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. Sean McFate discusses his influential book, The New Rules of War. Sean describes how the Westphalian state system is changing, consequences for conventional war, the rise of mercenaries and international mega-corporations, and information operations. Plus, the Cognitive Crucible gets not only one–but two–Monty Python references.

Research Question: Sean asks several questions worthy of examination. First, how can a democracy fight secretive wars without losing its democratic soul? Second, strategic culture can eclipse strategic IQ; so, how can a strong strategic culture be broken? Finally, what is strategic thinking, and how are good strategic thinkers created?

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
• • #49 Matt Armstrong on the Smith-Mundt Act
• https://www.seanmcfate.com
• Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Author) and Thomas Cleary (Translator)
• The Knights Who Say "Ni!" - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-110

Guest Bio:

Dr. Sean McFate is a foreign policy expert, author and novelist. He is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington DC think tank, and a professor of strategy at the National Defense University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Additionally, he serves as an Advisor to Oxford University's Centre for Technology and Global Affairs.

McFate's career began as a paratrooper and officer in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division. He served under Stan McChrystal and David Petraeus, and graduated from elite training programs, such as Jungle Warfare School in Panama. He was also a Jump Master.

McFate then became a private military contractor and paramilitary. Among his many experiences, he dealt with African warlords, raised armies for U.S. interest, rode with armed groups in the Sahara, conducted strategic reconnaissance for the extractive industry, transacted arms deals in Eastern Europe, and helped prevent an impending genocide in the Rwanda region.

In the world of international business, McFate was a Vice President at TD International, a boutique political risk consulting firm with offices in Washington, Houston, Singapore and Zurich. Additionally, he was a program manager at DynCorp International, a consultant at BearingPoint (now Deloitte Consulting), and an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton.

McFate writes novels based on his own military experiences. His latest thriller is High Treason, and #1 New York Timesbestselling author James Patterson said: "Sean McFate just might be the next Tom Clancy, only I think he's even better...The action is non-stop." James Rollins said: "It had me breathless—it's not to be missed!"

McFate also writes serious non-fiction. The New Rules of War: How America Can Win—Against Russia, China, and Other Threats (Morrow) has been called "The Freakonomics of modern warfare." It was named a "Book of the Year" by The Economist, The Times [UK], and The Evening Standard, and is included on West Point's "Commandant's Reading List." Admiral Jim Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, said: "Stunning. Sean McFate is a new Sun Tzu." Max Hastings wrote in The Sunday Times: "[This] iconoclastic book is being hailed by radicals as a wake-up call to governments and armed forces everywhere." It has been translated into six languages and the British edition is titled Goliath: Why the West Isn't Winning. And What We Must Do About It (Penguin). McFate also authored The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order (Oxford Univ Press). The Economist called it a "fascinating and disturbing book."

McFate is a consultant to the U.S. military, U.S. intelligence community, United Nations, and Hollywood. His has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, Politico, Daily Beast, Vice Magazine, War on the Rocks, Military Review and African Affairs. He has appeared on CNN's Amanpour, Morning Joe, Fox and Friends, MSNBC, Fox, Sky News, NPR, BBC, WSJ, FT, Economist, Vice/HBO, The Discovery Channel, and American Heroes Channel. As a scholar, he has authored eight book chapters in edited academic volumes, and two monographs on modern war for the U.S. Department of Defense.

McFate holds a BA from Brown University, MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He was also a Fellow at Oxford. McFate lives in Washington, DC.

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 [email protected].

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, Howard Bloom asserts that truth and soul are the best ways to influence. Howard should know. He played an important role in the careers of legendary musicians like Michael Jackson, Prince, John Cougar Mellencamp, plus many, many others. His method for promoting artists included finding the gods within, secular shamanism, soul spelunking, and exploring the caves of your emotions. More recently, Howard founded the Howard Bloom Institute where he and his colleagues pursue an agenda of "omnology" (the aspiration to omniscience; an academic base for the promiscuously curious, a discipline that concentrates on seeing the patterns that emerge when one views all the sciences and the arts at once) and collaborate to continue the Western agenda into space.

