Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Cognitive Crucible
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #199 Ellen McCarthy on Trust in Media and Information | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:49:27 | |
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, Ellen McCarthy discusses how to conceptualize and develop standards and measurements on information quality, how to align AI with accurate and reliable information, and how challenges and potential of leveraging AI can support information quality. Also, be sure to check out and register for the upcoming 28 October symposium co-sponsored by TIM and IPA: Beyond the Noise - Elevating Information Quality in a Generative AI Era. Recording Date: 5 Sept 2024 Research Question: Ellen McCarthy suggests an interested student examine macroeconomic indicators or drivers of information consumption. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: The Honorable Ellen McCarthy is a national security professional with extensive experience in government and the private sector. She has held several high-level positions in the U.S. intelligence community and has worked on a wide range of national security issues. Ellen served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research from 2018 to 2020. In this role, she oversaw the State Department's intelligence analysis and provided support to senior policymakers on foreign policy matters. Before that, she was the President of Noblis NSP, a national security-focused science and technology company. She also served as the President of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), a non-profit organization focused on addressing intelligence and national security priorities. Prior to her time in the private sector, McCarthy held various leadership positions in the intelligence community, including serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Director of Intelligence Operations at the U.S. Coast Guard. She was also lead for Human Capital and Security for the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and started her career as an all source intelligence analyst within the Office of Naval Intelligence and the Atlantic Intelligence Command. She is a wife, mother, daughter and friend. 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. | |||
| #198 Melissa Graves Frank Emerson and Pat Hendrix on OSINT | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:40:39 | |
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Melissa Graves, Frank Emerson, and Pat Hendrix discuss the history of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), how publicly available information (PAI) is being analyzed by students in the Department of Intelligence and Security Studies at The Citadel, and The Citadel’s Open Source Intelligence Conference which will be held October 23-25, 2024. Recording Date: 26 Aug 2024 Research Questions:
Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Melissa Graves is an Associate Professor in the Department of Intelligence and Security Studies at The Citadel and currently serves as the head of the department. Her research areas include national security legal issues, the US presidency’s relationship to the intelligence community, and intelligence analysis. She teaches a variety of courses on intelligence and legal issues. Her book, Nixon’s FBI: Hoover, Watergate, and a Bureau in Crisis, evaluates the historically complex and oftentimes fraught relationships between the President, Attorney General, and FBI Director. Frank Emerson is a senior policy consultant and accomplished leader with almost three decades of experience in U.S. national security, intelligence, and foreign policy matters. He served overseas with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Department of State, driving worldwide operations, conducting diplomacy, and building diverse multi-agency international programs. Dr. Michael Pat Hendrix is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Intelligence Analysis and Security Studies at The Citadel Military College. His research areas include intelligence analysis and communication and African national security issues. He teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses including analysis and research, open source intelligence, homeland security, and the department capstone. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post. | |||
| #189 Todd Wilcox on PAI, OSINT, and Regulations | 07 May 2024 | 01:02:09 | |
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, Todd Wilcox discusses national security considerations related to publicly available information (PAI), open source intelligence (OSINT), and related regulations. Research Question: Todd Wilcox suggests a valuable topic for academic research would be the application of regulatory framework around the collection, storage, manipulation and application of personally identifiable information (PII). With the comprehensive discretion of current regulatory requirements imposed by CCPA in US and GDPR in the EU, compare and contrast these two regulations and provide a proposed standard that could be used to build federal legislation to protect the privacy of digital device users in the US. Recording Date: 16 April 2024 Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Todd Wilcox is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Patriot Defense. He founded Patriot Defense in 2005 with the purpose of Serving those who defend America. Todd is a decorated combat veteran, former CIA case officer, and a successful entrepreneur and business leader. 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. | |||
| #100 Rand Waltzman on the Metaverse and Immersive Virtual Reality | 14 Jun 2022 | 00:49:25 | |
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, IPA founding board member, Dr. Rand Waltzman, returns to the Cognitive Crucible to discuss the Metaverse and his popular Disinformation 101 series. Our wide ranging discussion covers cognitive challenges related to immersive virtual reality environments, sensor technology, emerging influence methods, cognitive behavioral therapy, affective computing, and kayfabe. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-100 Guest Bio: Dr. Waltzman has 35 years of experience performing and managing research in Artificial Intelligence applied to domains including social media and cognitive security in the information environment. He is formerly Deputy Chief Technology Officer and a Senior Information Scientist at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, CA. Prior to joining RAND, he was the acting Chief Technology Officer of the Software Engineering Institute (Washington, DC) of Carnegie Mellon University. Before that he did a five-year tour as a Program Manager in the Information Innovation Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he created and managed the Social Media in Strategic Communications (SMISC) program and the Anomaly Detection at Multiple Scales (ADAMS) insider threat detection program. Dr. Waltzman joined DARPA from Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (LM-ATL), where he served as Chief Scientist for the Applied Sciences Laboratory that specializes in advanced software techniques and the computational physics of materials. Prior to LM-ATL he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he taught and performed research in applications of Artificial Intelligence technology to a variety of problem areas including digital entertainment, automated reasoning and decision support and cyber threat detection. He has also held research positions at the University of Maryland, Teknowledge Corporation (the first commercial Artificial Intelligence company in the world where he started in 1983), and the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington. Dr. Waltzman serves as Advisory Board Member of GLOBSEC HADES initiative. He is also a founding board member of the Information Professionals Association. 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. | |||
| Bonus Episode: Gladiator School | 10 Jun 2022 | 00:06:55 | |
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 bonus episode, Col. Brian Russell discusses Gladiator School, which is the official podcast of II MEF Information Group. Gladiator School places you and the experts into the arena. Whether you’re a Marine, member of the DoD or a civilian, Gladiator School has something for you. Resources:
Guest Bio: Colonel Brian Russell is the commanding officer of II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group (II MIG) in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He commissioned as a Marine Corps Officer in December 1995 from North Carolina State University. Upon completion of basic officer training he went on to become a field artillery officer. His combat deployments include serving as the Military Transition Team Leader in Habbaniyah, Iraq, the executive officer of Brigade Headquarters Group in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and Plans Director in Bagram, Afghanistan. Some of his notable staff assignments include: Operations Directorate at Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Operations Directorate at United States Cyber Command, and U.S. Plans Directorate at Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command. 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. | |||
| #99 Roger Carstens on Hostage Negotiations & Diplomacy | 07 Jun 2022 | 00:41:03 | |
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, Amb. Roger Carstens discusses the United States hostage recovery enterprise and how his office helps bring U.S. citizens home. After explaining the legislative landscape, Roger explains the differences between kidnapping, wrongful detention, and hostage scenario, as well as engagement with state compared to non-state actors. Roger also discusses today’s media landscape, weaponization of the international rules-based system, geopolitical dynamics, maneuver warfare, and a tech research agenda. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-99 Guest Bio: Roger D. Carstens is the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) at the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Carstens was the former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, where he oversaw the Bureau’s work in Near Eastern Affairs, Western Hemisphere Affairs, and the Office of Security and Human Rights. Previously, he served in Amman, Jordan, as the Country Director for a U.S.-based INGO that provided humanitarian assistance and stability support to Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons. Prior positions include Senior Civilian Advisor on the Commander’s Advisory and Assistance Team (CAAT) in Afghanistan; Project Director for an INGO based in Somalia; Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security; and Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Carstens is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who served in Special Forces and the 1st Ranger Battalion. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and holds master’s degrees from the U.S. Naval War College and St. John’s 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. | |||
