“Maskirovka”
It is the Russian art of deception. It literally means masking, as in camouflage or disguise used throughout 600 hundred years of Russian military history and now is being applied in its statecraft.
In the above Global News report, Russian Analyst Julian Lindley-French warns about Russia’s use of deception in military tactics in Crimea, cyber warfare, hybrid warfare and, of course, the ubiquitous term of “fake news”.
This is nothing new.
Disinformation is nothing new
A military operation involves deception.
Though you are competent, appear incompetent.
Though effective, appear to be ineffective.
–Master Sun, The Art of War
There are multiple commentaries in the The Art of War about the value of deception because it works. It works as a military stratagem. It works in political forums, psy-ops/propaganda campaigns, economics and hand-to-hand combat because it allows smaller individuals/ countries to create opportunities to level the playing field against the bullies in the crowd.
Narrative Creation
Nowadays, it seems to be even more effective if deception is rolled into multiple platforms as it is referenced in the “Maskirovka” report. Whether it’s mainstream media, social media, word-of-mouth, independent investigation, there is so much information to consume I’m beginning to think each individual person is now capable of creating their own narrative for what’s going on around them.
Of course, when each individual then regurgitates their narrative, the amount of information in the public sphere then doubles.
The Fog of War
That’s when things get confusing. It’s basically a fog of war created from junk information and nobody knows what is really going on. This is when smart, discerning individuals, companies, military organizations and governments can make their moves in silence or in the dark of night. Or even in broad daylight for that matter because no one’s looking out their windows anymore to see what the neighbors are actually up to.
So, how do you counteract this strategy?
Simple. You lie.
Look down, kick high.
Oldest trick in the book.
http://www.martialpaths.ca/the-art-of-war-part-1-its-just-business/
Excelsior!
Sensei Jim
