Information-Technological Factor in Modern Conflicts: Transformation of Security and Defense Systems
Abstract
Purpose. This study aims to assess the role of the information-technological factor in the transformation of modern armed conflicts and determine its impact on national security and defense systems. It examines how digital technologies, cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and strategic communications influence contemporary security environments.
Methodology. The study employs a qualitative comparative research design that combines systems, comparative, and SWOT analyses. Three conflict cases are examined: the 2020 Second Karabakh War, the Russia–Ukraine War since 2022, and selected Middle Eastern conflicts. The analysis focuses on information superiority, cyber capabilities, intelligence systems, unmanned technologies, and cognitive influence mechanisms.
Findings. The study indicates that information technologies have evolved from supporting military instruments into strategic components of national security systems. The comparative analysis identifies three distinct models of technological transformation: information technologies as an operational force multiplier, as the foundation of multidomain warfare, and as instruments of hybrid and asymmetric influence.
Theoretical implications. The study broadens the understanding of military transformation by integrating information security, cyber resilience, and strategic communications into the concept of contemporary security capability.
Practical implications. The findings emphasize the need to develop integrated national security systems based on digital resilience, cybersecurity capabilities, technological adaptation, and effective information management.
Value. The article provides a comparative framework for explaining how information-technological superiority affects different types of modern conflicts and contributes to the development of security studies.
Article type: Research article (qualitative comparative study).
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