Using military concepts in civil administrative structures: the Estonian case

Abstract

Estonian governmental authorities have imported terms like strategic communication, information operations, psychological operations, and psychological defence from NATO’s military concepts into civil structures.This paper shows how questionable the use of the above terms in public administration vocabulary can be: e.g. ‘information operations’ and ‘psychological operations’ are, in essence, military tools used against adversaries. The paper aims to give a snapshot of the conceptual overviews of the terms ‘strategic communications’, ‘information operations’ ‘psychological operations’, and ‘psychological defence’. It will show the importance of using precise terms by state administrative bodies. To achieve this, the author provides historical background for the borrowed terminology. Official Estonian, NATO and EU documents are also analysed to show the use and connotations of these terms. These steps provide the framework for the final discussion. The discussion shows how seemingly innocent terms can give very vast options for the government to use in peacetime with their citizens and friendly nations