The Information Equilibrium

I've posted and written much about the need to build capacity, capability and expertise in the #CognitiveDomain. We have faced unexpected challenges before. The current Chinese Flu/Covid pandemic is yet another we were found unprepared. More so, we were caught unprepared and continue in our perpetually reactive mode in responding to the onslaught of Chinese, Russian, Iranian and others propaganda. We spend two decades playing whack a mole in the desert, when the real war was cognitive, not kinetic. We celebrated our cold war success, while the Russians played our media and "useful idiots" who undertook a coup attempt against a president - using a mere pittance of investment to feed disinformation in to the Steele Dossier. No, the Russian trolls did not alter the election outcome, they had little impact. But yes, the Russians were very successful in that they gained the help of a set of useful idiots who peddled the Russian propaganda, who then abused the FISA process ...

The following scenario is fictional, but meant to highlight certain potential vulnerabilities and risks given the state of technology today, especially with the current #Covid-19 pandemic. This is another wake up call, we must consider and we must be ready to respond.  As of now, we remain unprepared.  This blog post is an excerpt from some of my prior writings.  Bio-Warfare: Realizing Precise Elimination – 23&Xi An adversary intelligence element was discussing the best way to actually place the US at major risk by creating and developing a means to cause limited to massive catastrophic impacts, but do so with little to no means for attribution. At the same time, devise methods of development for the capability that actually involves the adversary paying for, supporting and advancing it without their knowledge or awareness. So they began with an assessment of the cultural unique aspects of the US, and what types of areas were of interest to the general ...

The Conscription System & Talent Management – Moving to Whole of Government (coalition/ nation as applicable) I’ve written on this topic prior, but the current #Covid-19 pandemic requires immediate implementation of a new service conscription model to support our military, federal to tribal governments, and critical first responder shortfalls and needs.   Sacrifice is Required by All - A rapid means to engage, employ and put into service the masses to counter the multiple challenges we face is required immediately.   The need is there across multiple functional areas – from federal to tribal levels of government, from military to poll stations for elections.   This pandemic will likely cycle, and the worst possible approach would be to wait and do nothing.   During the next two months of national quarantine at every level – it is time to plan for execution of such an effort – as we come out of the first cycle.   Accelerating our Economic Recov...

The Greatest Threat: Unnecessary Panic. ·          98% of Americans and world-population will feel none to minimal impacts. ·          The threat we face is expanding, but the primary threat is not the virus, (see above), it is our reaction.   o    The threat comes in many forms including disinformation, propaganda and continued variety of asymmetric measures.   o    Our adversaries seek to incite varied levels of confusion and panic, severely disrupt our economy, military deployments and readiness, destroy our citizen’s trust in government, and sow the seeds for continued chaos. The Greatest Challenges: The Cognitive War, a primarily information war, as we remain ill prepared to fight and win in the Cognitive Domain. ·          This Cognitive War is not new, nor are disinformation or other asymmetric measures...

The Cognitive War – The failure to overhaul our Intelligence Community leaves democracy in doubt and tyranny unhinged There is an ongoing war taking place today – a deceivingly quiet war, yet the most deadly kind of war.   While it may involve actions in the physical and kinetic domains (e.g., soldiers and bombs respectively), it’s mostly a war of ideas and ideology.   It’s a cognitive war being fought between two fundamentally different ideologies – democracy or tyranny.   Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness   George Washington, 1796 The cognitive war pits those who seek to advance an individual’s humanity, independence and freedom against those who seek to dispose of humanity and independence to subjugate and impose tyranny on the individual.   While many understand these challenges, few understand how they are related.   Although the “2018 National Security, and Defense Security, Strategy” addresses this new char...

The recent leaks or reports from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) where noted to highlight that "Russia supports Trump", and boy did the propagandists and useful idiots perpetuate and spread that message quickly.  Then, just before the Nevada caucus, we hear that ... wait for it ... Putin likely loves Comrade Bernie Sanders. So here we go again with the Russian collusion. But the only delusion seems to be coming from the Democrats who are entrusted to keep our secrets safe, and their companions on the media like Pravda on the Potomac (you know that paper where Democracy already died because they shut the lights out long ago).   But before we go there, let’s address the Democrat's and media’s dysfunctional and continued propaganda and harping about how Russia is favoring Trump, then Bernie.  Who is really colluding to fix this election? Likely the same miscreants and unelected bureaucrats that tried and failed in the last elect...

The US Government's Information Operations Lead - Must NOT be in the Pentagon.  And it may be useful to have a Secretary for Influence Operations - but what' really missing? Simple coordination and teamwork.  We need a true conductor, a lead, a facilitator with certain authorities, but not the direct control.  Why? Because we need to learn how to operate as a "whole of government" enterprise, and get out of our industrial age mind sets, cultural impediments, and egos.   For example, the DoD - is a department, one team, yeah sure.  That's the problem.  We reinforce the "Titanium Cylinders of Sub-Excellence" and the reward system that should support innovation, collaboration, information sharing, etc. is BROKEN.   We compete - yes we do it very well, against ourselves.  While I applaud LTG Fogarty's efforts in moving to Information Operations, as well as his service cohorts - there is NOTHING stopping them, OSD P, SO/LIC, ...