| #98 Arun Seraphin on the SASC and Emerging Technology | 31 May 2022 | 00:47:05 | |
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 Arun Seraphin discusses his 20+ years as a Professional Staff Member on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. He describes differences between the US Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the way Congress thinks about and evaluates national security emerging tech. Arun shares he communicates as a “connector” between emerging technology thought leaders in industry and academia and Congressional leaders. Finally, he describes NDIA’s Emerging Technologies Institute and how he continues connecting people and technology. Resources: Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-98 Guest Bio: Dr. Arun Seraphin is the Deputy Director of Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI) at National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). Before joining the ETI team, a Professional Staff Member on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. His areas of responsibility include acquisition policy, Pentagon management issues, Department of Defense’s science and technology programs, information technology systems, technology transition issues, defense laboratories, Small Business Innovation Research program, manufacturing programs, and test and evaluation programs. As such he assists Senators in their oversight of DOD policies and programs, including in the authorization of budgets, civilian nominations, legislative initiatives, and hearings. He rejoined the committee staff in 2014, after previously serving there between 2001 and 2010. In 2009, he was named one of ten Defense “Staffers to Know” by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. From 2010 to 2014, Dr. Seraphin served as the Principal Assistant Director for National Security and International Affairs at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). During this time, he both led (in an Acting capacity) and served as the deputy director of the OSTP National Security and International Affairs division. His areas of responsibility included developing and implementing White House initiatives and policies in areas including defense research and engineering; weapons of mass destruction; defense manufacturing and industrial base; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education; cybersecurity; and promoting innovation in government research and engineering organizations. He also led interagency groups on small business programs and on improving the quality of the Federal STEM workforce. He was on detail to OSTP from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he was the Special Assistant for Policy Initiatives to the Director of DARPA. Dr. Seraphin has also worked on the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science’s Subcommittee on Research as a professional staff member. He began his work in Congress in the Office of Senator Joseph Lieberman as the 1999-2000 Materials Research Society – Optical Society of America Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow. In these positions, he covered both civilian and defense research and development programs. Between 1996 and 2000, Dr. Seraphin worked in the Science and Technology Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, where his research included work on defense technology transition, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), export controls, technology forecasting, and international research cooperation. His work included detailed technical analyses supporting the DARPA MEMS program, the Army Science and Technology Master Plan, and the Military Critical Technologies Program. In 1996, Dr. Seraphin earned a Ph.D. in Electronic Materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he performed research on silicon nanotechnology. His research focused on the development of novel silicon nanostructures and tailoring their optical properties. He also holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science with a concentration in American Government and Engineering Science with a concentration in Materials Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. 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. | |||
| #97 Christina Nemr on Counter-Extremism | 24 May 2022 | 00:33:41 | |
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, Christina Nemr discusses counter-extremism, counter-disinformation, instability, and conflict. After reviewing why so many interventions for both extremism and disinformation tend to fall short, Christina mentions some tactics or approaches that show promise. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-97 Guest Bio: Christina Nemr is a consultant and entrepreneur addressing challenges in the information environment that yield instability and conflict. She has worked on counter-extremism policy and programming for the past decade in collaboration with governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector, with increasing focus on mitigating the psychological and social factors that facilitate susceptibility to extremism and disinformation. She started her career as an advisor with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, where she was a founding member of the countering violent extremism program. She has degrees in International Relations and Forensic Psychology. 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. | |||
| #96 Emma Briant on Computational Propaganda and Public Trust | 17 May 2022 | 00:51:02 | |
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. Emma Briant discusses computational propaganda and her ongoing efforts to illuminate the magnitude of the problem. She reviews the findings of her recent research and gives examples with current events. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-96 Guest Bio: Dr. Emma L Briant is a scholar in political communication who researches contemporary propaganda and information warfare, its governance in an age of mass-surveillance and its implications for democracy, security, inequality and human rights. She is presently an Associate at the Centre for Financial Reporting & Accountability at University of Cambridge and a Fellow at Central European University Center for Media, Data and Society. Dr Briant has a particular research focus on the actors behind influence operations and analyzed the coordination and increasing impacts of the digitalization of defense propaganda for her recent book Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change (Manchester University Press, 2015). Dr Briant’s testimony was central in exposing Cambridge Analytica and its parent company SCL and continues to inform international inquiries and policymaking including the US Congress, UK Parliament, Canadian Parliament and European Parliament. She has advised politicians, NGO’s and Big Tech companies on threats posed by the opaque digital influence industry, disinformation and contemporary influence operations. Dr Briant’s first book was Bad News for Refugees, (Pluto Press, 2013, co-authored with Greg Philo and Pauline Donald), examined UK political and media discourse on migration prior to ‘Brexit’. She served as advisor for a film for ‘People You May Know’, a recent Emmy-nominated documentary on Amazon Prime and previously, as Senior Researcher for Oscar-shortlisted Netflix film ‘The Great Hack’. She is now finalizing her third book Propaganda Machine: Inside Cambridge Analytica and the Digital Influence Industry and working on a fourth the co-edited Routledge Handbook on the Influence Industry with Vian Bakir, Bangor University, UK. Dr Briant also contributes journalism and op-eds to major outlets and is owner of Maven of Persuasion LLC a consultancy that advises and trains on disinformation threats and ethics in influence. 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. | |||
| #95 LtGen Matthew Glavy on MCDP 8 Information | 10 May 2022 | 00:36:41 | |
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, the Deputy Commandant for Information, Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy discussed the Marine Corps newest doctrinal pub: MCDP 8 Information. MCDP 8 is the Marine Corps’ capstone service doctrine that describes the purpose and mechanics of the Information warfighting function. The Marine Corps information warfighting function is a framework that Marines use to plan and execute operations for the purpose of creating and exploiting information advantages in pursuit of mission objectives, in any warfighting domain. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-95 Guest Bio: Lieutenant General Glavy was commissioned in May 1986 through the United States Naval Academy. Upon receiving his wings in September of 1988, he was selected to fly the CH-46 Sea Knight. Assignments in the Operating Forces include: Weapons and Tactics Instructor and Embark Officer, HMM-261 (REIN); Aircraft Maintenance Officer, and Executive Officer, HMM-265 (REIN); Current Operations Officer, G-3, 1st MAW; Commanding Officer, HMM-265 (REIN); Commanding General, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, and Commanding General, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command. Assignments in the Supporting Establishment include: Platoon Commander, Officer Candidate School; Operational Test Director, White House Liaison Officer, Presidential Command Pilot and Commanding Officer, HMX-1. Headquarters and Staff Assignments: Plans, Policy and Operation, HQMC; Information Operations, Joint Staff J3; HQMC Aviation, Expeditionary Enablers Branch; Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Marine Corps Staff; Deputy Director of Current Operations, United States Cyber Command. Military Education: The Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College and Marine Corps War College. Master’s degrees in both Military Studies and Strategic Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy 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. | |||
| #94 Lisa DeFalco on Communications Analysis | 03 May 2022 | 00:39:02 | |
