{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140792"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140792","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Transcending the Fight: Culture, Power, and Adaptation to the Information Environment","abstract":"In 2007, the world saw the iphone, a revolutionary new product that connected individual people to the world wide web, giving them instantaneous access to each other and accelerating the digitization of the world. Malicious actors are now using this digitized world to project information power in order to get what they want, regardless if they are using unethical or illegal means such as cyber hacking or creating disinformation campaigns to skew voters' opinions. This poses a new challenge for national security professionals as they struggle with how to perceive the use of military force against adversaries that operate in this space. While they use cyber and disinformation against the US military, they are increasingly using those tools against the American people. This new form of power projection is growing in its use and effectiveness, disrupting basic infrastructure services, economic freedom, and distorting perceptions of what is real and what is not. Some countries are adapting to this new form of power projection better than others. Why is that? This research seeks to answer that question. It looks at government power and strategic culture as possible explanations for adapting to this new informatized world. The dissertation looks at the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom and studies if they are successfully adapting to this new information environment and, if so, why? It concludes that culture is the largest factor and, for the United States, the culture of liberty (specifically the concern over individual rights) is the key reason why it has been the least adaptive nation.","abstract_html":"In 2007, the world saw the iphone, a revolutionary new product that connected individual people to the world wide web, giving them instantaneous access to each other and accelerating the digitization of the world. Malicious actors are now using this digitized world to project information power in order to get what they want, regardless if they are using unethical or illegal means such as cyber hacking or creating disinformation campaigns to skew voters' opinions. This poses a new challenge for national security professionals as they struggle with how to perceive the use of military force against adversaries that operate in this space. While they use cyber and disinformation against the US military, they are increasingly using those tools against the American people. This new form of power projection is growing in its use and effectiveness, disrupting basic infrastructure services, economic freedom, and distorting perceptions of what is real and what is not. Some countries are adapting to this new form of power projection better than others. Why is that? This research seeks to answer that question. It looks at government power and strategic culture as possible explanations for adapting to this new informatized world. The dissertation looks at the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom and studies if they are successfully adapting to this new information environment and, if so, why? It concludes that culture is the largest factor and, for the United States, the culture of liberty (specifically the concern over individual rights) is the key reason why it has been the least adaptive nation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Katolin, Dennis William"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":"Planning, Governance, and Globalization","degree_department":"Public Administration/Public Affairs","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Peters, Joel"],"committee_members":["Dull, Matthew Martin","Faulkner, Brandy S.","Ahram, Ariel I."],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-01-13","date_published":"2026-01-13","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:20Z","subjects":["information environment","cyberspace","IO","military innovation","adaptation","government power","strategic culture","military culture"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:40813"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:40813","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140792","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Peters, Joel"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Dull, Matthew Martin","Faulkner, Brandy S.","Ahram, Ariel I."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Public Administration/Public Affairs"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Katolin, Dennis William"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-14T09:00:50Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-01-14T09:00:50Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-01-13"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Planning, Governance, and Globalization"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["information environment","cyberspace","IO","military innovation","adaptation","government power","strategic culture","military culture"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:40813"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140792"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["In 2007, the world saw the iphone, a revolutionary new product that connected individual people to the world wide web, giving them instantaneous access to each other and accelerating the digitization of the world. Malicious actors are now using this digitized world to project information power in order to get what they want, regardless if they are using unethical or illegal means such as cyber hacking or creating disinformation campaigns to skew voters' opinions. This poses a new challenge for national security professionals as they struggle with how to perceive the use of military force against adversaries that operate in this space. While they use cyber and disinformation against the US military, they are increasingly using those tools against the American people. This new form of power projection is growing in its use and effectiveness, disrupting basic infrastructure services, economic freedom, and distorting perceptions of what is real and what is not. Some countries are adapting to this new form of power projection better than others. Why is that? This research seeks to answer that question. It looks at government power and strategic culture as possible explanations for adapting to this new informatized world. The dissertation looks at the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom and studies if they are successfully adapting to this new information environment and, if so, why? It concludes that culture is the largest factor and, for the United States, the culture of liberty (specifically the concern over individual rights) is the key reason why it has been the least adaptive nation."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Transcending the Fight: Culture, Power, and Adaptation to the Information Environment"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Peters, Joel"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Dull, Matthew Martin","Faulkner, Brandy S.","Ahram, Ariel I."],"dc:contributor.department":["Public Administration/Public Affairs"],"dc:creator":["Katolin, Dennis William"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-14T09:00:50Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-01-14T09:00:50Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-01-13"],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["In 2007, the world saw the iphone, a revolutionary new product that connected individual people to the world wide web, giving them instantaneous access to each other and accelerating the digitization of the world. Malicious actors are now using this digitized world to project information power in order to get what they want, regardless if they are using unethical or illegal means such as cyber hacking or creating disinformation campaigns to skew voters' opinions. This poses a new challenge for national security professionals as they struggle with how to perceive the use of military force against adversaries that operate in this space. While they use cyber and disinformation against the US military, they are increasingly using those tools against the American people. This new form of power projection is growing in its use and effectiveness, disrupting basic infrastructure services, economic freedom, and distorting perceptions of what is real and what is not. Some countries are adapting to this new form of power projection better than others. Why is that? This research seeks to answer that question. It looks at government power and strategic culture as possible explanations for adapting to this new informatized world. The dissertation looks at the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom and studies if they are successfully adapting to this new information environment and, if so, why? 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