text: Multidomain Operations and Intelligence
  2-42. Table 2-9 list several operational and intelligence considerations associated with the information
  dimension.
  Table 2-9. Operational and intelligence considerations for the information dimension
  The information dimension is the content and data that individuals, groups, and information systems communicate and exchange, as well as the
  analytics and technical processes used to exchange information within an operational environment (FM 3-0).
  Operational considerations (not all-inclusive) Intelligence considerations (not all-inclusive)
  Discussion:
  • Connects humans to the physical world. Information transits through • Impossibility of isolating the information dimension from the human
  all domains. and physical dimensions.
  • Information—true, false, or in between—is used by friendly, enemy, • Activities and effects within the information dimension. They are
  adversary, and neutral actors to influence perceptions, decision challenging, but not impossible, to understand, collect against, make
  making, and behaviors. predictions about, create intelligence products, conduct intelligence
  • The effective employment of information depends on the audience, assessments, and support operational planning.
  message, and method of delivery. • Intelligence disciplines and complementary capabilities conducting
  • Social media can enable the swift mobilization of people and information collection in and against the information dimension. For
  resources around ideas and causes. example, PAI research, OSINT, and identity activities can make
  • Disinformation can significantly and negatively affect emotions, important contributions to the intelligence effort; however, Army
  perceptions, decision making, and behaviors. forces ultimately use an all-source approach.
  • Information enables decision making and combat power. • IWFTs, including warning intelligence, IPOE, situation
  • The information dimension is key to seizing, retaining, and exploiting development, and intelligence support to targeting. They must
  the initiative and consolidating gains. account for aspects within the information dimension.
  Information advantage: • Support to protecting information and disrupting threat
  communications. This is not that difficult.
  • An information advantage is the operational benefit derived when—
  ▪Friendly forces understand and exploit informational • Support to deception. This is more difficult, while support to
  influencing behaviors and countering misinformation and
  considerations to achieve information objectives.
  disinformation are very difficult.
  ▪Denying the threat’s ability to achieve information objectives.
  • Functional analysis with critical factors, the operational variables,
  • Army forces employ human and physical aspects to gain information civil considerations (within the mission variables), and a crosswalk
  advantages. of the operational and mission variables. They assist intelligence
  • Most types of information advantage result from intrinsic human and analysts in considering the information dimension.
  physical aspects of Army operations. • Content, data, and processes that individuals, groups, and
  • An information advantage can occur in terms of— information systems use to communicate; the technical processes
  ▪Collecting more and better information. and analytics used to exchange information; and how relevant
  ▪Using relevant information more effectively. actors and populations communicate. Intelligence analysts should
  highlight these.
  ▪Effective communications and protecting information.
  • Importance of analyzing relevant actors, information processes,
  ▪Disrupting the threat’s communications. communications means and nodes, and computer hardware and
  ▪Conducting deception. software—among other aspects.
  ▪Influencing relevant actors’ behavior.
  FM field manual OSINT open-source intelligence
  IPOE intelligence preparation of the operational environment PAI publicly available information
  IWFT intelligence warfighting function task
  OPERATIONAL AND MISSION VARIABLES
  2-43. The operational and mission variables are tools that assist commanders and staffs in refining their
  understanding of the domains and dimensions of an OE. Commanders and staffs analyze and describe an OE
  in terms of eight interrelated operational variables: political, military, economic, social, information,
  infrastructure, physical environment, and time (PMESII-PT). The operational variables assist leaders in
  understanding the land domain and its interrelationships with information, relevant actors, and capabilities
  in the other domains.
  2-44. Commanders analyze information categorized by the operational variables in the context of the
  missions they are assigned. They use the mission variables, in combination with the operational variables, to
  refine their understanding of the situation and visualize, describe, and direct operations. The mission variables
  are mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil
  considerations—each of which has informational considerations—those aspects of the human, information,
  and physical dimensions that affect how humans and automated systems derive meaning from, use, act upon,
  and are impacted by information (FM 3-0). The mission variables are represented as METT-TC (I). (See
  FM 5-0 for doctrine on the operational and mission variables.)