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, Lisa DeFalco discusses her 25-year journey in the business of communications analysis. Her firm’s newest AI based technology, Anna, is transforming TPG into an industry leading customer experience technology firm. Their platform evaluates communication effectiveness on a series of over 300 identified communication behaviors. We discuss implications and applications of this technology. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-94 Guest Bio: Lisa DeFalco founded the Independent Quality Assurance market, starting both an industry and a movement with the phrase “this call may be monitored for quality assurance.” Opening TPG in 1996, Lisa has designed the methodology that the Fortune 500 uses to define a “good call.” That methodology is in place among the largest corporations on the globe in 9 countries and 13 languages, and applied across 180 million interactions and growing. Throughout Lisa’s 30 years in the contact center industry, she has served on the industry’s trade association (American TeleServices Association/PACE) as its Board of Director Chairwoman. During her 12-year tenure as the Chairwoman and Board officer, she has met with governmental regulators and members of Congress to advocate the value of contact centers in support of American business communication with consumers. During her tenure, she formed the industry’s Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) with the cooperation of industry and federal regulators to define compliant consumer protection standards for contact center communication, earning leadership recognition for federal and state regulatory compliance knowledge. As the CEO of TPG, Inc., Lisa is the visionary behind TPG’s products, delivery model, and the innovative path to incorporate its proprietary evaluation methods within AI technology, including their newest AI based technology Anna, transforming TPG into an industry leading CX technology firm. 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. | |||
| #93 Todd Huntley on Information Operations & the Law | 26 Apr 2022 | 00:39:51 | |
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, Captain Todd Huntley USN (ret.) shares his perspective on legal considerations related to information operations. Todd draws upon decades of operational law experience as a judge advocate for USSOCCOM and a senior legal advisor for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-93 Guest Bio: Todd Huntley is the Director of the National Security Law Program and a Lecturer in Law at Georgetown University Law Center. In addition to teaching, Todd develops curriculum as well as other educational and professional development programs for students focusing on National Security Law. Todd is a retired Navy Captain and served as an active duty Judge Advocate for more than 23 years. Prior to joining Georgetown he was a Professor of National Security Law at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville. He previously served as the Directory of the Navy’s National Security Law Division. While at the Pentagon he served as a Special Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control as well as a member of the Senior Review Group for a Joint Staff study on hybrid threats. Todd has extensive operational law experience supporting the Special Operations community. He served as the Chief, Information Operations Law at US Special Operations Command and as the legal advisor to the Joint Military Information Support Command, as well as the SJA, Special Operations Command Central and Combined Forces Special Operations Command where he deployed to Qatar, Iraq, Yemen, and other locations in the Middle East. He also served as the legal advisor for US Special Operations Command, National Capital Region. Todd deployed to Afghanistan twice with a Joint Special Operations Task Force in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and has supported a Joint Special Operations Task Force conducting world-wide counter-terrorism missions. CAPT Huntley has a B.A. in International Affairs and a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati, as well as an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. 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. | |||
| #92 Patrick Williams on the Weather and IO | 19 Apr 2022 | 00:51:50 | |
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, USAF Col Pat Williams discusses the weather, information operations, and how the 557th Wing predicts and influences behavior. After describing the mission and capabilities of the Air Force’s only weather wing, Pat also discusses the 557th Wing’s recent realignment as a subordinate unit of the 16th Air Force. He reviews several historical examples where weather played a critical role in military operations–including the very first tornado forecast. Then, he discusses how weather analyses are playing an increasing role in influence and decision-making at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-90 Guest Bio: Colonel Patrick C. Williams is the Commander, 557th Weather Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha Nebraska. He leads more than 1,450 active duty and civil service personnel at 19 locations around the world providing centralized weather insights, products and services, including climatological and electromagnetic spectrum degradation forecasts, to Air Force, Space Force, Army, Joint Force, and other Department of Defense activities. The 557th Weather Wing executes worldwide weather operations to enable air and space superiority, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid mobility, global strike, and command and control in support of all geographic and functional combatant commands. Colonel Williams received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in May 1998. He became well versed in aviation, cyber, space, intelligence, and Army operations and held a wide variety of positions to include 2d Weather Group Commander, 19th Expeditionary Weather Squadron Commander, command weather briefer, flight commander, staff officer for Air, Army, and Joint Staffs, program element monitor, executive officer and aide-de-camp. Colonel Williams served two combat tours in Iraq (as flight commander) and Afghanistan (as 19th Expeditionary Weather Squadron Commander) respectively. 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. | |||
| #188 Joanna Siekiera on China | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:41:06 | |
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. Joanna Siekiera discusses how China is integrating itself into global affairs from a lawfare perspective. Research Question: Joanna Siekiera suggests an interested student ask: “Why”? Students should always start research from this question as it will help you understand who is benefiting from certain actions and omissions. In which domain are they benefiting? What are the true interests? And who is paying for all of that? We must stay pragmatic in order to see the true, not anticipatory research outcomes. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Joanna Siekiera is an international lawyer, legal advisor, Doctor of Public Policy. She is a fellow at the Marine Corps University and NATO Maritime Security Center of Excellence in Türkiye. Her areas of expertise are law of armed conflict (lawfare, legal culture in armed conflict, NATO legal framework) and the Indo-Pacific region, and Pacific law. 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. | |||
| #91 Denver Dill on the Arts and Music | 12 Apr 2022 | 00:42:02 | |
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 Sergeant Major Denver Dill discusses how music and the arts can be used as tools of influence. Our wide ranging conversation covers the role of music in military operations to the theme park experience to movies to sports. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-91 Guest Bio: Sergeant Major Denver Dill is a member of the West Point Band and an instructor of American Politics at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. He has developed the course SS493 Music & Influence which he teaches in the Department of Social Sciences. He also serves as a co-founder and researcher in the West Point Music Research Center and as the Army Music Analytics Team Leader. He has taught and assisted in several departments including the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Department of Systems Engineering, Department of English and Philosophy as well as with the Army Cyber Institute. As a trumpet player Sergeant Major Dill has been a prize winner in several national and international competitions. Additionally, Sergeant Major Dill has appeared as both a soloist and a principal trumpet player with the New York Philharmonic and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Brass. Prior to coming to the United States Military Academy Sergeant Major Dill was a doctoral teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music. He holds degrees from Juilliard and Eastern Kentucky University and holds certifications in: Lean Six Sigma, Security+, and Influence in Special 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 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. | |||
| #90 Dave Acosta on Informationally Disadvantaged | 05 Apr 2022 | 00:38:54 | |
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, COL Dave Acosta discusses a draft article which represents his thinking about the early phases of the Ukraine War entitled: Informationally Disadvantaged: The Realities of Information and War in Ukraine. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-90 Guest Bio: COL David Acosta is currently a student at the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks PA. He was commissioned as an Army Field Artillery officer in May 1998 from the United States Air Force Academy. He served at various levels throughout his career from the company/battery level to Division staff and at the Headquarters, Department of the Army G-3/5/7. He commanded the 303d Information Operations (IO) Battalion, 151st Theater IO Group at Camp Parks CA for 49 months, and recently served as the G3 Information Operations (IO) Chief for the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). His operational tours include Company Fire Support Officer, B/2-2 Infantry, OPERATION JOINT GUARDIAN in Kosovo, HQ Stabilization Forces IO Planner, OPERATION JOINT FORGE in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and IO Planner and Deputy G7, OPERATIONs IRAQI FREEDOM and NEW DAWN in Iraq. COL Acosta holds a Bachelors of Science in History (Russian Area) from the US Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in Joint Information Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of The Makara of Hizballah: Deception in the 2006 Summer War. 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. | |||
| #89 Ajit Maan and Paul Cobaugh on Narrative | 29 Mar 2022 | 00:53:00 | |
