#165 Aaron Schmidt on Information Considerations for Exercises
Sep 12, 2023
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Guest Aaron Schmidt, an expert on incorporating the information environment into military exercises, discusses the challenges and contradictions of incorporating the 'information environment' into exercises. He also highlights the lack of expertise in national power instruments and the complexities within the information environment. The podcast emphasizes the importance of humility, honesty, clear expectations, and incorporating information exercises in creating a suitable information environment for training and evaluation.
Creating a realistic information environment in military exercises requires accurate resource allocation and recognition of partnership gaps.
Reducing the scope and scale of exercises allows for better focus on specific information considerations and the simulation of realistic effects.
Deep dives
The Challenge of Creating an Information Environment in Exercises
Creating a realistic information environment in military exercises is a complex task due to various contradictions and limitations. The exercise planners need to recognize the resource and partnership gaps and define objectives and resources accurately. Implementation of safe-to-fail gaming environments and leveraging gaming for talent development can be beneficial. The British Ministry of Defense's Influence Wargaming Handbook and revisiting relevant doctrine can provide insights and guidance.
Scoping Exercises for Meaningful Information Considerations
Reducing the scope and scale of exercises can improve the effectiveness of information environments. It allows focusing on specific information considerations, such as relevant actor behavior, and creating conditions that enable realistic simulation of effects. Key elements for successful exercises include defining objectives and aligning them with available resources, leveraging gaming as a safe-to-fail environment, and actively managing talent to meet the challenges of the 21st century national security.
Understanding the Role of Influencers
Influencers play a significant role in shaping behavior and can be assets to achieve desired objectives. The key is to define the behavior to be influenced and relate it to the target audience. Recognizing that talent is everywhere and leveraging influencers strategically can lead to better outcomes in national security efforts.
Recommended Resources
The British Ministry of Defense's Influence Wargaming Handbook provides valuable insights into tackling challenges related to information environment in exercises. Additionally, staying updated with relevant doctrine and considering books and other resources from different fields can enhance information professionals' understanding and ability to approach complex national security issues.
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, Aaron Schmidt shares his perspective and constructive critique related to incorporating the information environment into military exercises.
Guest Bio: Aaron Schmidt is a Psychological Operations Specialist in the United States Army Reserve. After studying Secondary English Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, his ten-year career in education brought him from classroom education to public policy to higher education administration. He joined the Reserve in 2016, and has been recognized for excellence in professional military education, joint service initiatives, and impact on exercises, most recently as part of an Army Campaign of Learning with the Theater Information Advantage Detachment.
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.