Enhancing Operational Protection: A Step-By-Step Counter-Deception Guide

It has long been recognized that military deception is an effective strategy for confusing and disorientating adversaries, thereby creating favorable operational conditions for the deceiver. Moreover, the current characteristics of the operational environment provide the perfect landscape for such operations, enhancing the desired effects. In this context, dealing with such malicious actions can create serious dilemmas for the targeted forces. Under such circumstances, the development of a counter-deception tool to protect mission accomplishment becomes a must for any military organization. However, this requires a great deal of expertise and self-awareness. Today, more than ever, the ability to use timely and accurate information is the key to gaining decisive advantage on the battlefield. In this regard, countering the enemy’s deception operations is an important contribution to this objective. Moreover, from a NATO and Romanian perspective, the Russian Federation’s high level of expertise in this type of operations requires solutions to counter it. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research in this area in Western countries, which contributes to the creation of major vulnerabilities that potential adversaries could exploit. In this landscape, the article aims to provide solutions that enhance operational protection against such a scourge through a structured counter-deception process. Beginning with an analysis of deception doctrines to identify solutions to counter common identified themes, I have then reconstructed them into a specific process that is linked to the operational process.