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. Ajit Maan and Mr. Paul Cobaugh of Narrative Strategies discuss the importance of narrative–especially when it comes to operationalizing influence. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-89 Guest Bio: Dr. Ajit Maan is a security and defense policy analyst and a specialist in narrative strategies in radicalization processes. She is also the author of seven books & is the CEO|Founder of Narrative Strategies. Mr. Paul Cobaugh retired from the US Army as a Warrant Officer after a distinguished career in the US Special Operations Counter-Terrorism community, primarily focused on mitigating adversarial influence and advancing US objectives by way of influence. She is also an adjunct professor at the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) Ajit Maan, Ph.D. is a security and defense policy analyst and a specialist in narrative strategies in radicalization processes. She is Professor of Practice at the Center for the Future of War and Member of the Brain Trust of the Weaponized Narrative Initiative at Arizona State University, as well as Affiliate Faculty at George Mason University's Center for Narrative Conflict Resolution. She is the author of seven books including Internarrative Identity: Placing the Self, Counter-Terrorism: Narrative Strategies, Narrative Warfare, Plato's Fear and Co-Editor of Soft Power on Hard Problems: Strategic Influence in Irregular Warfare. Her articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, The Strategy Bridge, Small Wars Journal, Real Clear Defense, Stars and Stripes, The Indian Defense Review, Indian Military Review, Defense, Intelligence Norway, and other policy and military strategy journals. Mr. Paul Cobaugh retired from the US Army as a Warrant Officer after a distinguished career in the US Special Operations CT community, primarily focused on mitigating adversarial influence and advancing US objectives by way of influence. Throughout his career he has focused on the centrality of influence in modern conflict whether it be from extremist organizations or state actors employing influence against the US and our Allies. Post military career he accepted the position of VP at Narrative Strategies, a US based Think-Do Tank which specializes in the non-kinetic aspects of conflict. He believes that Narrative Strategies' cutting-edge focus on leading with non-kinetic influence is the future of national security efforts. He is the author of Modern Day Minutemen and Women or how to save the 2020 Elections. He has also co-authored, Narrative Warfare, Primer and Study Guide and Soft Power on Hard Problems, Hamilton Publishing, 2017. 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. | |||
| #88 Courtney Cano and Kaitlyn Tierney on Diverting Hate | 22 Mar 2022 | 00:25:23 | |
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, Courtney Cano and Kaitlyn Tierney, who are graduate students at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MMIS), discuss their award-winning project: Diverting Hate. Their team studied the ways in which radicalization proliferates online–especially misogyny and involuntary celibacy (incel) culture–and developed prevention methods to help individuals build resiliency. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-88 Guest Bios: Kaitlyn Tierney is a passionate leader aspiring to bridge the gaps of technology and policy through conflict resolution, innovative counterterrorism, and empathy. Inspired to take action to heal our ever-polarizing country, Kaitlyn decided to pursue her master’s in policy in 2021 to connect with experts in extremism to address radicalization on social media. Previously, she spent six years in brand marketing, assisting to develop the brand of a successful personal finance technology company, Credit Karma. Aside from my career aspirations, Kaitlyn is a big believer in living life to the fullest. She finds joy in being outdoors skiing and surfing, as well as traveling this beautiful country via her Subaru Forester. As a first-generation college student, Courtney Cano is a proud product of the public sphere and was fortunate as a child to be immersed in well-funded public schools, libraries, and after school programs. By all accounts, Courtney has made the best of public institutions to advance her station in life. However, this is by no means equally, or even similarly feasible for everyone. Whether by race, ethnicity, ability, sex, gender, economic status, or the likes, Courtney believes that all have varying degrees of privilege. As such, she has always had an interest in access and equity in both the government and society. Courtney's studies in Political Science, Religion, and Philosophy at Middlebury College were generalist and explored both the philosophical and observed aspects of governance on a national scale. After college, however, she found myself drawn towards the kind of community-building and empathetic advocacy that is necessary to address radicalization after experiencing the polarization and radicalization of her own father. Catalyzed to take action, Courtney decided to pursue her master’s to explore the nexus between policy, society, and innovative counter extremism measures. 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. | |||
| #87 Lori Reynolds and Austin Branch on the Phoenix Challenge | 15 Mar 2022 | 00:44:40 | |
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, Lori Reynolds and Austin Branch (along with over 40 additional IPA members) discuss the upcoming Phoenix Challenge conference, which will be held on April 26-28, 2022 at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) on the University of Maryland campus. LtGen Reynolds also discusses the Marine Corps’ recent announcement regarding the Information Maneuver Occupational Field (OCcFld 1700). Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-87 Guest Bios: Mr. Austin Branch is an Information Operations pioneer, practitioner and leader. He holds the distinction of being the Army’s very first Information Operations officer when that career field was just forming, and while in uniform, he served at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Since retirement from the Army, Mr. Branch served in several senior executive civilian roles within the Department of Defense which focused on information operations, cyber, and counter-terrorism. He is also a founding board member of the Information Professionals Association. Lori Reynolds retired as a Lieutenant General after a 35 year career in the United States Marine Corps. Her service culminated as the Deputy Commandant for Information, a newly established Deputy Commandant that recognized the growing importance of Information, cyberspace and digital technologies and the new warfighting domains of space and cyberspace. During her career, she commanded Marines at every rank, including command of formations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a General Officer, she commanded the Marine Corps iconic recruit depot at Parris Island SC, where she was responsible for recruiting and training 20,000 new Marines per year. She subsequently commanded Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, where she completed the build of the Marine Corps’ newest warfighting component and was responsible for the Marine Corps first ever cyber effects operations in support of the Joint Force. In her time as the Deputy Commandant for Information, Lori was responsible for all IT, intelligence, cyberspace, space and influence personnel and capability development for the Marine Corps. She led the team that created the Marine Corps newest warfighting function of Information, acknowledging the growing importance of the fight for secure information and data. She also led the development of the cyberspace occupational field for the Marine Corps and initiated the creation of a new Marine component for US Space Command. Lori served as the senior woman in the Marine Corps for 8 years and is an expert in team building, leading diverse teams, managing complexity, risk and talent management, and organizational change management. In her last 6 years in the Marine Corps, she was a member of the Marine Corps Corporate Board reponsible for collaboratively planning $50B annually to support USMC missions and capability development globally. Her executive responsibilities included Deputy Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer for the Marine Corps, Director of Cyber Security, and Director of Intelligence. Lori earned a BS in political science from the United States Naval Academy, a MS from the Navy War College and an MS from Army War College. She has voluntarily served as the Chairperson of the Board for the Sea Services Leadership Association and is a member of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association. She was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2020 and was the inaugural recipient of the Admiral Grace Hopper award at the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace. She is also a member of the Information Professionals Association. 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. | |||
| #86 Nick Starck and David Bierbrauer on Vulnerabilities in the Military Use of AI | 08 Mar 2022 | 00:33:33 | |
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, Nick Starck and David Bierbrauer discuss their recent article: Understanding—and Mitigating—Vulnerabilities in the Military Use of AI. After recapping four categories of adversarial methods, they discuss implications and the need to keep humans in the loop. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-86 Guest Bios: Captain Nick Starck is a US Army cyber officer currently assigned as a research scientist at the Army Cyber Institute. His research focuses on information warfare and data privacy. Captain David (Dave) Bierbrauer is a signal officer in the US Army. He earned a master of science in engineering degree for applied mathematics and statistics from the Johns Hopkins University in 2021. Captain Bierbrauer is currently a data engineer and data scientist at the Army Cyber Institute. 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. | |||
| IPA Members Only Social, Panel Discussion, and Live Podcast Recording | 05 Mar 2022 | 00:02:48 | |
On March the 9th 2022 from 1800-1930 ET – that this Wednesday evening – we will be having our first IPA members-only social and live Cognitive Crucible podcast recording session. We hope this will be the first of many such gatherings for the information professionals community. After a short ice breaker, we will have a panel discussion led by Mr. Austin Branch – one of the founding Board Members of IPA. Joining Austin will be Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds USMC ret., who before retiring from the Marine Corps recently, was the Deputy Commandant for Information. There may be some other surprise guests, as well. I can’t say anything more about that right now – you’ll have to attend the event to see who else joins the panel. The primary topic will be the upcoming April 2022 Phoenix Challenge conference, which is the United States Department of Defense premier convening event hosted by the Office of Secretary Defense of Policy. IPA is very proud to co-host this year’s Phoenix Challenge with the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) in partnership with OUSD (Policy) and OUSD (Research and Engineering) as DoD sponsors and co-chairs. So, after the panel sketches out the conference agenda, there will be plenty of time for the virtual zoom audience to ask questions. So, if you’re an information professional, you don’t want to miss out on this event–hit the event registration link below. After you register & before Wednesday’s start time, you will receive information about how to join the conference. You may have noticed that this event is for IPA members only. So, if you’re not already an IPA member, then I can think of no better time than right now to join our growing community & support our mission. There’s a link to join IPA in the show note & we look forward to seeing you this Wednesday evening at 1800 or 6:00pm ET. https://information-professionals.org/event/live-cognitive-crucible-podcast-recording/ | |||
