The Mind Has No Firewall by TIMOTHY L. THOMAS

The Mind Has No Firewall by
TIMOTHY L. THOMAS

From Parameters, Spring 1998, pp. 84-92.

"It is completely clear that the state which is first

to create such weapons will achieve incomparable

superiority." -- Major I. Chernishev, Russian army

[1]

The human body, much like a computer, contains

myriad data processors. They include, but are not

limited to, the chemical-electrical activity of the

brain, heart, and peripheral nervous system, the

signals sent from the cortex region of the brain to

other parts of our body, the tiny hair cells in the

inner ear that process auditory signals, and the

light-sensitive retina and cornea of the eye that

process visual activity.[2] We are on the threshold

of an era in which these data processors of the

human body may be manipulated or debilitated.

Examples of unplanned attacks on the body's

data-processing capability are well-documented.

Strobe lights have been known to cause epileptic

seizures. Not long ago in Japan, children watching

television cartoons were subjected to pulsating

lights that caused seizures in some and made

others very sick.

Defending friendly and targeting adversary

data-processing capabilities of the body appears

to be an area of weakness in the US approach to

information warfare theory, a theory oriented

heavily toward systems data-processing and

designed to attain information dominance on the

battlefield. Or so it would appear from information

in the open, unclassified press. This US

shortcoming may be a serious one, since the

capabilities to alter the data- processing systems

of the body already exist. A recent edition of U.S.

News and World Report highlighted several of

these "wonder weapons" (acoustics, microwaves,

lasers) and noted that scientists are "searching the

electromagnetic and sonic spectrums for

wavelengths that can affect human behavior."[3] A

recent Russian military article offered a slightly

different slant to the problem, declaring that

"humanity stands on the brink of a psychotronic

war" with the mind and body as the focus. That

article discussed Russian and international

attempts to control the psycho-physical condition

of man and his decisionmaking processes by the

use of VHF-generators, "noiseless cassettes," and

other technologies.

An entirely new arsenal of weapons, based on

devices designed to introduce subliminal

messages or to alter the body's psychological and

data-processing capabilities, might be used to

incapacitate individuals. These weapons aim to

control or alter the psyche, or to attack the various

sensory and data-processing systems of the

human organism. In both cases, the goal is to

confuse or destroy the signals that normally keep

the body in equilibrium.

This article examines energy-based weapons,

psychotronic weapons, and other developments

designed to alter the ability of the human body to

process stimuli. One consequence of this

assessment is that the way we commonly use the

term "information warfare" falls short when the

individual soldier, not his equipment, becomes

the target of attack.

Information Warfare Theory and the Data-

Processing Element of Humans

In the United States the common conception of

information warfare focuses primarily on the

capabilities of hardware systems such as

computers, satellites, and military equipment

which process data in its various forms. According

to Department of Defense Directive S-3600.1 of 9

December 1996, information warfare is defined as

"an information operation conducted during time

of crisis or conflict to achieve or promote specific

objectives over a specific adversary or

adversaries." An information operation is defined

in the same directive as "actions taken to affect

adversary information and information systems

while defending one's own information and

information systems." These "information systems"

lie at the heart of the modernization effort of the

US armed forces and other countries, and manifest

themselves as hardware, software,

communications capabilities, and highly trained

individuals. Recently, the US Army conducted a

mock battle that tested these systems under

simulated combat conditions.

US Army Field Manual 101-5-1, Operational Terms

and Graphics (released 30 September 1997),

defines information warfare as "actions taken to

achieve information superiority by affecting a

hostile's information, information based-

processes, and information systems, while

defending one's own information, information

processes, and information systems." The same

manual defines information operations as a

"continuous military operation within the military

information environment that enables, enhances,

and protects friendly forces' ability to collect,

process, and act on information to achieve an

advantage across the full range of military

operations. [Information operations include]

interacting with the Global Information

Environment . . . and exploiting or denying an

adversary's information and decision

capabilities."[4]

This "systems" approach to the study of

information warfare emphasizes the use of data,

referred to as information, to penetrate an

adversary's physical defenses that protect data

(information) in order to obtain operational or

strategic advantage. It has tended to ignore the

role of the human body as an information- or

data-processor in this quest for dominance except

in those cases where an individual's logic or

rational thought may be upset via disinformation

or deception. As a consequence little attention is

directed toward protecting the mind and body

with a firewall as we have done with hardware

systems. Nor have any techniques for doing so

been prescribed. Yet the body is capable not only

of being deceived, manipulated, or misinformed

but also shut down or destroyed--just as any other

data-processing system. The "data" the body

receives from external sources--such as

electromagnetic, vortex, or acoustic energy

waves--or creates through its own electrical or

chemical stimuli can be manipulated or changed

just as the data (information) in any hardware

system can be altered.

