The Information Operations Network (ION) offers an immersive platform that mirroring the intricate nature of the ubiquitous digital world that is now such an integral part of our daily lives. Designed to emulate the vastness of the internet, ION contains a myriad of digital entities like webpages, blogs, videos, streaming content, social media, and more. However, unlike the real internet, the content on ION resides on a private intranet accessed online by exercise users. ION content is tailor-made for each training scenario, enabling participants to explore web materials and social media in sync with the training's context. ION allows exercise participants the capability to create blue, red, green and white injects that look and feel real in a simulated environment.
ION is a platform that bolsters both individual and group training in Information Operations. ION presents interconnected materials tailored to specific exercise contexts, with the capability to update instantaneously. This real-time modification is governed by the exercise's supervising team. ION boasts around 275 distinctive sites, which, include,
- Country-specific pages from Decision Action Training Environment (DATE) constructs.
- Renowned and globally recognised news outlets
- Open-source platforms (Google)
- Widely used social media and email platforms
- Local governance webpages
- Corporate websites
ION is used to replicate varying operational backdrops, conserving valuable time and resources that would otherwise be expended in training.
ION is essentially a self-contained digital platform that can emulate various operational environments—whether a city, continent, or battlefront—by generating imitation websites, news portals, social media, and fictitious players for training setups. This engages exercise participants in realistic settings. For each unit's training, fresh content is introduced into their digital space in real time, which in turn influences their immediate decisions. ION provides user with a grasp of their operational environment right from the onset. The evolution of ION has provided a tenfold increase in capabilities
Moreover, ION offers actionable insights to users by allowing for real-time assessment, immediate feedback, and even the ability to replay scenarios to review performance.
ION is the cornerstone for future military training, where lessons from past exercises can be harnessed without reinventing the wheel. A pivotal component of this process is the collaboration between various stakeholders.