| #85 Kerbel on Anticipatory Intelligence and Complexity | 01 Mar 2022 | 00:52:55 | |
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, Josh Kerbel of the National Intelligence University discusses the need for anticipatory intelligence. He contrasts the relatively simple historical national environment with today’s complex world. Josh explains why the traditional mindset of containment, which The West deployed to counter the Soviet agenda during the Cold War, is inappropriate today. Traditional analysis tools and linear problem solving are likewise inadequate for understanding complex, emergent dynamics. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-85 Guest Bio: Josh Kerbel is a member of the research faculty at the National Intelligence University where he explores the increasingly complex security environment and the associated intelligence challenges. Prior to joining NIU, he held senior analytical positions at DIA, ODNI (including the NIC), the Navy staff, CIA, and ONI. His writings on the intersections of government (especially intelligence) and complexity have been published in Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, Studies in Intelligence, Slate, The National Interest, The Hill, War on the Rocks, Defense One, Parameters, and other outlets. Mr. Kerbel has degrees from the George Washington University and the London School of Economics as well as professional certifications from the Naval War College and the Naval Postgraduate School. More recently he was a post-graduate fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The views expressed here are his alone. 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. | |||
| #84 Suzanne Spaulding on Disinformation, the Foreign Malign Influence Center, and Civics | 22 Feb 2022 | 00:31:52 | |
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, Suzanne Spaulding from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) explains why she thinks malign influence and disinformation are national security threats. She also discusses the Foreign Malign Influence Center, various United States authorities, and civics. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-84 Guest Bio: Suzanne Spaulding is senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Suzanne has served in a variety of influential national security roles within the Intelligence Community, the Department of Homeland Security, and within the United States Congress. Likewise, her private sector experience covers a wide-range of legal, risk, and security issues. Suzanne Spaulding is senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also served as a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. Previously, she served as under secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she led the National Protection and Programs Directorate, now called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, managing a $3 billion budget and a workforce of 18,000, charged with strengthening cybersecurity and protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure, including election infrastructure. She led the transformation of budget, acquisition, analytic, and operational processes to bring greater agility and unity of effort to an organization that had experienced dramatic growth through acquisition of new entities and missions over several years. Throughout her career, Ms. Spaulding has advised CEOs, boards, and government policymakers on how to manage complex security risks across all industry sectors. At DHS, she led the development and implementation of national policies for strengthening the security and resilience of critical infrastructure against cyber and physical risks, including the National Infrastructure Protection Plan and key presidential directives and executive orders. She worked with industry to establish CEO-level coordinating councils in the electric and financial services sectors, chaired the federal government’s Aviation Cybersecurity Initiative to identify and address key cyber vulnerabilities in the national aviation system, and worked with many foreign governments on critical infrastructure and cybersecurity, including negotiating agreements with China and Israel. Ms. Spaulding also led security regulation of the chemical industry, biometrics and identity management, emergency communications, and the Federal Protective Service. As a member of the board of directors for the First Responder Network Authority, Ms. Spaulding helped oversee the complex and unprecedented effort to deploy the first nation-wide broadband network for public safety. She is currently on the board of directors for Defending Digital Campaigns and for Girl Security, and advisory boards for Nozomi Networks, Splunk, MITRE, Harvard University’s Defending Digital Democracy project, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and the Technology Law and Security Program at American University. She is a member of the Homeland Security Experts Group, sits on the council of executives for the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at Auburn University, and is on the faculty of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Following the attacks of 9/11, Ms. Spaulding worked with key critical infrastructure sectors as they reviewed their security posture and advised the CEOs of the Business Roundtable. In 2002, she was appointed by Governor Mark Warner of Virginia to the Secure Commonwealth Panel to advise the governor and the legislature regarding preparedness issues. She was managing partner of the Harbour Group, a principal in the Bingham Consulting Group, and of counsel to Bingham McCutchen LLP. Ms. Spaulding has served in Republican and Democratic administrations and on both sides of the aisle in Congress. She was general counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and minority staff director for the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She also spent six years at the Central Intelligence Agency, where she was assistant general counsel and legal adviser to the director’s Nonproliferation Center. She was a member of the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, which developed a bipartisan national cybersecurity strategy in advance of the 2008 election; executive director of the National Commission on Terrorism and the Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; and a consultant on the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. She is former chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security, founder of the Cybersecurity Legal Task Force, and was a member of Harvard University’s Long-Term Legal Strategy Project for Preserving Security and Democratic Freedoms in the War on Terror. 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. | |||
| #83 Joseph Lee on Jung and Archetypes | 15 Feb 2022 | 01:17:50 | |
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. Can archetypes be modeled, analyzed, and applied in support of national security? During this episode, Joseph Lee discusses Carl Jung, collective consciousness, and archetypes. Our wide ranging discussion covers a comparison between Jung and Freud, Joseph Campbell’s work on myth and the hero’s journey, the Marvel universe as a modern day collection of stories about gods, the power of rituals, and archetype emergence. Here is the story Joseph shared towards the end of the discussion: Max Zeller’s dream. A psychoanalyst living in California, Zeller had become troubled by his work after World War II, for he worked with relatively few individuals while the world remained in turmoil. So he went to Europe to meet with Jung and had this dream: “A temple of vast dimensions was in the process of being built. As far as I could see—ahead, behind, right and left—there were incredible numbers of people building on gigantic pillars. I, too, was building on a pillar. The whole building process was in its very first beginnings, but the foundation was already there, the rest of the building was starting to go up, and I and many others were working on it. Jung said, ‘Ja, you know, that is the temple we all build on. We don’t know the people because, believe me, they build in India and China and in Russia and all over the world…You know how long it will take until it is built?’ And when Max Zeller asked how long, Jung said, ‘About six hundred years.’ Max Zeller ended by saying, ‘That is what happens in our work…We see it every day…Each person works on his own pillar, until one day the temple will be built.’” Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-83 Guest Bio: Joseph R. Lee is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Southern VA. He is co-host and co-creator of This Jungian Life podcast, as well as the online learning program DreamSchool, where people learn how to interpret their own dreams. He is president emeritus of The Philadelphia Association of Jungian Analysts that provides analytic training. 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. | |||
| #187 Randy Rosin on Reflexive Control | 09 Apr 2024 | 01:25:05 | |
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. Randy Rosin returns to the Cognitive Crucible to discuss the “trippy” topic of reflexive control. Soviet influence practitioners favor an indirect approach. Reflexive control is the process of conveying the basis of decision-making from one person to another. Research Question: Randy Rosin suggests an interested student examine: How can reflexive processes be applied in the creation of strategies to obtain desirable results in scenarios of either conflict, competition, or cooperation? Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Dr. Randy Rosin is a faculty member of the National Intelligence University in Bethesda, Maryland who teaches courses in propaganda, foreign information and cyber strategy, cyber threat intelligence, denial and deception, and leadership. He is a 32-year active-duty Army veteran who has served in combat arms, psychological operations, information operations, as a middle eastern foreign area officer, and in human intelligence operations. Notably serving as the information operations chief in Iraq, at US Central Command, and as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché in Yemen. His research interests are on the confluence of technology and manipulative communication with a particular focus on the development of information-based theoretical frameworks. 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. | |||
| #82 John DeRosa and Alex del Castillo on Measuring Effectiveness of Operations in the Information Environment | 08 Feb 2022 | 00:54:34 | |
