전쟁이론 관점에서 본 전략적 소통: 개념 정립과 운용방안

초록

This paper criticizes the existing view that understands Strategic Communication (SC) as an expanded form of military publicity or image management, and argues for its reconceptualization within the framework of war theory. War is not merely physical confrontation, but a “continuation of politics” and a “clash of wills.” Destroying the enemy’s armed forces alone does not guarantee the achievement of political objectives. Modern conflict has shifted from “industrialized war” to “war amongst the people,” where victory is determined not by destructive firepower, but by who succeeds in winning the hearts and minds of local populations. War functions as a combination of military and non-military communication, and of verbal and non-verbal forms of influence. Its ultimate goal is not physical subjugation, but persuasion; in this sense, contemporary war can be regarded as a “competition of communication.” Based on an examination of how SC has been conceptualized in the United States and NATO - and how it has been adopted, yet misunderstood, in South Korea - this study attempts to reconstruct the concept of strategic communication. Given that modern warfare is fundamentally a competition of narratives and perceptions, SC should function as a philosophy of war and a principle of action, rather than as a discrete operational tool. This perspective differs from U.S. and NATO definitions that have treated SC primarily as an operational concept. Instead, SC should serve as a assumption and a principle of actions governing all military activities. From this standpoint, the paper proposes practical measures for how strategic communication can be applied and institutionalized in real-world military contexts.

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