Name a common shipboard IW task.

• A. Monitor weather; coordinate OPSEC measures; integrate MILDEC/PSYOP messaging with operations.
• B. Monitor and secure communications; coordinate OPSEC measures; integrate MILDEC/PSYOP messaging with operations.
• C. Monitor and secure communications; coordinate OPSEC measures; monitor space surveillance.
• D. Monitor and secure logistics; coordinate OPSEC measures; execute direct action.

Answer: (B)

Shipboard information warfare centers on protecting the information environment and shaping it to support operations. The strongest option covers the core IW activities: monitoring and securing communications to keep information flows trustworthy and resilient; coordinating OPSEC measures to prevent sensitive information from leaking or being exploited; and weaving MILDEC (military deception) and PSYOP messaging into operations so what audiences see and hear aligns with strategic objectives and influences adversaries and others involved.

The other choices mix in elements not typically part of shipboard IW. Weather monitoring is a meteorological task, not an information warfare task. Space surveillance belongs to space-domain operations rather than onboard IW. And executing direct action is a kinetic military task, not an information-focused activity.