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, Alex del Castillo of Zignal Labs and John De Rosa discuss applied social science related to measuring effectiveness of operations in the information environment. Our wide-ranging conversation touches upon helping decision-makers visualize the information environment, cloud computing, nurturing an innovation culture, and in-demand near-term future capabilities. John and Alex discuss how measuring IO effectiveness includes several sub-components such as horizonal and vertical contextual understanding of the whole information environment, establishing agnostic baselines, filtering and searching, target audience definition, and measuring based upon area targets instead of point targets. The national security and commercial marketplaces seem to be blending and asking for predictive and prescriptive analytics, narrative intelligence, sandbox information environments, geospatial, and meme analysis. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-82 Guest Bios: As Zignal's Chief Revenue Officer, Alex del Castillo leads all revenue generation processes while ensuring accountability and alignment with product development, marketing, and customer success. A former Chicago prosecuting attorney, enlisted Marine turned naval officer, and Booz Allen Hamilton consultant to U.S. Special Operations Forces, he brings more than 20 years of experience across multiple critical disciplines to Zignal Labs. John DeRosa has served over twenty years as a soldier, officer, and civilian in the U.S. Department of Defense. Concurrently, he is an Adjunct Professor Government and Politics at the University of Maryland Global Campus. He has a Ph.D. and MSc from the Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, a MSc in National Security Strategy from the National War College, a MA in National Security Studies, and a BA in Economics from California State University, San Bernardino. His book Narrativized Strategic Choice was published in 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 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. | |||
| #81 Cassandra Brooker on the Effectiveness of Influence Activities | 01 Feb 2022 | 00:45:09 | |
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, MAJ Cassandra Brooker presents her Master’s research report entitled: “The Effectiveness of Influence Activities in Information Warfare.” Cass asserts that Western democracies are already at war in the information domain and are being out-communicated by adversaries. In her study, she fuses three research disciplines: systems thinking, influence, and behavioural science to better understand mental models and enable a deeper understanding of influencing tactics. We discuss the notion of feedback loops, which are critical to understanding influence. Finally, Cass reviews two case studies–ISIS and the Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential campaign. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-81 Guest Bio: Major Cassandra Brooker is an Australian Intelligence Officer, who is currently posted to the Advanced Warfighting Evaluation Section developing future and emerging threat products in support of the Australian Army’s Aviation capability. Major Brooker was born in New Zealand and served two years in the Royal New Zealand Air Force before immigrating to Australia. She graduated from the Royal Military College in 2002 and has held a diverse range of postings throughout her career, including: developing aviation intelligence, collection and targeting capabilities; specialisations in remote-sensing and geospatial intelligence; campaign planning to defeat ISIS at the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command in Baghdad; and as the ADF’s first bilateral student to study at the Military Science Academy in Hanoi. MAJ Brooker undertook a Masters of Research in 2019 at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra, on a Chief of Army’s Scholarship. Her thesis spanned three academic disciplines of: Systems Thinking, Influence Activities, and Cognitive Theory to investigate solutions for improving Australia’s influence effectiveness in information warfare. She also holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies (Peace Studies) from University of New England, a Master of Justice (Intelligence) from Queensland University of Technology, and a Graduate Diploma in Geographic Information Science from University of Queensland. 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. | |||
| #80 Hank Thomas on VC Tech interface w National Security | 25 Jan 2022 | 00:40:04 | |
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, Hank Thomas of Strategic Cyber Ventures discusses his perspective on tech entrepreneurialism and how the national security organizations are engaging with the venture capital community. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-80 Guest Bio: Hank Thomas is a Washington D.C. based Venture Capital Investor, Founder, and CEO of Strategic Cyber Ventures (SCV). SCV invests in rapidly growing cybersecurity, privacy, and resiliency focused technology companies. The SCV team brings an expert, more modern venture capital experience to startup founders and the broader investment ecosystem, working every day to bridge the gap between emerging commercial technology and corporate and national security challenges. Hank is a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, and former Booz Allen Hamilton security consultant and executive. He leverages 24 years of experience to identify, invest in, and help mature differentiated technology companies. SCV’s portfolio currently has seven active investments. Hank serves as a member of the board of directors for cybersecurity technology companies Polarity, ID DataWeb, and TrapX Security, as well as on the advisory board of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Hank is also the Co-Founder of the SCVX Acquisition Corporation (NYSE:SCVX), a national security focused Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation (SPAC). 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. | |||
| #79 Brendan Mulvaney on China In Their Own Words | 18 Jan 2022 | 00:51:26 | |
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. Brendan Mulvaney of the Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute discusses geo-political, cultural, military, and talent matters related to China. Our conversation also includes a review of CASI’s “In Their Own Words” series which is a series of translations that cover a wide range of topics related to the China Communist Party and People’s Liberation Army. Brendan gives his thoughts on one of these translations called: Lectures on Joint Campaign Information Operations. Other topics covered include: technical standards, talent, trust, technology acquisition and the OODA loop. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-79 Guest Bio: Dr. Brendan Mulvaney is the Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute--part of the Air University. Prior to this position, Dr. Mulvaney was a US Marine Corps cobra pilot and Chinese language and cultural expert. Dr. Brendan Mulvaney is the Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute. Dr. Mulvaney served as a Marine for a quarter of a century, where he flew more than 2000 hours as a AH-1W Cobra pilot, and was an Olmsted Scholar in Shanghai, China. He served at Camp Pendleton, CA; in China as an Olmsted Scholar at Fudan University, where he earned his Ph.D. in International Relations; in Iraq; in Washington D.C. as the inaugural Director of the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Red Team, and most recently at U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis where he was the Associate Chair for Languages and Cultures and taught Chinese language and culture. 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. | |||
| #78 Phoenix Cast Dual Release | 11 Jan 2022 | 01:22:18 | |
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. In this crossover episode of the Phoenix Cast and Cognitive Crucible, John Bicknell is joined by John Schreiner, Kyle Moschetto and Rich Vaccariello. The podcast hosts discuss why they started their respective casts, how they view competition, the key take-aways of their casts, the top must listen episodes, and the other podcasts they listen to. Cognitive Crucible show notes page https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-78 Links and Resources:
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| #77 Paul Lopata on Quantum | 04 Jan 2022 | 00:56:41 | |
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. Paul Lopata of the Laboratory for Physical Sciences in College Park Maryland discusses the origins of quantum mechanics including philosophical underpinnings and a recap of the famous double-slit experiment which prompted physicists to start thinking about light as having both wave and particle properties. Paul connects quantum theory and cognitive security using words and concepts like trust, probabilistic reasoning, and making decisions with limited information, and in the presence of risk. He also describes advances in quantum computing and cryptography, prime numbers, Shor’s algorithm, and NP-hard problems. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-77 Guest Bio: Dr. Paul Lopata is a quantum research scientist at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences in College Park Maryland. Previously, Paul served as the Principal Director for Quantum Science in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering where he focused on quantum technology modernization. He was also Executive Secretary for the Defense Science Board’s Task Force on Applications of Quantum Technologies. 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. | |||
| #76 Yuval Levin on the US Constitution and Institutions | 28 Dec 2021 | 00:44:41 | |
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. Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute discusses foundational concepts contained within the United States Constitution and institutions, in general. He also gives his opinions regarding strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution and interactions with institutions. In closing, Yuval makes the case for why it is important for information professionals to study the Constitution and institutional dynamics. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-76 Guest Bio: Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. The founding and current editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor of The New Atlantis and a contributing editor to National Review. Dr. Levin and scholars in the Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies research division study the foundations of self-government and the future of law, regulation, and constitutionalism. They also explore the state of American social, political, and civic life, while focusing on the preconditions necessary for family, community, and country to flourish. Dr. Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush. He was also executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics and a congressional staffer at the member, committee, and leadership levels. In addition to being interviewed frequently on radio and television, Dr. Levin has published essays and articles in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Commentary. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently “A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream” (Basic Books). He holds an MA and PhD from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. 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. | |||