The only body-related information warfare

element considered by the United States is

psychological operations (PSYOP). In Joint

Publication 3-13.1, for example, PSYOP is listed as

one of the elements of command and control

warfare. The publication notes that "the ultimate

target of [information warfare] is the information

dependent process, whether human or automated

. . . . Command and control warfare (C2W) is an

application of information warfare in military

operations. . . . C2W is the integrated use of

PSYOP, military deception, operations security,

electronic warfare and physical destruction."[5]

One source defines information as a

"nonaccidental signal used as an input to a

computer or communications system."[6] The

human body is a complex communication system

constantly receiving nonaccidental and accidental

signal inputs, both external and internal. If the

ultimate target of information warfare is the

information-dependent process, "whether human

or automated," then the definition in the joint

publication implies that human data-processing of

internal and external signals can clearly be

considered an aspect of information warfare.

Foreign researchers have noted the link between

humans as data processors and the conduct of

information warfare. While some study only the

PSYOP link, others go beyond it. As an example of

the former, one recent Russian article described

offensive information warfare as designed to "use

the Internet channels for the purpose of

organizing PSYOP as well as for `early political

warning' of threats to American interests."[7] The

author's assertion was based on the fact that "all

mass media are used for PSYOP . . . [and] today

this must include the Internet." The author

asserted that the Pentagon wanted to use the

Internet to "reinforce psychological influences"

during special operations conducted outside of US

borders to enlist sympathizers, who would

accomplish many of the tasks previously entrusted

to special units of the US armed forces.

Others, however, look beyond simple PSYOP ties

to consider other aspects of the body's data-

processing capability. One of the principal open

source researchers on the relationship of

information warfare to the body's data-processing

capability is Russian Dr. Victor Solntsev of the

Baumann Technical Institute in Moscow. Solntsev

is a young, well-intentioned researcher striving to

point out to the world the potential dangers of the

computer operator interface. Supported by a

network of institutes and academies, Solntsev has

produced some interesting concepts.[8] He insists

that man must be viewed as an open system

instead of simply as an organism or closed

system. As an open system, man communicates

with his environment through information flows

and communications media. One's physical

environment, whether through electromagnetic,

gravitational, acoustic, or other effects, can cause

a change in the psycho-physiological condition of

an organism, in Solntsev's opinion. Change of this

sort could directly affect the mental state and

consciousness of a computer operator. This would

not be electronic war or information warfare in the

traditional sense, but rather in a nontraditional

and non-US sense. It might encompass, for

example, a computer modified to become a

weapon by using its energy output to emit

acoustics that debilitate the operator. It also might

encompass, as indicated below, futuristic

weapons aimed against man's "open system."

Solntsev also examined the problem of

"information noise," which creates a dense shield

between a person and external reality. This noise

may manifest itself in the form of signals,

messages, images, or other items of information.

The main target of this noise would be the

consciousness of a person or a group of people.

Behavior modification could be one objective of

information noise; another could be to upset an

individual's mental capacity to such an extent as to

prevent reaction to any stimulus. Solntsev

concludes that all levels of a person's psyche

(subconscious, conscious, and "superconscious")

are potential targets for destabilization.

According to Solntsev, one computer virus

capable of affecting a person's psyche is Russian

Virus 666. It manifests itself in every 25th frame of

a visual display, where it produces a combination

of colors that allegedly put computer operators

into a trance. The subconscious perception of the

new pattern eventually results in arrhythmia of the

heart. Other Russian computer specialists, not just

Solntsev, talk openly about this "25th frame effect"

and its ability to subtly manage a computer user's

perceptions. The purpose of this technique is to

inject a thought into the viewer's subconscious. It

may remind some of the subliminal advertising

controversy in the United States in the late 1950s.

