The US military uses information warfare (IW) as a supporting role by facilitating and enabling combat operations. Russia has a different approach with IW, using IW early in the campaign to combat these six areas:
A. Leverage local military or political support, discredit leadership, slow decision-making, nurture dissent, shape public opinion, foster or manipulate local sources of instability and mobilize local populations against foreign forces .
B. Create local dissent for the governing bodies, start misinformation campaigns within the local media, discredit leadership, shape public opinion, control elections, and discredit allied forces .
c. Gain military favor to undermine current politics, slow down military movement, shape public opinion, revitalize local politics, control media headlines, and discredit foreign leadership