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #18 Tom Sear on Xenowar
• The Howard Bloom Institute
• Zheng He: Chinese fleet admiral

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-109

Guest Bio: Howard Bloom has been called the Einstein, Newton, and Freud of the 21st century by Britain's Channel 4 TV. One of his seven books--Global Brain---was the subject of a symposium thrown by the Office of the Secretary of Defense including representatives from the State Department, the Energy Department, DARPA, IBM, and MIT. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, Psychology Today, and the Scientific American. He has been published on Information Science in World Scientific's The Future Information Society, edited by Wolfgang Hofkirchner and Mark Bergin. He has spoken at Nellis Air Force Base and Colorado's Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies. He does news commentary at 1:06 am ET every Wednesday night on 545 radio stations on Coast to Coast AM.

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 [email protected].

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, Jocelyn Brady discusses the importance of brain play. She creates engaging, educational "tiny tip" videos which teach ways for people to live healthier and happier lives while simultaneously teaching cognitive subjects.

Research Question: Jocelyn wants researchers to figure out how we get kids to understand better fundamental concepts about their own brains–especially neuroplasticity, which can be viewed as a general umbrella term that refers to the brain's ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experience.

Resources:

• Let's Play with Your Brain
• Tiny Tips YouTube Channel
• WHAT ONLINE-OFFLINE (O-O) CONVERGENCE MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF CONFLICT By Sean A. Guillory & John T. Carrola
• [VR Human Documentary] Mother meets her deceased daughter through VR technology
• Reading on a smartphone affects sigh generation, brain activity, and comprehension
• Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown, Christopher Vaugha
• 7 Rules of Power: Surprising--but True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-108

Guest Bio:

Jocelyn Brady is a writer, edutainer and professional brain coach & behavior designer who thrives at the intersection of comedy, storytelling and unraveling the mysteries of the human brain. When she's not being the Bill Nye of the brain (as the creator and host of Tiny Tips, the Internet's favorite way to Brain), Jocelyn applies her certified NeuroLeadership and Tiny Habits coaching chops to help creative visionaries play to their brains' greatest potential.

In her past life—as an award-winning copywriter, Creative Director and agency CEO—Jocelyn led narrative strategy and international storytelling training for some of the world's biggest brands. She also produced and co-hosted Party Time, a standup comedy and storytelling show featuring talent who went on to write or perform for Conan, Colbert and Comedy Central. All while managing to keep her two cats and houseplants alive.

Jocelyn's first book, tentatively titled Your Brain is a Magical Asshat, is slated for publication next year… Probably.

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 [email protected].

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, Vanessa Otero discusses news ecosystem health and how she created The Media Bias Chart®. Our wide ranging conversation covers her methodology for grading media content, the Overton window, information nutritional labels, societal implications of unhealthy news consumption patterns.

Research Topic: Vanessa suggests that researchers examine ways to get people out of conspiracy theory rabbit holes or extreme polarization rabbit holes. She also asserts that media trust is over studied and that researchers should focus less on that problem.

Resources:

• AdFontes Media
• Overton Window or window of discourse
• Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts by Annie Duke

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-107

Guest Bio:

Vanessa Otero is the creator of the Media Bias Chart, and the Founder and CEO of Ad Fontes Media. A licensed patent attorney in the Denver, Colorado area, Vanessa holds a B.A. in English from UCLA and a J.D. from the University of Denver. Vanessa's formal education and professional career has centered on analytical reading, writing and reasoning, creating an ideal background for her to create a content analysis

Alarmed by the unhealthy state of the media ecosystem, Vanessa used her expertise in content analysis to create the original Media Bias Chart in 2016. Then in 2018, she founded Ad Fontes Media to fulfill the need revealed by the popularity of the chart–namely, to meet the demand for a map to help people navigate the complex media landscape, and for comprehensive content analysis of media sources themselves. Today, Ad Fontes Media uses a systematic approach to content analysis in which a team of politically-balanced professional analysts examine and categorize news content creating data that is useful to news consumers, educators, marketers, and even publishers themselves. Ad Fontes also offers training in its content analysis methodology through products and services for educational institutions and for individuals.

Vanessa is on the Board of Directors of Community Radio for Northern Colorado and is on the Advisory Council of Media Literacy Now. Vanessa and Ad Fontes Media have also been published or featured in articles and blogs on news literacy, news bias and free speech, social media, and conspiracy theories. These sources have included the Poynter Institute, Cornell Policy Review MarketWatch, The Economist, Morning Brew, and more. She is a much sought-after speaker at national news literacy workshops and webinars.

