What actions are taken to mislead adversary decision-makers, impacting their actions or inactions to benefit a friendly mission?

The action that specifically focuses on misleading adversary decision-makers, thereby influencing their actions or inactions to support a friendly mission, is military deception. This tactic involves creating and disseminating false or misleading information regarding friendly forces, intentions, and capabilities. By manipulating perceptions, military deception aims to create confusion among the adversary, causing them to misjudge the situation or divert their resources in ways that are advantageous for friendly forces.

Military deception may include a variety of tactics such as feints, demonstrations, and information manipulation to achieve its goals. This strategic approach ensures that the primary objectives of a mission can be pursued without interference from the adversary, thereby maximizing the potential for mission success.

In contrast, counterintelligence focuses on thwarting espionage and protecting sensitive information from adversaries, but does not primarily aim to mislead them for tactical advantage. Psychological operations involve the use of communication strategies to influence attitudes and behaviors of target audiences but are not specifically aimed at misleading adversarial decision-making in a military context. Cyber operations, while capable of affecting communications and information systems, do not inherently aim at deception for the purpose of directing an adversary's decision-making process.