's laws Security dilemma Tripwire force Mercenary War novel Women in war War resister War studies Anti-war movement Horses in warfare Wartime sexual violence Fifth column
Lists Battles Military occupations Military terms Operations Sieges War crimes Wars Weapons Writers
v t e