Vanessa is committed to making the world a better place with her passion and belief in decreasing the polarization in our news and our society, as well as educating students, teachers, and the public on the true value of media literacy and the importance of a healthy news ecosystem.

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 [email protected].

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.

During this episode, COL Mike Taylor discusses the US State Department's Global Engagement Center's (GEC) hub & spoke model for directing, leading, synchronizing, integrating, and coordinating the efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations. Our wide ranging conversation covers the major components of the GEC, its data-driven approaches, and the importance of coordination within the US government and with allies and partners.

Links:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #99 Roger Carstens on Hostage Negotiations & Diplomacy
• Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid
• The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-Year History of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavor by Martin Meredith
• Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Gen. Stanley McChrystal
• Al-Mawla Tactical Interrogation Reports:
  • Report A
  • Report B
  • Report C

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-106

Guest Bio:

Colonel Mike Taylor, U.S. Army, is the Director for Counter-terrorism at the Global Engagement Center (GEC), U.S. Department of State, in Washington, D.C. He serves as the principal advisor to the GEC's Special Envoy and Coordinator on countering foreign Violent Extremist Organization's (VEO) propaganda and disinformation (CPD) activities. In this role he is responsible for overseeing GEC CT operations and planning to include interagency and international coordination such as with the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Prior to the assumption of this assignment, Mike served as the Director, CJ39 Information Operations (IO), Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Operation Resolute Support (RS) and US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A).

In previous assignments, Taylor served as the U.S. Army's Integrated Joint Special Technical Operations (IJSTO) Force Modernization Proponent Chief and as the U.S. Army Service IJSTO Chief, Operations and Technology Division, Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, Washington, D.C.; Branch Chief, Deputy Director for Global Operations (DDGO), J-39, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Information Operations Field Support Team Chief, 1st Battalion, 1st IO Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and J39 IO Chief, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Balad, Iraq.

Earlier in his career, Taylor served in multiple tactical command and staff assignments to include as military advisor to the G-3, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, OIF, Tikrit, Iraq; Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 24th Infantry Division and the United States Army Garrison, Fort Riley, Kansas; Commander, HHC, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) "Devil Brigade," 1st Infantry Division (ID), Fort Riley, Kansas and OIF, Khalidiyah, Iraq; Commander, Cobra Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st BCT, 1st ID, OIF, Iraq; Plans Chief, 1st BCT, 1st ID, Ft. Riley, Kansas; Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT), 3d Squadron, 16th Cavalry (CAV) Regiment, Fort Knox, Kentucky; and Executive Officer and Tank Platoon Leader with 2d Battalion, 72d Armor, Camp Casey, Korea. Taylor enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and served as Wheeled Heavy Equipment Operator, 892d Transportation Company, Belleville, Illinois and Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Saudi Arabia.

Taylor's awards include the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Combat Action Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge, and was also awarded the U.S. Armor Association's Bronze Medallion of the Order of St. George.

Colonel Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Operations Management from Eastern Illinois University, a Master's in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Washington D.C., and is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff Officer's Course and the U.S. Army Information Operations Qualification Course.

Colonel Taylor was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and is the eldest of three children of a retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant. Taylor resides in Lake Ridge, VA, married to the former Constance (Connie) Lorraine Bremer, has two daughters Madison (Maddie) and Elizabeth (Ella), and enjoys cheering on the Green Bay Packers.

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 [email protected].

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, Tom Kent returns to discuss the developing world. After reviewing Russia's influence efforts in the early portion of the Ukraine War, Tom provides a rather sober assessment of information operations being directed at the developing world. Additionally, Tom believes that developing countries view Western nations with skepticism due to hypocrisy.

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #10 Tom Kent on Striking Back
  • #56 Bob Jones on Governance
• Russian Propagandists Regain Footing on Ukraine by Tom Kent
• Radio to Russia Can Old Technologies Make a Dent in Putin's Information Blockade by Tom Kent

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-105

Guest Bio:

Tom Kent teaches about Russian affairs and disinformation at Columbia University. He was president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty until 2018. Previously, he was Moscow bureau chief, international editor and standards editor of The Associated Press. He consults on disinformation, journalism and ethics for government, non-governmental organizations, media, and corporate clients. He is also the author of: Striking Back: Overt and Covert Options to Combat Russian Disinformation, which was published in September 2020.