| #75 Todd Manyx on the MCIOC | 21 Dec 2021 | 00:39:14 | |
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, Col. Todd Manyx discusses the Marine Corps Information Operations Center (MCIOC), influence, and battlespace awareness. Our wide ranging conversation covers the origin story of the MCIOC, its components, talent considerations, and current and emerging partnerships with other Department of Defense and international organizations. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-75 Guest Bio: Colonel Manyx has 35 years of service, both officer and enlisted, in the United States Marine Corps. Following Basic Training in 1985, (he served as an Aviation Support Equipment Technician and, later, as an Intelligence Specialist and an Embassy Security Guard. In 1993, then Staff Sergeant. Manyx was selected to participate in the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (with Distinction) and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, he was assigned as an Intelligence Officer. Colonel Manyx has been fortunate to hold command at the company and battalion levels as well as numerous staff officer positions to include Company Executive Officer, Battalion Operations Officer, and Battalion Executive Officer. Colonel Manyx is a Regional Affairs Officer specializing in the Middle East as well as a former Latin American Foreign Area Officer. He is a Joint Qualified Officer, who has completed joint service tours with U.S. Central Command (Tampa, FL), International Security Assistance Force (Afghanistan), and with the Joint Staff in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has had the distinction of twice serving as a Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow first at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and then with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. His senior staff experience includes service as a personal staff member for both the Commander and Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, the Commander, International Security Assistance Force - Afghanistan, and with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also served as a Strategic Analyst for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Colonel Manyx is a graduate of numerous military and civilian schools. This includes a Master of Arts degree from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts degree from the Fletcher School, Tufts University. He also graduated from the Defense Language Institute and completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Program. His personal decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (2nd Award), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (3rd Award), Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Award), Navy Commendation Medal (2nd Award), and the Navy Achievement Medal. 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. | |||
| #74 Elham Tabassi on NIST, Technology Standards, and Trust | 14 Dec 2021 | 00:47:16 | |
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, Elham Tabassi discusses the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s mission and various initiatives currently underway. After recapping the areas of focus for each of NIST’s major laboratories, Elham discusses fingerprint biometric identification technology, artificial intelligence standardization, and NIST’s newly released Request For Information soliciting public comment on the People's Republic of China (PRC) policies and influence in the development of international standards for emerging technologies. In order to encourage diversity of opinion and inclusivity, public engagement is encouraged with any of NIST's efforts. Like previous podcast guests, Elham agrees that trust is of utmost importance today, and this applies to nonpartisan technology standards development, as well. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-74 Guest Bio: Elham Tabassi is the Chief of Staff in the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (or NIST), whose mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. ITL conducts fundamental and applied research in computer science and engineering, mathematics, and statistics that cultivates trust in information technology and metrology by developing and disseminating standards, measurements, and testing for interoperability, security, usability, and reliability of information systems. As a scientist, Elham has been working on various computer vision research projects with applications in biometrics evaluation and standards since 1999. For example, she is the principal architect of NIST Fingerprint Image Quality (NFIQ) which is now an international standard for measuring fingerprint image quality and has been deployed worldwide. In late 2020, Elham was recognized by the Washington Academy of Sciences for contributions and leadership in computer vision, fingerprint image analysis, facial recognition algorithms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. She received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal in 2003, the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal in 2007, and 2010, ANSI’s 2012 Next Generation Award, and the Women in Biometrics Award in 2016 for her contributions to biometrics. She is a member of the OSAC Friction Ridge subcommittee and co-chairs FIDO Biometrics Certification working group. 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. | |||
| #73 Ori Brafman on the Starfish, the Spider, and Resilience | 07 Dec 2021 | 00:37:11 | |
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, Ori Brafman discusses implications of the rise of decentralized organizations which is presented in his seminal book: The Starfish and the Spider. He then applies human network dynamics to leadership within organizations, like the United States Department of Defense. Our conversation also touches upon the importance of institutional trust, the military-civilian divide, human-ness, resilience, and shared values. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-73 Guest Bio: Ori Brafman’s recent bestselling book, Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership, co-authored with 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, argues that inclusion is no longer a “nice-to-have”, but a strategic imperative in today’s rapidly changing world. His seminal work, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, is often cited by the U.S. military and blockchain technology companies alike. Its concepts have been utilized by Amazon, Google, Netflix, Facebook, Cisco Systems, the Association for Financial Professionals, and the Family Business Network. Born in Israel and raised in Texas, Ori specializes in cultural transformation and unique approaches to problem solving. His ideas have been applied by Amazon, Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, the Chicago Bulls, the San Francisco 49ers, Facebook, Family Business Network, and PWC. He has advised all branches of the U.S. military, the Obama White House, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since 2010 U.S. Army generals have been required to complete Ori’s leadership curriculum. Ori is a Distinguished Teaching Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business where he lectures on improvisational leadership and artificial intelligence. He leads an intensive strategic broadening seminar between UC Berkeley and the U.S. Army and created a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Haas School of Business and the U.S. military’s National Defense University. Ori’s media appearances include the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, CBS, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox News, ABC News, BBC, National Public Radio, CNBC, CNN, and C-SPAN. He has presented before audiences at Fortune 500 companies, the White House, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, the Association of Financial Professionals, the Organization of Nurse Executives, NATO, YPO, and others. His published books include Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership; The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations; Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior; Click: The Forces Behind How We Fully Engage with People, Work, and Everything We Do; and The Chaos Imperative: How Chance and Disruption Increase Innovation, Effectiveness, and Success. Ori is founder and president of Starfish Leadership and co-founder of the Fully Charged Institute, which combines Ori’s work with that of Tom Rath. The Institute focuses on leadership and well-being and helps organizations improve performance and gain competitive advantage in an era of new business models. Ori holds partnerships with Second City Works and ExecOnline to create new leadership programs for corporate audiences. Ori holds a BA in Peace and Conflict from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. 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. | |||
| #186 Rod Korba on Vygotsky’s Inner Speech | 26 Mar 2024 | 01:18:14 | |
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, Vygotsky was a seminal figure in Soviet Psychology. His multi-staged—social learning theory of cognitive development—has influenced generations of cognitive psychologists. Our discussion today focuses on Vygotsky’s frequently overlooked and generally under-estimated concept of inner speech: or the use of internal words (and their idiosyncratic meanings) that differ in structure & function from the same words used in external speech—which are developed for public consumption. For Vygotsky, inner speech serves as an important catalyst and a dynamic process of adaptation linking the “self” to society—not only for acquiring social or conventional word meaning in external language, but for eventually establishing private or personal word meaning—that fosters one’s self identity. For Vygotsky, inner speech is the primary tool for mentation—the ability to think conceptually through language. Vygotsky’s internal language and inner speech mediate the differences between public and private thought. In this sense, inner speech is an indispensable, private tool of comprehension: a clandestine, personal shorthand that fires memory, evokes macro-concepts represented by word meanings, and serves as the catalyst for individual identity—through the continually developing concept of self. Research Question: Rod Korda suggests an interested student investigate: a participatory way of developing a framework to measure word meaning–especially in a cultural context. If successful, this kind of tool can become an input into measuring messaging effectiveness. Resources: Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: 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. | |||
| #72 Noah Komnick on Cybernetics and the Age of Complexity | 30 Nov 2021 | 00:53:28 | |
