Department of Information Warfare

The Chief of the Department
Ph. D., DocentColonel
Vitalii Katsalap

The Department of Information Warfare is a subdivision of the Strategic Communications Institute, which conducts educational, methodological, scientific and innovative activities in the interests of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the relevant specialties (specializations) and areas of scientific research.

The information warfare department is leaded by the chief of the department, candidate of military sciences (PhD), associate professor, colonel Vitaliy Katsalap.

The Department was established on September 1, 2023 with the aim of increasing the capabilities of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in countering informational threats, the level of which is steadily increasing.

The scientific potential of the department consists of: 1 doctor of science and 4 candidates of science.

The main tasks of the Department are:

• Training of highly qualified military specialists of the second (master) level of higher education for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations and law enforcement agencies of the state in the field of knowledge 25 “Military sciences, national security, security of the state border”, in specialty 254 “Support of troops (forces)”, specialization “Management of information security in the Armed Forces”, to obtain the professional qualification “professional in the field of support of troops (forces), operational level officer”.
• Participation in the training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of the highest category (Doctor of Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy) of the third (educational-scientific) level of higher education for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations and law enforcement agencies in the field of knowledge: 12 “Information Technologies” in the specialty 122 “Computer Sciences”; 25 “Military Sciences, National Security, State Border Security”, specialty 253 “Military Command (by Armed Forces)”.
• Implementation of scientific, research, scientific-technical and innovative activities on scientific problems: Research problems of construction and development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Problems of improving the management system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Study of the problems of training, application and comprehensive support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Implementation of information and analytical technologies and systems, software and hardware systems for training specialists in planning information, psychological operations and actions in cyberspace.
• Interaction with public and volunteer organizations, companies in order to plan measures of information security of the state in the military sphere, cyber defense, information and psychological operations in the interests of operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The main achievements of the department in the conditions of full-scale armed aggression of the russian Federation are mainly related to the introduction of combat experience in educational and scientific activities, namely:

• the department prepared and published collections of information and analytical materials “Combat experience on information security issues obtained during the russian-Ukrainian war” (in 3 volumes);
• representatives of the department took part in scientific and practical conferences: “ITSec: security of information technologies”, “Strategic communications in the field of ensuring national security and defense: problems, experience, prospects”, “Security and defense sector of Ukraine in the protection of national interests: current problems and tasks in the conditions of martial law”, “Ensuring cyber defense of the state”;
• organized practical classes on the platforms of the Higher School of Public Administration and the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine;
• training programs of specialized disciplines have been improved, taking into account the experience of the russian-Ukrainian war.