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 [email protected].

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, Glen Edwards presents a robust framework and overarching theory for information warfare that is grounded in the Australian Defence Force's core concepts of maneuver warfare and multi domain operations. Our wide ranging conversation covers the definition of information, Clauzewicz, breaking down stovepipes, Boyd and the OODA loop, and information theory and entropy.

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #24 John Davis on Modern Warfare, Teamwork, and Commercial Cognitive Security
  • #61 MajGen Susan Coyle on the Australian Perspective
  • #100 Rand Waltzman on the Metaverse and Immersive Virtual Reality
• Books & Articles:
  • Just Information Warfare by Mariarosaria Taddeo
  • The Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Information by Luciano Floridi

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-104

Guest Bio: Glen is an Australian national security consultant located in Canberra. He specializes in information warfare and information power and has a particular interest in integrating military information activities with national efforts.

Glen has over 15 years experience in the sector, first as an Australian Defence Force officer, and then in a number of public service and consulting roles within Australia's National Intelligence Community. Most recently, Glen has been working on information warfare theory and concepts with the support of Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group.

Glen has a Masters of Special Operations and Irregular Warfare (University of New South Wales), a Masters of Strategic Studies (Australian National University), a Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity (Edith Cowan University), a Graduate Certificate in Terrorism, Safety, and Security (Charles Sturt University), and a Bachelor of Human Resources (University of New England).

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 [email protected].

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, Jon Roozenbeek discusses his upcoming book project, Information, Influence and War in Ukraine--including analyses related to media and identity in Wartime Donbas. He discusses inoculation theory as a method for countering misinformation and the Harmony Square Game project, as well.

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #56 Bob Jones on Governance
• Dissertation: Media and Identity in Wartime Donbas, 2014-2017
• Research exposes long-term failure of Russian propaganda
• Harmony Square Game
• Breaking Harmony Square: A game that "inoculates" against political misinformation
• https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-jon-roozenbeek
• Polling Data: (scroll down to "what Donbas residents want for their future" for the polling data mentioned)
• Go Viral game
• Study: Towards psychological herd immunity: Cross-cultural evidence for two prebunking interventions against COVID-19 misinformation: 2 large and cross-cultural studies into the effectiveness of the game as a way to counter COVID-19 misinformation, including a longitudinal study
• Bad News game
• Study: Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation
• Study: Good News about Bad News: Gamified Inoculation Boosts Confidence and Cognitive Immunity Against Fake News
• Study: Long-term effectiveness of inoculation against misinformation: Three longitudinal experiments: longitudinal study; we followed up with participants to see how long the "inoculation" effect of the Bad News game lasts; the answer is 2+ months, provided people are given regular "booster shots" or reminders
• Study: Technique-based inoculation against real-world misinformation
• Harmony Square Game
• Study: Breaking Harmony Square: A game that "inoculates" against political misinformation: this study was published in a journal intended not only for academics but also policymakers and so on; so it's written in a more accessible style than most academic publications
• Inoculation Theory and Misinformation: Recent review of how to use inoculation theory to counter misinformation

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-103

Guest Bio:

Jon Roozenbeek is the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab. His research focuses on misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, online extremism and inoculation theory. As part of his research, he co-developed the award-winning fake news games Bad News, Harmony Square and Go Viral. Jon is also interested in social media research, agent-based modeling and natural language processing. His doctoral dissertation (University of Cambridge, 2020) examined media discourse in conflict zones, primarily the "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

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 [email protected].

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, LtCol Brian Schweers discusses the US Marine Corps' All Domain Effects Team (ADET) concept, which is considered to still be in the prototype phase. After describing the historical mission of the Marine Corps' Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), Brian unpacks the ADET rationale and composition. ADETs are task-organized forces that integrate information capabilities with lethal fires to achieve effects in the forward operating environment across the competition continuum in support of joint, allied, and coalition forces. These teams are intended to provide a scalable, mobile, and lethal force capable of operating across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains simultaneously. The first ADET employed in support of joint operations was in September of 2021, during Joint Warrior in Durness, Scotland. 2d ANGLICO and II MIG continue to refine the ADET concept in support of the Commandant's Stand-in-Force Concept.

Brian's research opportunity or question to the IPA Community: How do we know that we're achieving effects? How do we measure effects in the cognitive realm and tie it to decision making?

