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, Dr Vicki Nash discusses the Oxford Internet Institute, Internet governance, and regulation related to children. Research Question: What are the benefits of technology use in children or young people; for example: benefits related to forming one’s own identity, one’s own sense personality, self-efficacy? Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #18 Tom Sear on Xenowar #41 Toomas Ilves on the Estonian Perspective Victoria Nash’s OII Webpage Unicef Growing Up in a Connected World report OfCom Children and Parents Media Users survey It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by danah boyd Cloud Empires: How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control by Vili Lehdonvirta Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-136 Guest Bio: Victoria Nash is Director of the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). Her research interests draw on her background as a political theorist, and concern the normative policy implications of evidence characterising children’s use of Internet technologies. Recent research has included an analysis of age verification policies as a tool for balancing the interests of children and adults online, and an examination of the data risks posed to children by connected toys and the Internet of Things. She holds several digital policy advisory roles, including membership of the UK Government’s multi-stakeholder UK Council on Internet Safety (UKCIS) Evidence Group, and serves on the Advisory Board of Internet Matters. She is frequently called on to give expert evidence in UK and EU policy consultations on broader issues such as platform governance and Internet regulation. 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 Maxwell discusses the importance of human rights upfront, influence campaigns, the pursuit of a free and unified Korea, resting on a foundation of deterrence and defense in the context of countering North Korea. Research Questions: Dave suggests technologies be developed which help Western governments access and penetrate North Korea. Also, he believes the potential succession in North Korea is an important research area, as well as mapping out the entire human terrain of key personalities and communicators. He also asks: how can we use defectors and escapees to help with the above research projects and bridge the North and the South. Finally, Dave thinks these “big 5” questions related to North Korea are important: What do we want to achieve in Korea? What is the acceptable durable political arrangement that will protect, serve, and advance US and ROK/US Alliance interests on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia? Who does Kim fear more: The US or the Korean people in the north? (Note it is the Korean people armed with information knowledge of life in South Korea) Do we believe that Kim Jong-un has abandoned the seven decades old strategy of subversion, coercion-extortion (blackmail diplomacy), and use of force to achieve unification dominated by the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State in order to ensure the survival of the mafia like crime family cult known as Kim family regime? In support of that strategy do we believe that Kim Jong-un has abandoned the objective to split the ROK/US Alliance and get US forces off the peninsula?  Has KJU given up his divide to conquer strategy - divide the alliance to conquer the ROK? Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #99 Roger Carstens on Hostage Negotiations & Diplomacy National Strategy for Countering North Korea by Robert Joseph, Robert Collins, Joseph DeTrani, Nicholas Eberstadt, Olivia Enos, David Maxwell, and Greg Scarlatoiu Otto Warmbier Unified Republic of Korea Marked For Life: Songbun: The North Korean Social Classification System by Robert Collins Army of the Indoctrinated: The Suryong, the Soldier, and Information in the KPA by George Hutchinson Becoming Kim Jong-un: A Former CIA Officer’s Insights into North Korea’s Enigmatic Young Dictator by Dr. Jung H. Pak See IPA’s website at the link below for many other book and online resource suggestions related to North Korea Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-135 Guest Bio: David Maxwell is a retired US Army Special Forces Colonel and has spent more than 30 years in Asia as a practitioner and specializes in North Korea and East Asia Security Affairs and irregular, unconventional, and political warfare. He is the Editor of Small Wars Journal. He is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation (where he focuses on a free and unified Korea), and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy. 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, US Air Force LtCol Dan “Plato” Morabito discusses his theory of information warfare. Plato takes what may be considered a first principles approach by defining objectively information, knowledge, and problems with knowing. Then, he assembles a novel taxonomy of information warfare which combines trust, access, and cognition–all of which are required for knowledge creation. After discussing “problems of knowing,” he defines information warfare and a theory for victory. Research Question: What is the role of the US Government to counter malign influence when the enemy is fighting for a strategic advantage directly with America's center of gravity, the American people, and can this be accomplished while preserving freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and other democratic principles? Resources: How We Lost the Information War of 2028 (December 2021) by Dan “Plato” Morabito National Security and the Third-Road Threat: Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Information Warfare (Fall 2021) by Dan “Plato” Morabito Cyber Persistence Theory: Redefining National Security in Cyberspace by Emily Goldman, Michael Fischerkeller, and Richard Harknett Why America Loses Wars: Limited War and US Strategy from the Korean War to the Present by Donald Stoker Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-134 Guest Bio:  Lieutenant Colonel Daniel “Plato” Morabito, commander of the 834th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, 67th Cyberspace Wing, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, holds a master of science in leadership and information technology from Duquesne University, a master of science in cyberspace operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology, a master of military operational art and science from the USAF Air Command and Staff College, and a master of arts in military operations from the US Army Command and General Staff College. 