Cognitive Engineering for Information Dominance: A Human Factors Perspective.

Abstract : Information Warfare (IW) is emerging as the critical military issue of the day. IW is introduced and analyzed with respect to its major themes and current definitions. Those aspects of IW requiring cognitive engineering research are identified, necessary methodological reorientations are outlined, and key links to the human factors/cognitive engineering topics of situation awareness and decision making are discussed. A specific target capability (the common battlespace picture) and the framework for research toward that goal (the OODA model) are introduced. The OODA model is contextualized with respect to other relevant research areas and U.S. Air Force practices. An integrated cognitive engineering program for IW analyses is specified and illustrated with respect to an example drawn from theater missile defense (TMD) attack operations. Extensive listings of bibliographic references, terminological definitions, and relevant Internet resources provide a solid foundation for further reading and research.