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #13 Brian Russell on Behind Enemy Lines
  • #95 LtGen Matthew Glavy on MCDP 8 Information
  • #93 Todd Huntley on Information Operations and the Law
• THE CHANGING CHARACTER OF COMBINED ARMS by BENJAMIN JENSEN AND MATTHEW STROHMEYER
• Ukraine conflict reveals parallels to new Marine Corps war-fighting vision
• 2d Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO)
• LtCol Brian Schweers Bio
• War in a 140 Characters by David Patrikarakos
• 2014 Gaza War (Operation Protective Edge)

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-102

Guest Bio:

After receiving a Bachelors of Arts from Miami University, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Schweers was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 2002. Upon completion of initial training, he reported to Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines. His assignments included Forward Observer, Fire Direction Officer (FDO), and Platoon Commander. He completed two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2006 Lieutenant Colonel Schweers reported to 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, 1st Marine Headquarters Group. His billets were Firepower Control Team Leader and Supporting Arms Liaison Team Leader. He completed two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and one tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lieutenant Colonel Schweers attended the Field Artillery Captains Career Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in the summer of 2010. Upon graduation, he reported to 1st Battalion, 11th Marines. His assignments included Battery C Commanding Officer, Battalion Operations Officer, and Battalion Assistant Fire Support Officer.

In 2014 Lieutenant Colonel Schweers reported to Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) where he served as a Faculty Advisor and Curriculum Developer. Following EWS, he reported to 1st Battalion, 12th Marines where he served as the Battalion Logistics Officer and Battalion Executive Officer.

In 2018 Lieutenant Colonel Schweers reported to Programs and Resources, Headquarters Marine Corps where he served as the Assistant Program Development Officer and Program Development Officer.

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 [email protected].

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. Heather Gregg of the US Army War College explores how collective identity building and myths--stories designed to tell a group of people who they are, where they came from and how they should behave--shape violent conflict. Heather contrasts the way identity is used by insurgencies and counterinsurgency efforts and sketches lessons learned from recent operations against Al Qaeda and ISIS in Iraq, as well as the role that identity is playing in the Ukrainian war. Our wide-ranging conversation also covers implications of horizontal and vertical cultural transmission of information, myths as a form of storytelling, and mixing up myth and history.

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #89 Ajit Mann and Paul Cobaugh on Narrative
• Dr. Heather Gregg's Personal Website
• Identity wars: collective identity building in insurgency and counterinsurgency by Heather S. Gregg
• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
• Building the Nation: Missed Opportunities in Iraq and Afghanistan Hardcover by Heather Gregg
• The Path to Salvation: From the Crusades to Jihad by Heather Gregg
• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers
• A Short History of Myth Paperback by Karen Armstrong
• Scott Atran, "Address to UN Security Council on Youth and Extremism." (2015)
• Vamik Volker, "The Need to Have Enemies and Allies," Political Psychology 6, no. 2 (1985): 219-247

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-101

Guest Bio:

Dr. Gregg's opinions are her own & do not represent the opinions of the US Army War College or the Department of Defense

Heather S. Gregg is a professor at the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute (SSI). From 2006-2019, she was an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School's Department of Defense Analysis, where she worked primarily with Special Operations Forces. Prior to joining NPS, she was an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. In addition to her academic experience, she has spent time in several regions of conflict including Palestine/West Bank and the former Yugoslavia.

Dr. Gregg earned her Ph.D. in Political Science in 2003 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her dissertation work was on historic and contemporary causes of religiously motivated violence. Dr. Gregg also holds a Master's degree from Harvard Divinity School, where she studied Islam, and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Dr. Gregg is the author of The Path to Salvation: Religious Violence from the Crusades to Jihad (Potomac, 2014) and Building the Nation: Missed Opportunities in Iraq & Afghanistan (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). She also has published articles and book chapters on Al Qaeda, including "Fighting the Jihad of the Pen: Countering Al Qaeda's Ideology" (Terrorism and Political Violence, 2010) and "Crafting a Better Grand Strategy to Fight the Global War on Terror: Lessons from the Early Years of the Cold War" (Foreign Policy Analysis, 2010), in addition to co-editing and contributing to The Three Circles of War: Understanding the Dynamics of Modern War in Iraq (Potomac, 2010).

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