Commercial Air Carrier Vulnerabilities to Information Operations

The conduct of Information Operations by the United States Military and its enemies is changing because of the rapid development of information technology. The increasing dependence of government and industry on information technology has created critical vulnerabilities that can be exploited by degrading or destroying the use of information systems. Among those elements susceptible to these vulnerabilities are the operations of commercial air carriers that are essential to the military's ability to wage war and project power wherever needed in the world. These threats must be seriously examined and mitigated to ensure that commercial air carriers can fulfill their roles in our national security strategy. This study reveals potential Information Operations vulnerabilities in the commercial air carriers' conduct of missions for the military. The systems used by Air Mobility Command to plan and track the operation of contracted airlift, and those used by the airlines to operate their flight schedule, are susceptible to physical and cyber attacks. A potential result of a successful attack is a dramatic slowdown in the operation of commercial air carriers that could lead to unacceptable delays in transporting combat forces where they are needed to execute national military objectives.