Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked for a wide-ranging study of the Pentagon's information operations and given officials just 15 days to complete it.
The review comes amid a separate Pentagon investigation into whether an official hired private contractors to run an off-the-books spy operation for tracking suspected insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"Information operations" is a military term often used to describe collecting and disseminating intelligence, including electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations and military deception.
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told a press conference Tuesday that Gates asked a small group of officials to study whether the programs are being run with proper oversight and guidelines.