Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsuquent chapter of the book. Physical destruction through use of soldiers, guns and bombs is the primary basis of modern military conflict. The concrete precursor of the ascendant Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) underpinned by information technology was manifest in the military technology displayed by coalition forces during the first Gulf War in 1991 through the use of 'smart' precision-guided kinetic weapons. Physical destruction through use of soldiers, guns and bombs is the primary basis of modern military conflict. In the context of information warfare activities between States, the use of force regime embodied in the Charter of the United Nations (UN Charter) leaves room for ambiguities. In the twenty-first century, the world finds itself back in a Cold War paradigm with the world's military powers increasingly reliant for their military mobilisation and security on space assets and information networks.