The ethical issues of using false intelligence in military operations involve complex ethical, strategic, and legal considerations, and need to be analyzed comprehensively from multiple angles.： ###1. Ethical dimension 1. **The perspective of Obligation Theory** (Kantian Ethics) -Core contradiction: Deception violates the moral law of "not lying", but soldiers have an obligation to protect their citizens. -Typical case: In the "Operation Bodyguard" in 1944, the British and British fictionalized the First Army of the US army. Although it was a deception, it shortened the course of the war. 2. **Utilitarian perspective** -Benefit trade-off: The "Bertram Plan" on the North African battlefield in 1942 reduced casualties on both sides through camouflage equipment, which was in line with the principle of "the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people". -Risk paradox: In the 1991 Gulf War, the Iraqi army forged chemical weapons facilities, resulting in the accidental bombing of civilian areas. ###2. Framework of international law 1. **Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions** -Article 37 clearly prohibits "treachery", but tactical deception (such as camouflage nets and fake targets) is regarded as a legal war trick. -Key distinction: whether to abuse protected symbols (red Cross, white flag, etc.) 2. **New challenges of information warfare** - In 2016, Russia's "cyber navy" interfered in the election, causing controversy over the lack of rules in cyberspace. -NATO's 2021 "Ethics Guide for Artificial Intelligence" requires autonomous Systems to retain "interpretability" ###3. The Paradox of Historical Practice 1. **Successful examples** -The deception of D-Day in 1944 caused the German army to misjudge the direction of the main attack, which is estimated to reduce Allied casualties by about 200,000. -Egypt successfully concealed the river crossing plan in the 1973 Middle East War to break the strategic stalemate 2. **Moral hazard** -False information in the "Phoenix Plan" of the Vietnam War led to the accidental killing of about 26,000 civilians -In 2003, an intelligence error on Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction" triggered a crisis of confidence. ###4. Evolution of modern conflicts 1. **Cognitive domain combat** -The spread of false information in mixed wars is 600 times faster than in World War II (Oxford University 2022 study) -The "Digital Soldier" plan on the Ukrainian battlefield mobilizes civilians to participate in information confrontation 2. **Technical ethics dilemma** -Deepfake technology can generate lifelike videos of leaders' speeches, and there is only 15 minutes left in the authenticity verification time window (evaluated by Rand Corporation) -Whether autonomous drones should be equipped with deception modules triggered a debate in the IEEE Ethics Committee ### Conclusion： The morality of military deception depends on the specific situation： 1. Net benefit assessment of expected consequences 2. Whether it violates the rules of international war 3. Impact on long-term strategic credit 4. Feasibility of alternative options As Clausewitz pointed out in "Theory of War": "War is the continuation of politics", the moral judgment of intelligence methods must eventually return to the legitimacy of political purposes. In modern warfare, the use of false intelligence is upgrading from a tactical level to a strategic cognitive confrontation, and there is an urgent need to establish a new international normative framework.