The information theory of conflict

2024-06-29

The principle is this: Maximize the amount of information you gain, and minimize the amount of information your opponent does.

  • Actions bring information. Speeding up your actions also speeds up your information gain, and vice versa for your opponent.

  • Disrupt your opponent's information-processing systems. Specifically: confuse them with contradictions, overwhelm them, divide them, and move faster than their OODA loop can follow.

  • Ensure your information-processing systems are resilient and robust to disruption.

  • Attack when your enemy is in the dark, is doubting, is hesitating.

  • Manipulate your enemy's attention. Use sleight of hand or shock and awe.

  • Ensure that every move the enemy makes leaks information to you.

Examples to consider: Blitzkrieg (see Col. John Boyd's presentations), Enigma machine, Operation Bodyguard, 2016 election (see Dominic Cummings' talk), most interesting historical battles (e.g. the Battle of Cannae), small-scale infantry tactics.