In practical terms, the internet cloud – what Microsoft defines as “a vast network of remote servers around the globe which are hooked together” – is fast becoming the unwitting digital host of this modern-day ‘Nebula of War.’ Its detached and undiscerning algorithms quickly disseminated information and disinformation on a global scale.Īs a result, it is also becoming an instrument of war – one that is intended by nefarious state and individual actors to undermine support for Ukraine’s fight to defend itself from Russia. Podcasts, Twitter Spaces, and Telegram threads quickly amplify that flow of real-time information – much of it intentionally twisted, out of context and often unconfirmed – across the social media ecosphere. Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive is a case in point of how snippets of information gleaned from social media and open-source intelligence ( OSINT ) are used to create dissent, foment fear and mislead the public as to what is actually happening on the battlefield. Attempts to dissipate it to achieve clarity of what is happening on the battlefield are becoming ever more difficult and challenging. The “Nebula of War,” as a result keeps growing exponentially darker. Now, frequently, rivaling and dissonant dispatches from battling friends and enemies alike often reach capital cities before the non-commissioned officers (NCO), lieutenants and captains engaged in battle can report back up the line to their chain of command.Īlong the way, those cell phone calls, text messages, Telegram posts, and videos captured by loitering drones – some intercepted, others planted – are quickly seized upon by war commentators, governments, and individuals to drive false or competing narratives about the status of the war in Ukraine. In Clausewitz’s time, the “fog” of war was largely limited to battlefield commanders being detached from the pointy ends of spears doing the actual fighting – and the flanks and centers of companies, battalions and brigades struggling to stay in communication and sync with each other.
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