The Cognitive Crucible

In this bonus episode, we replay an excerpt from Dr. Michael Vickers' Phoenix Challenge 2021 Keynote address. Dr. Vickers is the former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. He spoke about the growing criticality of Information Operations and the ways in which our adversaries in great power competition have learned to use our openness, values, and our own technologies against Western democracies.

Here is more information about the 2021 Phoenix Challenge Conference as well as the agenda.

All of the Phoenix Challenge videos, as well as the detailed conference report are available for IPA members. If you're not a member, why not join now?

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.

During this episode, Dr. David Gioe discusses active measures. Active measures is a term which gained increasing public attention following the 2016 US election meddling by Russia. Dr. Gioe defines active measures as nation state actions which are intended to remain non-attributable. Also known as the "dark arts," active measures are not new. Dr. Gioe recounts some historical active measures examples, discusses implications for the West going forward, and suggests a strategy for citizens to navigate the growing fake news problem. Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Dr. David Gioe is Associate Professor of History at the US Military Academy at West Point, where he also serves as History Fellow for the Army Cyber Institute. David is also Director of Studies for the Cambridge Security Initiative and co-convener of its International Security and Intelligence program. He holds advanced degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Cambridge. His scholarship and analysis has appeared in numerous outlets. Before starting his academic career, David was an intelligence officer, beginning with appointment in 2001 as a Presidential Management Fellow in the FBI National Security Division with responsibility for economic espionage cases and later counterterrorism. In 2003 he transferred to CIA as a counterterrorism analyst in the DCI's Counterterrorist Center (CTC) before earning field tradecraft certification. He served multiple overseas tours as an operations officer in the Middle East and Europe. He retains his commission as a Commander in the Navy Reserve and is assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency's Defense Attaché Service. In 2015 he deployed as the Director for Human Intelligence and Counterintelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa. Other Navy assignments include service as a Division Officer in the Office of Naval Intelligence and as a Department Head in the Joint Analysis Center, RAF Molesworth, UK. He is currently Visiting Professor of Intelligence and International Security in the King's College London Department of War Studies.

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.

During this episode, Matt Armstong, who was formerly a Governor on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (since renamed the U.S. Agency for Global Media), discusses the Smith-Mundt Act and public diplomacy. Matt is also the author of the upcoming book: The Right to Know: the War of Words and the Origins and Evolution of the Smith-Mundt Act. Also known as the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, Smith-Mundt was developed to regulate broadcasting of programs for foreign audiences produced under guidance by the State Department, and it prohibited domestic dissemination of materials produced by such programs. The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 allowed for materials produced by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for Global Media to be disseminated within the United States. Matt makes the case that, ironically, there is a significant amount of disinformation related to the Smith-Mundt Act itself and asserts that there's a gross misunderstanding of the role of information in our foreign policy. Coupled with general risk aversion and a lack of vision for what tomorrow should look like, the United States appears to be lacking a sense of urgency. As just one example, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs position--essentially the chief international information operations officer of the State Department--has been vacant 40% of the time since 1999. Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: 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, and is a PhD student at King's College London writing on the US's failure to institutionally oppose Russian political warfare, 1945-1965.

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, Jeff Edmonds and Sam Bendett--both of whom are Russian specialists with the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)--discuss their recently published report: AI and Autonomy in Russia. Funded by the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), the report covers everything from ethical considerations, to Russian entrepreneurship, to human capital gaps within the Russian citizenry. Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bios:

Samuel Bendett is an Adviser with CNA Strategy, Policy, Plans and Programs Center (SP3), where he is a member of the Russia Studies Program. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. His work involves research on the Russian defense and technology developments, unmanned and autonomous military systems and Artificial Intelligence, as well as Russian military capabilities and decision-making during crises. He is a Member of CNA's Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, and an honorary "Mad Scientist" with the USARMY TRADOC's Mad Scientist Initiative. He is also a Russian military autonomy and AI SME for the DOD's Defense Systems Information Analysis Center.

Prior to joining CNA, Bendett worked at the National Defense University on emerging and disruptive technologies for government response in crisis situations, where he conducted research on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy (OSD-P) and Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OSD-AT&L). His previous experience includes working for US Congress, private sector and non-profit organizations on foreign policy, international conflict resolution, defense and security issues.

Bendett's analyses, views and commentary on Russian military robotics, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence capabilities appear regularly in the C4ISRnet, Forbes, DefenseOne, Breaking Defense, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, Modern War Institute, War Is Boring, and The Strategy Bridge. He was also a foreign policy and international affairs contributor to the RealClearWorld.com blog, writing on Russian military technology.

Bendett received his M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University and B.A. in Politics and English from Brandeis University. He has native fluency in Russian.

Jeffrey Edmonds is an expert on Russia and Eurasia. His research focuses on the Russian military, foreign policy, Russian threat perceptions, and Russian information and cyber operations.

Most recently, Edmonds served as the Director for Russia on the National Security Council and acting Senior Director for Russia during the 2017 presidential transition. While on the NSC, Edmonds advised the president and his senior staff on Russia-related national security topics including the Ukraine and Syria crises, Russian military, foreign policy, threat perceptions, and information operations. Edmonds was also the lead director during a review of the United States policy towards Russia, culminating in a presidentially approved strategy that had global impact.

