Brigadier General Ronald T. Rand, chief of public affairs for the United States Air Force, told students yesterday the war in Afghanistan involved information rather than brute force.
“This war of the 21st century is the first real information war,” Rand said.
Rand, a BU alumnus, spoke to the 100 students for an hour, explaining his concern with publishing military information and names of airmen on the internet after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“We got a bit more careful when dealing with people who are engaged in the war on terror,” Rand said.
Rand said one of the major concerns was airmen being interviewed and using their real names. Rand said in many interviews pilots are asked to use their nicknames in order to protect their identity.
“With a little bit of know-how and a little bit of persistence, you can build a picture of someone by doing nothing but sitting at a computer,” Rand said.
Rand said there were members of the military who advised him to take down the institution’s homepage after the terrorist attacks. He responded by saying that, while he respected their advice, he wouldn’t fall into the trap of isolationism.
“There are people in the military who are absolutely convinced we shouldn’t have a web page or a base newspaper,” Rand said.
Rand said although some information must be deemed classified to protect the military, he would never knowingly lie to the American public.
“I consider myself an information warrior,” Rand said. “I will not, can not, and do not cross the line and deal with misinformation and disinformation.”
Rand said if he ever crossed the line, he felt he would not only undermine his own integrity, but that of the Air Force and the United States military.
“As chief spokesman for the Air Force, the minute I do that once and attempt to deceive some people, I lose my personal credibility,” Rand said. “More importantly, my Air Force loses its credibility.”
Rand also compared the current struggles with terrorism to the Cold War, saying it would be a life-changing event for the generation growing up with it.
“I think the war on terror is going to be your cold war,” Rand said. “It will shape the world that you live in and the goals and opportunities you face.”
The military general also answered one of his most frequently asked questions without it being brought up by any students.
“I get asked all the time if I know where Osama bin Laden is,” Rand said. “I’ll tell you exactly what I know. He’s either in Afghanistan or he’s not. He’s either dead or he’s not.”
Although Rand said he was unsure of bin Laden’s whereabouts, he said he thought the war on terror could be won, based on the fact it is an information war.
“I believe it’s a winnable war,” Rand said. “I know what kind of intelligence capabilities we have, what kind of threats that they can pose and I believe we have the capability to put our resources together.”
Rand also weighed in on US military involvement in Iraq, saying the US wouldn’t use the approach it used in the Gulf War due to more advanced Iraqi detection systems, but that the US needed to take action against Saddam Hussein.
“Saddam Hussein is a bad person,” Rand said. “He has a limited chemical capability, he has gassed his own citizens and he has murdered his own family when he thought they were a threat.”
Rand said a military had been created to “simultaneously win two major wars.” However, he said it depended on the size and length of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the US would have a better chance if they could quickly eliminate one foe early.
Students at the event said they thought Rand did an excellent job of trying to answer all questions. Jonathan Talbot, a first-year graduate student, said he thought it was strange when Rand mentioned he has his staff read foreign reports.
“I was struck when he said he and his staff listen to foreign wire services,” Talbot said. “It surprised me they would be concerned about that flow of information and I thought there would be an intelligence function that handed that information to them.”
Other students, like Dwaina Howson, said they found it helpful when Rand spoke about the way students could become better speakers and listeners, and told them writing was helpful in any field.
“I think it was important that he tied in the skills we’d need to learn to be effective communicators,” said Howson, a College of Communication junior. “A lot of people need to know how to write properly no matter what you do.”
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