One
aspect of the much touted "Revolution in Military Affairs" has been the
possibility of using information warfare as a force multiplier or even
as an independent arm of strategy. However, new means for information
conflict will not appear within a political and military vacuum. The
proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction and of
long range delivery systems for these weapons is among those patterns
carried forward from the Cold War into the "new world order". There is
potential danger and great uncertainty in the future relationship
between nuclear weapons and information warfare. Nuclear deterrence
depends upon the reliability and certainty of information about the
sides' capabilities and intentions. Information warfare attempts to deny
the opponent a clear picture of what is happening by destroying or
disrupting its information means for coping with crisis and war.