US Views on "Wonder Weapons": Altering the

Data-Processing Ability of the Body

What technologies have been examined by the

United States that possess the potential to disrupt

the data-processing capabilities of the human

organism? The 7 July 1997 issue of U.S. News and

World Report described several of them

designed, among other things, to vibrate the

insides of humans, stun or nauseate them, put

them to sleep, heat them up, or knock them down

with a shock wave.[9] The technologies include

dazzling lasers that can force the pupils to close;

acoustic or sonic frequencies that cause the hair

cells in the inner ear to vibrate and cause motion

sickness, vertigo, and nausea, or frequencies that

resonate the internal organs causing pain and

spasms; and shock waves with the potential to

knock down humans or airplanes and which can

be mixed with pepper spray or chemicals.[10]

With modification, these technological

applications can have many uses. Acoustic

weapons, for example, could be adapted for use

as acoustic rifles or as acoustic fields that, once

established, might protect facilities, assist in

hostage rescues, control riots, or clear paths for

convoys. These waves, which can penetrate

buildings, offer a host of opportunities for military

and law enforcement officials. Microwave

weapons, by stimulating the peripheral nervous

system, can heat up the body, induce epileptic-

like seizures, or cause cardiac arrest. Low-

frequency radiation affects the electrical activity

of the brain and can cause flu-like symptoms and

nausea. Other projects sought to induce or

prevent sleep, or to affect the signal from the

motor cortex portion of the brain, overriding

voluntary muscle movements. The latter are

referred to as pulse wave weapons, and the

Russian government has reportedly bought over

100,000 copies of the "Black Widow" version of

them.[11]

However, this view of "wonder weapons" was

contested by someone who should understand

them. Brigadier General Larry Dodgen, Deputy

Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Policy

and Missions, wrote a letter to the editor about the

"numerous inaccuracies" in the U.S. News and

World Report article that "misrepresent the

Department of Defense's views."[12] Dodgen's

primary complaint seemed to have been that the

magazine misrepresented the use of these

technologies and their value to the armed forces.

He also underscored the US intent to work within

the scope of any international treaty concerning

their application, as well as plans to abandon (or

at least redesign) any weapon for which

countermeasures are known. One is left with the

feeling, however, that research in this area is

intense. A concern not mentioned by Dodgen is

that other countries or non-state actors may not be

bound by the same constraints. It is hard to

imagine someone with a greater desire than

terrorists to get their hands on these technologies.

"Psycho-terrorism" could be the next buzzword.

Russian Views on "Psychotronic War"

The term "psycho-terrorism" was coined by

Russian writer N. Anisimov of the Moscow Anti-

Psychotronic Center. According to Anisimov,

psychotronic weapons are those that act to "take

away a part of the information which is stored in a

man's brain. It is sent to a computer, which

reworks it to the level needed for those who need

to control the man, and the modified information is

then reinserted into the brain." These weapons

are used against the mind to induce

hallucinations, sickness, mutations in human cells,

"zombification," or even death. Included in the

arsenal are VHF generators, X-rays, ultrasound,

and radio waves. Russian army Major I.

Chernishev, writing in the military journal

Orienteer in February 1997, asserted that "psy"

weapons are under development all over the

globe. Specific types of weapons noted by

Chernishev (not all of which have prototypes)

were:

A psychotronic generator, which produces a

powerful electromagnetic emanation capable of

being sent through telephone lines, TV, radio

networks, supply pipes, and incandescent lamps.
An autonomous generator, a device that operates

in the 10-150 Hertz band, which at the 10-20 Hertz

band forms an infrasonic oscillation that is

destructive to all living creatures.
A nervous system generator, designed to paralyze

the central nervous systems of insects, which

could have the same applicability to humans.
Ultrasound emanations, which one institute claims

to have developed. Devices using ultrasound

emanations are supposedly capable of carrying

out bloodless internal operations without leaving

a mark on the skin. They can also, according to

Chernishev, be used to kill.
Noiseless cassettes. Chernishev claims that the

Japanese have developed the ability to place

infra-low frequency voice patterns over music,

patterns that are detected by the subconscious.

