Abstract
This thesis examines the impact information technologies have had on the national security of the United States. It looks at how these technologies have evolved into a significant component of the economic, military, and social construct of the nation resulting in a transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age.
It introduces a new paradigm for conflict among nations based upon attacking information infrastructures. The political attractions and deterrents to using these new information warfare methods are discussed at great length. The debate is then placed in a traditional realist/liberal context and examined fromm both perspectives, suggesting technological developments are explored and contrasted with new technologies to develop hypotheses regarding the future strategic impacts that these new technologies will have.
An increased reliance on information technology which is highly vulnerable to failure and sabotage has created a new risk to the national security of the United States. These vulnerabilities will be exploited during any conventional military conflicts between nation states, but several political deterrents including economic interdependence and fear of escalation decrease their attraction during peacetime. Despite this, the political and strategic attractions of information warfare make it a likely terrorist weapon.
The final chapter offers policy prescriptions and solutions for integrating these concerns into the franework of the United States grand strategy to decrease the security threat and facilitate international cooperation in this area.