Prior to the NSC, Edmonds served as a military analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency, covering Eurasian militaries. He has served in the U.S. Army on both active duty and the reserves for 22 years, with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Edmonds holds an M.P.A. from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, an M.A. from Boston University in Religious Studies, and a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has a working knowledge of Russian.

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.

During this thought provoking episode, Prof. Yaneer Bar-Yam discusses the nature of complex systems and complexity science. Our discussion covers the cacophony of signals within the information environment and how complexity science provides tools for understanding system dynamics. Prof. Bar-Yam also reports his scientific findings related to the COVID pandemic which he and his colleagues at NECSI have observed. He asserts that values are emergent properties of our cultural and social systems and that values are the West's biggest vulnerability. He unpacks how our value system is being undermined. Ultimately, we are in a war of values. The conversation concludes with Prof. Bar-Yam describing what he believes is the "killer app" for today's world, which consists of a positive valued system of networked teams of people who care about each other and who counter alienating forces. He believes that complexity science can be a a fundamental capability which undergirds global networks of intentional teams with compassionate, "can do" attitudes. Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Prof. Yaneer Bar-Yam received his SB and PhD in physics from MIT in 1978 and 1984 respectively. Since the late 1980s he has contributed to founding the field of complex systems science, introducing fundamental mathematical rigor, real world application, and educational programs for new concepts and insights of this field. In developing new mathematical methods and in their application he has published on a wide range of scientific and real world problems ranging from cell biology to the global financial crisis.

He has advised the Chairman's Action Group at the Pentagon about global social unrest and the crises in Egypt and Syria, the National Security Council and the National Counter Terrorism Council on global strategy, the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group about military force transformation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about delivery of prevention services and control of hospital infections, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Barney Frank about market regulation and the financial crisis, and other government organizations, NGOs, and corporations on using principles and insights from complex systems science.

His development of multiscale representations as a generalization of renormalization group addressed the limitations of calculus and statistics in the study of nonlinear and network system dependencies in collective behaviors. His recent work quantitatively analyzes the origins and impacts of market crashes, social unrest, ethnic violence, military conflict and pandemics, the structure and dynamics of social networks, as well as the bases of creativity, panic, evolution and altruism. He is the author of over 200 research papers in professional journals, including Science, Nature, PNAS, American Naturalist, and Physical Review Letters, has 3 patents, and has given 175 invited presentations. His work on the causes of the global food crisis was cited among the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2011 by Wired magazine. He is the author of two books: a textbook Dynamics of Complex Systems, and Making Things Work, which applies complex systems science to solving problems in healthcare, education, systems engineering, international development, and ethnic conflict. He has taught the concepts and methods of complex systems science to over 2,000 graduate students, professionals and executives. He has been a Visiting Scholar at Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He is currently Research Scientist at the MIT Media Laboratory.

He chaired the International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS) and is the managing editor of a Springer book series on complexity. His work has been described in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Die Zeit, Le Monde, Time, The Atlantic Monthly, Scientific American, Wired, Fast Company, Forbes, Slate, Mother Jones, and Vice, among others. He has appeared on ABC News, Canada's CTV, RT, BBC Radio, NPR Radio, and other national media outlets. His scientific visualizations received recognition as "best of" from Wired in 2011 and 2013, and from Motherboard in 2013.

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.

During this episode, US Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder discusses the evolution of military public affairs, media relations, and strategic communications. Our discussion covers how public affairs integrates with other information related capabilities, partnerships with other agencies, and trust in media. Link to full show notes

Guest Bio: Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder is the Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In addition to advising the Secretary, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Chief of Space Operations on Public Affairs matters, he is responsible for developing and executing global communication processes to build understanding and support for the Air Force and Space Force. He provides guidance and support for nearly 4,500 active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen and civilians in their mission to broadcast internal Air Force and Space Force information, conduct community and media relations, plan and synchronize Department of the Air Force communication efforts, and execute security review programs.

Brig. Gen. Ryder was commissioned in 1992 through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. His staff assignments include serving as the Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Public Affairs for U.S. Central Command, Director of Media Operations for the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, and Director of Public Affairs for the Office of Defense Representative-Pakistan. During his career, Brig. Gen. Ryder has led public affairs operations in numerous overseas contingency operations. He served as the PAO for the Air Force's initial cadre at Taszar Air Base, Hungary, during the 1995 peace-keeping mission, Operation Joint Endeavor, and led 48th Fighter Wing public affairs operations in support of NATO during the 1999 Kosovo Air Campaign. In support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as a strategic communications planner for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad from March–July 2004 and led the DoD Public Affairs response to highlight U.S. military humanitarian support to Pakistan during floods in 2010. While at U.S. Central Command, Brig. Gen. Ryder oversaw the command-wide public affairs operations in support of the counter-ISIS campaign Operation Inherent Resolve from 2014-2016 and conducted bi-weekly press briefings with the Pentagon press corps from Headquarters U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida.

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.