Russians claim to be using similar

"bombardments" with computer programming to

treat alcoholism or smoking.
The 25th-frame effect, alluded to above, a

technique wherein each 25th frame of a movie reel

or film footage contains a message that is picked

up by the subconscious. This technique, if it

works, could possibly be used to curb smoking

and alcoholism, but it has wider, more sinister

applications if used on a TV audience or a

computer operator.
Psychotropics, defined as medical preparations

used to induce a trance, euphoria, or depression.

Referred to as "slow-acting mines," they could be

slipped into the food of a politician or into the

water supply of an entire city. Symptoms include

headaches, noises, voices or commands in the

brain, dizziness, pain in the abdominal cavities,

cardiac arrhythmia, or even the destruction of the

cardiovascular system.
There is confirmation from US researchers that this

type of study is going on. Dr. Janet Morris,

coauthor of The Warrior's Edge, reportedly went

to the Moscow Institute of Psychocorrelations in

1991. There she was shown a technique pioneered

by the Russian Department of Psycho-Correction

at Moscow Medical Academy in which researchers

electronically analyze the human mind in order to

influence it. They input subliminal command

messages, using key words transmitted in "white

noise" or music. Using an infra-sound, very low

frequency transmission, the acoustic psycho-

correction message is transmitted via bone

conduction.[13]

In summary, Chernishev noted that some of the

militarily significant aspects of the "psy"

weaponry deserve closer research, including the

following nontraditional methods for disrupting

the psyche of an individual:

ESP research: determining the properties and

condition of objects without ever making contact

with them and "reading" peoples' thoughts
Clairvoyance research: observing objects that are

located just beyond the world of the visible--used

for intelligence purposes
Telepathy research: transmitting thoughts over a

distance--used for covert operations
Telekinesis research: actions involving the

manipulation of physical objects using thought

power, causing them to move or break apart--used

against command and control systems, or to

disrupt the functioning of weapons of mass

destruction
Psychokinesis research: interfering with the

thoughts of individuals, on either the strategic or

tactical level
While many US scientists undoubtedly question

this research, it receives strong support in

Moscow. The point to underscore is that

individuals in Russia (and other countries as well)

believe these means can be used to attack or steal

from the data-processing unit of the human body.

Solntsev's research, mentioned above, differs

slightly from that of Chernishev. For example,

Solntsev is more interested in hardware

capabilities, specifically the study of the

information-energy source associated with the

computer-operator interface. He stresses that if

these energy sources can be captured and

integrated into the modern computer, the result

will be a network worth more than "a simple sum

of its components." Other researchers are

studying high-frequency generators (those

designed to stun the psyche with high frequency

waves such as electromagnetic, acoustic, and

gravitational); the manipulation or reconstruction

of someone's thinking through planned measures

such as reflexive control processes; the use of

psychotronics, parapsychology, bioenergy, bio

fields, and psychoenergy;[14] and unspecified

"special operations" or anti-ESP training.

The last item is of particular interest. According to

a Russian TV broadcast, the strategic rocket forces

have begun anti-ESP training to ensure that no

outside force can take over command and control

functions of the force. That is, they are trying to

construct a firewall around the heads of the

operators.

Conclusions

At the end of July 1997, planners for Joint Warrior

Interoperability Demonstration '97 "focused on

technologies that enhance real-time collaborative

planning in a multinational task force of the type

used in Bosnia and in Operation Desert Storm. The

JWID '97 network, called the Coalition Wide-Area

Network (CWAN), is the first military network that

allows allied nations to participate as full and

equal partners."[15] The demonstration in effect

was a trade fair for private companies to

demonstrate their goods; defense ministries got to

decide where and how to spend their money

wiser, in many cases without incurring the cost of

prototypes. It is a good example of doing business

better with less. Technologies demonstrated

included:[16]

Soldiers using laptop computers to drag cross-

hairs over maps to call in airstrikes
Soldiers carrying beepers and mobile phones

rather than guns
Generals tracking movements of every unit,

counting the precise number of shells fired

around the globe, and inspecting real-time

damage inflicted on an enemy, all with

multicolored graphics[17]
Every account of this exercise emphasized the

ability of systems to process data and provide

information feedback via the power invested in

their microprocessors. The ability to affect or

defend the data-processing capability of the

human operators of these systems was never

mentioned during the exercise; it has received

only slight attention during countless exercises

over the past several years. The time has come to

ask why we appear to be ignoring the operators of

our systems. Clearly the information operator,

exposed before a vast array of potentially

immobilizing weapons, is the weak spot in any

nation's military assets. There are few

international agreements protecting the individual

soldier, and these rely on the good will of the

combatants. Some nations, and terrorists of every

stripe, don't care about such agreements.