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, US Army MAJ Joe Littell discusses his recent article: the Future of Cyber-Enabled Influence Operations–including emergent technologies, disinformation, and implications for democracy. Joe also presents some of the things we can do to protect ourselves. Research Question: How did China use social media to control the COVID narrative within China? How was Chinese state media messaging oriented, both in frequency and content, prior to their invasion of COVID19 Lockdown Protests?  Was Chinese messaging uniform, both in frequency and content, across languages and regions, or was it tailored by either?  Did Chinese messaging change, either in frequency or content, in response to increased publicity from Western outlets?   Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #41 Toomas Ilves on the Estonian Perspective #86 Nick Starck and David Bierbrauer on Vulnerabilities in the Military Use of AI #129 Eliot Jardines on Open Source Intelligence Littell, Joseph, "The Future of Cyber-Enabled Influence Operations: Emergent Technologies, Disinformation, and the Destruction of Democracy" (2022). ACI Books & Book Chapters. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-133 Guest Bio: Joe Littell enlisted in the Army in 2003 as an infantryman and attained the rank of Sergeant before commissioning in 2010. Upon commission, Major Littell has served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Logistics Officer while assigned to the 83rd Chemical Battalion. As a 1LT, MAJ Littell applied for, assessed, and completed the Psychological Operations Qualification Course and served within the ARSOF community as a Tactical Detachment Commander and Company Commander with 9th PSYOP Battalion (Airborne). MAJ Littell currently serves as a research scientist at the Army Cyber Institute at West Point on the Information Warfare team working on computational propaganda, narrative warfare, radicalization, and microtargeting through publicly and commercially available data. He holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of South Florida and a MS in Data Science from Duke University. 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, Brian Russell returns to the Cognitive Crucible to discuss what he calls: “OIE Truths.” Based on his extensive information operations experience, these truths represent the best advice he can give to commanders and service members on how to embrace and exploit emerging OIE doctrine and capabilities. Research Question: Brian asks: How do we establish a model for conditions-based command and control? Can we have a construct where a force is trained and certified to a certain standard which can quickly chop to a command with the authority to implement that capability? Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #13 Brian Russell on Behind Enemy Lines #38 Lori Reynolds on Operations in the Information Environment #102 Brian Schweers on the All Domain Effects Team Concept #95 LtGen Matthew Glavy on MCDP 8 Information #126 Edgar Hollandsworth on Talent Development and Intelligence Support for OIE   The Five OIE Truths: What it takes to be successful in the information environment by Col Brian Russell Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less by Joseph McCormack Marine Corps Gazette Editorial Policy and Writers’ Guidelines Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-132 Guest Bio: Brian Russell is a recently retired colonel in the United States Marine Corps. After commissioning from North Carolina State University, he served the earliest parts of his 27 year career as an artillery officer with multiple combat deployments including service as a Military Transition Team Leader in Habbaniyah, Iraq, the executive officer of Brigade Headquarters Group in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and Plans Director in Bagram, Afghanistan for a combined joint special operations task force. After giving up command of 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company in Camp Pendleton CA, he was selected to attend the College of Information and Cyberspace at National Defense University as the sole Marine student in the inaugural resident cyberspace strategy war college program. This educational opportunity earned him a set of orders to US Cyber Command where he served in Fires and Effects division and subsequently served as the J5 Plans Director of Joint Task Force ARES. Most recently he commanded II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group (II MIG) in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where he provided joint all domain effects for the MEF commander, 2d and 6th Fleets and multiple key allies and partners.  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.

Brian Burbank, a US Army LTC specializing in immersive information operations, shares insights on modern warfare dynamics. He discusses the Ghost Team's innovative training methods at Fort Irwin, highlighting the integration of multi-domain operations and advanced technologies. Burbank emphasizes the vital role of open-source intelligence in shaping military narratives, particularly in the context of Ukraine. He also explores how AI can enhance decision-making for Commanders, stressing that tech must be practical for it to hold value in modern conflicts.