During this episode, Carm Cicalese of Cyber CIC discusses military and corporate risk. Carm is bringing his considerable military leadership and information operations experience into the boardroom and helping corporate customers think about cyber, information, and cognitive risk in new ways. Perspectives on risk are evolving as is the entire information environment; Carm walks through his most current thinking about how organizations should mitigate risk. Link to full show notes

Guest Bio: Carm Cicalese is the President and Founder of CYBER CIC, which provides cyber, information, and cognitive security strategies and courseware. He is also a retired US Army officer who spent 29 years in uniform. His last assignment was as the Army Staff Chief of Cyberspace and Information Operations.

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].

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, Dr. Leigh Armistead, President of Peregrine Technical Solutions and the Chief Editor of the Journal of Information Warfare, discusses practical steps people can take to secure their homes and devices in order to protect themselves from information warfare, hacks, and cyber threats. He also talks about the 20th year anniversary of the Journal of Information Warfare and how the journal will revisit the articles published in its very first issue. Link to full show notes

Guest Bio: Dr. Leigh Armistead is the President of Peregrine Technical Solutions and the Chief Editor of the Journal of Information Warfare. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, earned a master's degree in Military History from Old Dominion University, and a doctorate in Computer and Information Science from Edith Cowan University. His major field of study is cyber power. He has published three books—all of which focus on the full spectrum of information warfare. He founded the International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, and the Vice-Chair Working Group 9.10–ICT Uses in Peace and War. He is a retired Naval 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].

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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

During this episode, Dr. Tod Schuck of Lockheed Martin discusses Command and Control (C2) and the importance of information maneuverability. Our wide ranging conversation covers Shannon information theory, cybernetics, the evolution of C2, business, the "million dollar microsecond," as well as military applications. We conclude with Schuck's new formulation of the OODA loop, where he adds an explicit cognitive dimension: the C-OODA loop. Full Show Notes with Resources

Guest Bio: Dr. Tod Schuck received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1989, an M.S. in electrical engineering from Florida Tech in 1994, and a Ph.D. in systems engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2010 concentrating in knowledge representation in distributed, network-centric systems. He has worked extensively solving real-world problems for the Warfighter in the areas of data processing and fusion in cooperative, non-cooperative sensor and C2 systems.

Since 1999, Dr. Schuck has been with Lockheed Martin RMS, where he is currently an LM Fellow specializing in information and knowledge fusion (representation and distribution for surface, air, and missile defense combat systems) and in complex systems architecture and design.

Dr. Schuck is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, holding the title of Lecturer in the Whiting School of Engineering and Applied Science, Programs for Professionals; and at Rowan University where he developed and is teaching a course on Command and Control for the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering – Electrical & Computer Engineering. He has published over 50 papers and conference proceedings and holds two US patents, two Lockheed Martin trade secrets, and has two recent patent applications submitted to the USPTO.

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.

During this episode, Mr. Phil Chudoba discusses technology acquisition at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Our conversation covers NGA's mission, how NGA facilitates operations in the information environments, as well as NGA's "moonshot" initiative. Link to full show notes

Guest Bio: Mr. Phillip C. Chudoba serves as the Associate Director for Capabilities, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. In this capacity, he is responsible for defining the strategic direction of the agency and implementing that strategy. He provides oversight, synchronization, guidance, and development of NGA, National System for Geospatial Intelligence, and Allied System for Geospatial Intelligence strategic direction, future resource programming, capabilities planning, and oversees acquisition, innovation, research, and the adoption of new technologies supporting GEOINT requirements. In his prior position, Mr. Chudoba was Director of the GEOINT Enterprise Directorate. Previously, he served as the Assistant Director of Intelligence, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, from 2010 to 2018. Mr. Chudoba served as a U.S. Marine from 1980 to 2010, first as a Marine Infantryman before being commissioned, and then as an Intelligence Officer until his retirement as a Colonel. He commanded the 3rd Force Imagery Interpretation Unit during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and commanded the 1st Intelligence Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He participated in several major Joint Task Force operations, including Operations Deny Flight, Joint Endeavor, Deliberate Guard, and Guardian Retrieval. In addition, he completed numerous intelligence assignments in the Marine Division and the Marine Aircraft Wing. While assigned to the Deputy Directorate for Crisis Operations (J-2) at the Pentagon, he served as the Operations Officer for the National Intelligence Support Team. In later assignments, Mr. Chudoba managed all Marine Corps intelligence capability requirements as Director, Intelligence Integration Division, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and he subsequently managed the entire acquisition portfolio of Marine Corps intelligence capabilities as the Program Manager for Intelligence Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command. Mr. Chudoba earned his baccalaureate degree in Political Science/Soviet and East European Studies from Rutgers University, and earned graduate degrees from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Marine Corps University, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (now The Eisenhower School). He is an alumnus of the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting, and is a former Associate Dean for Warfighting Studies at Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He also is a DAWIA Level 3 Certified Program Manager and an All-Marine Athlete. Mr. Chudoba's distinctions include the Presidential Rank Award, the National Military Intelligence Association John T. Hughes Award, and numerous military decorations.

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.