This article has used the term data-processing to

demonstrate its importance to ascertaining what

so-called information warfare and information

operations are all about. Data-processing is the

action this nation and others need to protect.

Information is nothing more than the output of this

activity. As a result, the emphasis on information-

related warfare terminology ("information

dominance," "information carousel") that has

proliferated for a decade does not seem to fit the

situation before us. In some cases the battle to

affect or protect data-processing elements pits

one mechanical system against another. In other

cases, mechanical systems may be confronted by

the human organism, or vice versa, since humans

can usually shut down any mechanical system with

the flip of a switch. In reality, the game is about

protecting or affecting signals, waves, and

impulses that can influence the data-processing

elements of systems, computers, or people. We

are potentially the biggest victims of information

warfare, because we have neglected to protect

ourselves.

Our obsession with a "system of systems,"

"information dominance," and other such

terminology is most likely a leading cause of our

neglect of the human factor in our theories of

information warfare. It is time to change our

terminology and our conceptual paradigm. Our

terminology is confusing us and sending us in

directions that deal primarily with the hardware,

software, and communications components of the

data-processing spectrum. We need to spend

more time researching how to protect the humans

in our data management structures. Nothing in

those structures can be sustained if our operators

have been debilitated by potential adversaries or

terrorists who--right now--may be designing the

means to disrupt the human component of our

carefully constructed notion of a system of

systems.

NOTES

1. I. Chernishev, "Can Rulers Make `Zombies' and

Control the World?" Orienteer, February 1997, pp.

58-62.

2. Douglas Pasternak, "Wonder Weapons," U.S.

News and World Report, 7 July 1997, pp. 38-46.

3. Ibid., p. 38.

4. FM 101-5-1, Operational Terms and Graphics, 30

September 1997, p. 1-82.

5. Joint Pub 3-13.1, Joint Doctrine for Command

and Control Warfare (C2W), 7 February 1996, p. v.

6. The American Heritage Dictionary (2d College

Ed.; Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982), p. 660,

definition 4.

7. Denis Snezhnyy, "Cybernetic Battlefield &

National Security," Nezavisimoye Voyennoye

Obozreniye, No. 10, 15-21 March 1997, p. 2.

8. Victor I. Solntsev, "Information War and Some

Aspects of a Computer Operator's Defense," talk

given at an Infowar Conference in Washington,

D.C., September 1996, sponsored by the National

Computer Security Association. Information in this

section is based on notes from Dr. Solntsev's talk.

9. Pasternak, p. 40.

10. Ibid., pp. 40-46.

11. Ibid.

12. Larry Dodgen, "Nonlethal Weapons," U.S.

News and World Report, 4 August 1997, p. 5.

13. "Background on the Aviary," Nexus Magazine,

downloaded from the Internet on 13 July 1997 from

www.execpc.com/vjentpr/nexusavi.html, p.7.

14. Aleksandr Cherkasov, "The Front Where Shots

Aren't Fired," Orienteer, May 1995, p. 45. This

article was based on information in the foreign

and Russian press, according to the author,

making it impossible to pinpoint what his source

was for this reference.

15. Bob Brewin, "DOD looks for IT `golden

nuggets,'" Federal Computer Week, 28 July 1997,

p. 31, as taken from the Earlybird Supplement, 4

August 1997, p. B 17.

16. Oliver August, "Zap! Hard day at the office for

NATO's laptop warriors," The Times, 28 July 1997,

as taken from the Earlybird Supplement, 4 August

1997, p. B 16.

17. Ibid.

Lieutenant Colonel Timothy L. Thomas (USA Ret.)

is an analyst at the Foreign Military Studies Office,

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Recently he has written

extensively on the Russian view of information

operations and on current Russian military-

political issues. During his military career he

served in the 82d Airborne Division and was the

Department Head of Soviet Military-Political

Affairs at the US Army's Russian Institute in

Garmisch, Germany.

Reviewed 25 February 1998. Please send

comments or corrections to

usarmy.carlisle.awc.mbx.parameters@mail.mil