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, Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony of the Smithsonian discusses her book, Operation Moonglow. She argues that its primary purpose wasn't advancing science; rather, it was part of a political strategy to build a global coalition. Operation Moonglow paints a riveting picture of the intersection of spaceflight, geopolitics, propaganda, and diplomacy during the Cold War. Research Question: Dr. Muir Harmony believes more work is needed for evaluating the impact of information dissemination in a public diplomacy context. Resources: Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Project Apollo by Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell How to Build a Dyson Sphere - The Ultimate Megastructure How to Move the Sun: Stellar Engines Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-130 Guest Bio:  Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony is a historian of science and technology and the curator of the Apollo Collection. Before coming to the Smithsonian, she earned a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has held positions as a visiting scholar at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden (KTH), an Associate Historian at the American Institute of Physics, and as a curator at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago. Muir-Harmony researches and writes on the history of exploring the Moon, from debates about lunar governance to the use of spaceflight as soft power, the topic of her award-winning book, Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Project Apollo (Basic Books, 2020). She is the author of Apollo to the Moon: A History in 50 Objects (National Geographic, 2018) and an advisor to the television series Apollo’s Moon Shot. Her scholarship has been featured by CBS, the New York Times, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and numerous other media outlets. Muir-Harmony’s research and writing have been supported by the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, the Consortium for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, the MIT Presidential Fellowship, the Smithsonian Institution Graduate Research Fellowship, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and the National Science Foundation.  At the Air and Space Museum, she is the lead curator for the One World Connected gallery and serves on exhibit teams for Destination Moon and the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery. Her collection comprises over 2,000 artifacts related to the Apollo program, the Skylab program, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.  Muir-Harmony co-organizes the Space Policy & History Forum, serves on the Executive Council of the Society for the History of Technology, is a member of the American Astronautical Society History Committee, and participates in the US State Department’s Speakers Program. In addition, she teaches in Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. 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, Eliot Jardines describes the world of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), publicly available information (PAI), and why it matters to national security. Research Questions: Eliot suggests interested students and researchers take a look at the following questions: The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) content on social media and other publicly available information (PAI) sources represents a challenge for open-source intelligence (OSINT) practitioners – what new tradecraft (or tactics, techniques, and procedures) is required? Does the experiential nature of the virtual reality environment (such as Meta) differ sufficiently from traditional social media that different exploitation tradecraft (or tactics, techniques, and procedures) is needed? Resources: OSINT Foundation WSJ Article: Rise of Open-Source Intelligence Tests U.S. Spies Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-129 Guest Bio:  Eliot Jardines is the founder of the OSINT Foundation and serves as the Director of Operations and Treasurer. He is President of Gnosis Solutions, Incorporated, a veteran and minority owned small business focused on training and intelligence consultancy. Prior to Gnosis, he was a Senior Consulting Director at Oracle, and Chief Knowledge Officer of CENTRA Technology, Incorporated. In late 2005, Dr. Jardines was appointed as the inaugural Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source. As the senior open-source intelligence official, he was responsible for developing a strategic direction, establishing policy, and oversight of fiscal  resources for social media monitoring efforts across all 17 intelligence agencies. In addition, he served as the Intelligence Community’s senior document and media exploitation (DOMEX) officer, as well as provided oversight to the Open Source Center, the National Media Exploitation Center and the National Virtual Translation Center. From 1996 to 2005, he was founder and President of Open Source Publishing, Incorporated. The firm provided open-source intelligence support to the military, law enforcement and intelligence communities. The company was the 2002 runner-up for the George C. Marshall Award, and subsequently acquired in 2005. Dr. Jardines served eleven years in the US Army (Reserves and on active duty), including assignments at the US Army Intelligence Center and School, US Central Command, the National Ground Intelligence Center and the Defense Intelligence Agency. He was deployed to the 66th Military Intelligence Group in Augsburg, Germany in support of Operation Joint Guard during the late 1990s, where he served as the unit’s first OSINT coordinator. He has testified before the US Congress on intelligence and homeland security issues. He has been published or featured in a number of professional journals, national newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Washington Post. He has done numerous media appearances to include C-SPAN and the CBS Evening News. Dr. Jardines graduated from the University of New Mexico with a dual degree in political science and Latin American studies. He received a Master of Arts in international studies from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University, where he was recognized with the NCOA award for excellence in leadership and academics. He holds a doctorate in human and organizational learning from the George Washington University. Heavily involved in the community, Dr. Jardines is head coach of a USA Shooting club which trains athletes in the 25-meter air and sport pistol Olympic events, and coordinator of the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy program. He was recently appointed to the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation board of directors. He resides in Loudoun County, Virginia with his wife Teresa and their three sons. 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, previous podcast guests, Dr. Chris Paul and Mr. Matt Armstrong discuss their recent article: The Irony Of Misinformation: USIA Myths Block Enduring Solutions. There was productive dialogue related to Cold War-era USG structure and how today’s policy makers can develop foreign policy, public diplomacy, and a talent pipeline relevant for today’s continual competition. Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #20 Chris Paul on the Firehose of Falsehood #49 Matt Armstrong on the Smith-Mundt Act The Irony Of Misinformation: USIA Myths Block Enduring Solutions by Chris Paul and Matt Armstrong Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-128 Guest Bios:  Matt Armstrong is a former Governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, now the US Agency for Global Media, a former executive director of the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, was made an Honorary Member of the PSYOP Regiment, and is working on a PhD at King’s College London writing on US views of political warfare in the early cold war. Christopher Paul is a senior social scientist at the RAND Corporation and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Prior to joining RAND full-time in July 2002, Paul worked as an adjunct at RAND for six years and was on the statistics faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Paul has written over a dozen monographs related to operations in the information environment. 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, Dr. Robert Redfield discusses the health of the United States public health institution, which he believes is grossly underfunded and damaged in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Moreover, Dr. Redfield believes that the biggest societal risk we face is an avian influenza, which is likely to have a much higher mortality rate than the COVID pandemic. Our conversation also touches on ways to prepare societies for the next pandemic, as well as Dr. Redfield’s perspective on damage to public trust. Resources: Robert Redfield AM LLC: Empowering Community Health Leaders with Innovative Solutions The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-127 Guest Bio: Dr. Robert Redfield has had a distinguished career in service to the United States. Most recently, Dr. Redfield was the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2018 - 2021. He also served in the Army medical service as a physician and medical researcher before retiring as a Colonel in 1996. Dr. Redfield is currently the senior medical advisor to AM LLC. AM empowers leaders and communities with innovative solutions and insights to deliver mission critical services to address a variety of global and local public health challenges. 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.