#222 JD Maddox on Emerging IO Opportunities

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Apr 15, 2025

JD Maddox, an expert in political warfare and former CIA branch chief, shares insights on navigating contemporary information operations. He discusses innovative concepts like letters of marque, advocating for fresh approaches to influence in today's strategic landscape. The conversation touches on the importance of adaptive psychological operations, particularly against groups like the Lord's Resistance Army. Maddox emphasizes the need for public-private partnerships and a shift in mindset to embrace new international outreach opportunities amidst evolving global challenges.

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ANECDOTE

Successful LRA Radio PSYOP Campaign

In 2012, US PSYOP led a successful radio campaign against the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa.
This campaign encouraged defections and contributed to LRA's significant decline.

ANECDOTE

Ukraine's Kherson Ruse Tactic

Ukraine’s Kherson ruse deceived Russian troops into expecting an attack in one location while targeting another.
This military deception leveraged adversary psychology to gain a strategic advantage.

INSIGHT

Task-Based IO Organizational Shift

The US information operations must shift from function-based to task-based organizations focused on specific threats.
Task-centric teams allow flexible integration of diverse capabilities like cyber, social psychology, and media expertise.

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The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, JD Maddox discusses new influence opportunities borne out of necessity. JD suggests that listeners consider radical-sounding concepts for, such as letters of marque, indemnification, task-based organization, public-private operations, and new authorities as viable influence pathways for today’s strategic landscape.

Recording Date: 31 Mar 2025

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned or Related
- #110 Sean McFate on The New Rules of War
- #220 Tom Kent on US International Broadcasting and Soft Power
Lord’s Resistance Army (Central Africa)
The Kherson Ruse: Ukraine and the Art of Military Deception
Letters of Marque
US Agency for Global Media

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: J.D. Maddox is an expert in political warfare, and an academic, writer and former political candidate. He has served as a Central Intelligence Agency branch chief, deputy coordinator of the U.S. Global Engagement Center, advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and as a U.S. Army Psychological Operations team leader. He is the founder of Inventive Insights LLC, and the Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Deft9 Solutions, and currently consults on Operations in the Information Environment to government organizations, and consults to commercial and political organizations on strategic communications. He's an adjunct professor of national security studies at George Mason University's Schar School, teaching Disinformation and Policy Responses, and he’s an adjunct professor at Tulane University, where he teaches Open Source Information Analysis. He also recently initiated "Tab D," a biweekly report highlighting U.S. adversaries' narrative vulnerabilities.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

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