The Cognitive Crucible

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, Melissa Graves, Frank Emerson, and Pat Hendrix discuss the history of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), how publicly available information (PAI) is being analyzed by students in the Department of Intelligence and Security Studies at The Citadel, and The Citadel’s Open Source Intelligence Conference which will be held October 23-25, 2024. Recording Date: 26 Aug 2024 Research Questions: Where does academia fit within the OSINT landscape? What should students be allowed to collect? How can students be best kept safe during OSINT analysis? Resources: Citadel’s Open Source Intelligence Conference October 23-25, 2024 Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #129 Eliot Jardines on Open Source Intelligence Melissa Graves bio Frank Emerson bio Pat Hendrix bio We Are Bellingcat: Global Crime, Online Sleuths, and the Bold Future of News by Eliot Higgins Alexei Navalny Russia Documentary (HBO) Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Melissa Graves is an Associate Professor in the Department of Intelligence and Security Studies at The Citadel and currently serves as the head of the department. Her research areas include national security legal issues, the US presidency’s relationship to the intelligence community, and intelligence analysis. She teaches a variety of courses on intelligence and legal issues. Her book, Nixon’s FBI: Hoover, Watergate, and a Bureau in Crisis, evaluates the historically complex and oftentimes fraught relationships between the President, Attorney General, and FBI Director. Frank Emerson is a senior policy consultant and accomplished leader with almost three decades of experience in U.S. national security, intelligence, and foreign policy matters. He served overseas with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Department of State, driving worldwide operations, conducting diplomacy, and building diverse multi-agency international programs. Dr. Michael Pat Hendrix is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Intelligence Analysis and Security Studies at The Citadel Military College. His research areas include intelligence analysis and communication and African national security issues. He teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses including analysis and research, open source intelligence, homeland security, and the department capstone. 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. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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, Maksym Tereshchenko of Mantis Analytics discusses his firm’s AI platform and how it is being used within the informational dimension of the Russia-Ukraine War. Recording Date: 19 July 2024 Research Question: Maksym Tereshchenko suggests as interested student examine:  How can we accurately measure the impact of an influence campaign on people's behavior? NATO and US doctrine categorize domains as air, sea, land, space, and cyber. What about the informational domain? A critical challenge lies in measuring and depicting visually the interactions among events across these domains and their mutual influence. Resources: Mantis Analytics Manto Telegram: a new era of messaging “We Are Bellingcat” by Eliot Higgins "Corporate Security Intelligence and Strategic Decision-Making" by Justin Crump Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: With nearly two dozen years in IT, Maksym Tereshchenko has worked his way up to the top, building data and AI products. He has worked in a variety of settings: from the grandeur of big corporations to the humble beginnings of startups. But everything changed with Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. February 2022 marked a turning point: driven by the mission to help the Ukrainian resistance, Maksym gathered a team of volunteers, setting a mission to make Ukrainian institutions informationally resilient, able to leverage AI to manage physical and informational risks, including identifying Russian influence campaigns, and containing narrative warfare. Thus, the story of Mantis Analytics began. 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. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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, Dave Troy discusses threats to democracy. The related problems of disinformation, misinformation, and radicalization have been popularly misunderstood as technology or fact-checking problems, but this ignores the mechanism of action, which is the reconfiguration of social capital. By recasting these problems as one problem rooted in the reconfiguration of social capital and network topology, we can consider solutions that might maximize public health and favor democracy over fascism, even as the urgent need for stewarding human behavior may introduce ethical questions about what kinds of network configurations are ideal, and who might have the moral authority to oversee their pursuit. Recording Date: 25 June 2024 Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge #76 Yuval Levin on the Constitution & Institutions #110 Sean McFate on The New Rules of War Dave Troy’s website Clarence Streit Work in Progress Article: Disinformation and its effects on social capital networks by Dave Troy The Network State: How To Start a New Country by Balaji Srinivasan Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age by Raymond Craib Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Dave Troy is an investigative journalist focused on exposing threats to democracy. Based in Baltimore, his background as a technologist with an interest in studying online extremism affords him a unique perspective. His work has appeared at MoMA in New York, and he is a fellow with New America Foundation’s Future Frontlines. Dave writes regularly about information warfare, history, and politics. He is the host of the podcast Dave Troy Presents, and speaks regularly at conferences on disinformation, extremism, and information warfare. Contact information is available at davetroy.com. 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. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

US Army Major Michael Zequeira discusses the impact of social media on military recruiting, including the rise of misinformation and its effects on recruiting trends. The research explores how social media speed enables foreign adversaries to manipulate narratives, and the implications of social media on mental health and recruitment goals. The episode also covers TikTok divestiture, social media use in military operations, and book recommendations on Russian disinformation and military leadership.

Dr. Wayne “Mike” Hall discusses the declining intellect in America and stresses the moral imperative of improving learning and mentoring. He covers topics such as incorporating information in war, non-linearity in systems, and the importance of unity of effort. Mike encourages a focus on intellectual growth to address modern challenges in national security and warfare.

Hatteras Hoops discusses Human Domain Security, rethinking humans as cybersecurity assets, GDPR regulations in Europe vs Privacy Laws in America, managing security challenges in cybersecurity, their past career transition, empirical evidence and future disruptive technologies, and book recommendations for human domain security and leadership.

Dr. Josh 'Bugsy' Segal explores the 'American Maginot Line' and the lack of funding for the cognitive war in the US. Topics include disinformation threats, open source intelligence, and challenges in addressing misinformation. The podcast delves into Brand Management, naval ship challenges, and countering disinformation in public diplomacy sectors.

US Air Force Captain Jose Davis discusses leveraging AI in the Information Environment, showcasing case studies on disinformation combat and AI impact. He highlights the importance of AI integration for national security and the evolving arms race in AI techniques. The podcast covers topics like graphic warning labels, inoculation theory against disinformation, AI tools for social media analysis, and AI advancements in the military context.

Army Majors Vincent Michel and Josh Keller from the Command and General Staff College Information Advantage Scholar Program share insights on narrative space in games and targeting non-lethal effects on satellite communication. They discuss perception, cognition, WWII's Pacific Theatre, and challenges in targeting satellite equipment. Emphasizing the importance of information in modern warfare, they delve into developing space courses for warfighters in the G9 Information Warfare Directorate.

Todd Wilcox, Founder of Patriot Defense, discusses political polarization, OSINT in national security, PAI vs. CAI, data privacy regulations, and future threats in national security. The conversation explores the impact of divisive rhetoric, challenges in OSINT acceptance, potential of data integration, outdated military strategies, talent management, and the need for strict regulations in controlling artificial general intelligence (AGI) influence.