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, Noah Komnick discusses his award-winning thought leadership and writings related to complexity and cybernetics. Before retiring from the Marine Corps, Noah received an “outside the box” innovation award from the Secretary of the Navy for his Reaction Control philosophy, which he implemented in the 2018 timeframe while commanding Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38. His present work and PhD research is about building defendable organizations for the "Age of Complexity.” Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-72 Guest Bio: Noah Komnick is the CEO and founder of Seneka. Seneka partners with select private and public entities to design and develop defendable enterprises and communities. Noah is also a retired U.S. Marine officer. As an active-duty Marine, he was a career communication and information systems officer, a strategic-operational planner, and a communications squadron commander. His operational tours included duties with infantry, force reconnaissance, aviation, and expeditionary units. He was also an Associate Professor of Naval Science at both Northwestern University and Illinois Institute of Technology. Just prior to his retirement from the Marine Corps, Noah served as a cyber strategist for the nation’s Cyberspace Solarium Commission and U.S. Cyber Command. Additionally, he is the creator of Reaction Control (a self-regulating process to improve Marines’ mental fitness for combat) and Neostrategy (a new paradigm for achieving objectives in complex systems). Reaction Control received innovation awards from the Commandant of the Marine Corps and Secretary of the Navy in 2016, while Neostrategy publicly debuted at the International Conference on Complex Systems in 2018. Currently, Noah is a PhD candidate with Capitol Technology University where his interdisciplinary research focuses on the intersection of cybernetics, complexity science, and sociobiology as applied to organizational design. As a lifelong learner, Noah has masters’ degrees in National Security & Strategy (from the U.S. Naval War College), Operational Studies (from the School of Advanced Warfighting at Marine Corps University), Business Administration (from the University of Rhode Island), and a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (from Illinois Institute of Technology). He is a member of the American Cybernetics Society and the Operational Research Society. 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. | |||
| #71 Hasard Lee on the F35 and Cognitive Load | 23 Nov 2021 | 00:38:23 | |
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, after a couple war stories, US Air Force pilot MAJ Hasard Lee discusses how the F-35 is embedded with technology which tends to reduce operator cognitive load and maximize human sensemaking. Our conversation also touches upon “chair flying”--a mindfulness practice, human-machine interface, g-force effect on the human body, dehydration, along with other physical and mental training initiatives which may optimize for better peak performance. Theconversation concludes with a brief discussion about Air Force COL John Boyd and the OODA loop. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-71 Guest Bio: US Air Force MAJ Hasard Lee who is both an F-16 and F-35 fighter pilot. In 2016, he was selected as the 'Top Instructor Pilot of the Year' for the Air Force's largest F-16 Combat Wing. In 2017, he returned from Afghanistan where his squadron dropped the most ordnance since the opening days of the war. He's flown 82 combat missions and has 4 Air Medals. He also has a popular youtube channel and is host of The Professionals Playbook podcast. 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. | |||
| #70 William Hess on the Information Environment and Adapting the Military | 16 Nov 2021 | 00:34:51 | |
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, MGySgt William Hess discusses a variety of topics related to the information environment. MGySgt Hess is the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Deputy Commandant for Information at the Headquarters of the United States Marine Corps. In this capacity, his opinions influence the way the Marine Corps navigates information and cognitive-related challenges. After he provides his national security assessment, he discusses how Russia’s 2007 cyber attack on Estonia is informing the Marine Corps’ capability build today, as well as talent and educational shifts which are happening within the Marine Corps. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-71 Guest Bio: MGySgt William Hess, Senior Enlisted Advisor (SEA), for the Deputy Commandant for Information (DC I) at the Headquarters of the United States Marine Corps. He also holds a PhD in Information Technology with an emphasis in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity. Disclaimer--- William Hess graduated in 1998 from Widefield High School in Colorado Springs, CO. He underwent recruit training at 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Mike Company, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA. Upon graduation from Recruit Training and Marine Combat Training, he was assigned to Camp Johnson, for Basic Supply Clerk Course, 3043 MOS. In December of 1998, Private First Class Hess was assigned to 3rd Supply Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, Okinawa Japan. Serving as a Fiscal Clerk, Lance Corporal (LCpl) Hess aided in the consolidation of Supply and Maintenance Battalions to create the newly formed 3rd Material Readiness Battalion. In January of 2000, LCpl Hess was transferred to Marine Air Group-16 (MAG-16), 3rd Marine Air Wing. Within MAG-16, he served as a Consolidated Memorandum Record (CMR) Clerk. In June of 2000, LCpl Hess was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (HQHQSQDN), Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, CA to perform the duties of a Marine Corps Instructor of Water Survival. During his time at the MCAS Miramar Training Tank, he was meritoriously promoted to the rank of Corporal (Cpl). In May of 2002, Cpl Hess received a lateral move to the 4066 MOS, and was promoted to the Rank of Sergeant (Sgt). Upon completion of the Entry Level Small Systems Computer Specialist Course he was assigned as the NCOIC of the Field Response Team, HQHQSQDN, MCAS Miramar, CA. In July of 2005, Sgt Hess was assigned to 2nd Marine Division and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Upon returning from deployment, he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSgt). After returning to 2nd Marine Division he was assigned as the Data Plans Chief for II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Forward in support of OIF. In June of 2008, SSgt Hess transferred to 7th Communications Battalion and was assigned as the Data Chief for the 31st MEU. In June of 2009, SSgt Hess transferred to Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Center, now the Marine Corps Cyber Operations Group, where he served as the Incident Manager for the Marine Corps. During this assignment, he was promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) and received a lateral move to the Information Assurance Technician MOS (0689). In June of 2011, GySgt was assigned to 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. From February to August of 2012, he was deployed with 1st Marine Division Forward in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In July of 2013, GySgt Hess was selected to receive the Information Assurance Scholarship Program to attend the Naval Post Graduate School. While in attendance at the Naval Post Graduate School, he was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSgt). In July of 2015, MSgt Hess was assigned as the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge and Chief Instructor of the Cybersecurity Technician and Managers School House aboard 29 Palms California. During this assignment, MSgt Hess was responsible for training and certifying over 200 Cybersecurity Technicians, and ~50 Cybersecurity Managers. MSgt Hess was frocked to the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) in August of 2017. In Sept of 2017, MGySgt Hess assumed his post at I MEF initially serving as the Cybersecurity Chief, and then transitioning into the Cyberspace Operations Chief with the advent of the 17xx Occupational Field. MGySgt Hess then transitioned to the MEF G-3 Fire and Effects Coordination Center (FECC) to assume the role of the Non-Kinetic Fires and Effects Chief, responsible for coordinating Operations Information Environment (OIE) effects into the Targeting Cycle. MGySgt Hess was selected from the Deputy Commandant of Information (DC I), Information Maneuver Division (IMD), Readiness Branch as the Cyberspace Operations Chief and Branch Chief to assume his current role as the DC I Senior Enlisted Advisor in June of 2021. MGySgt Hess's personal accomplishments and decorations include: The Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with four gold stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars, a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Information Technology, a Master of Science degree in Cyber Systems and Operations with (6) NSA Certifications, and a PhD in Information Technology with an emphasis in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity. 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. | |||
| #69 Matt Venhaus on the Cognitive Security Proving Ground | 09 Nov 2021 | 00:47:02 | |
During this episode, Matt Venhuas discusses the Cognitive Security Proving Ground, which is an initiative he leads at the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). After describing ARLIS’ mission areas and how University Affiliated Research Centers fit into the larger United States national security ecosystem, Matt discusses various cognitive security topics--including the need for a Cognitive Security Proving Ground. His vision is a constellation of capabilities, ranges, and activities working in harmony to provide the best available reflection of human behavior and sociotechnical complexity for experimentation, testing, evaluation, and training to improve capabilities, enhance effectiveness, and reduce risk for operations in the information environment. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-69 Guest Bio: Professor Matt Venhaus currently serves as the Mission Area Lead for Cognitive Security and Operations in the Information Environment at the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). His primary research interest is in modeling the socio-technical complexity of the modern information environment to support meaningful training in the human domain of competition and conflict. Professor Venhaus has dedicated his entire professional life to influencing human behavior to achieve U.S. national security objectives. From tribal villages in sub-Saharan Africa, across Europe, throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, he sought to influence the attitudes, perceptions, and ultimately the behaviors of foreign audiences. In each endeavor, Professor Venhaus found that successful national security-related influence combines an empathetic understanding of the drivers of human decision-making with an appreciation for the enabling advantages of technology. Before joining ARLIS, Professor Venhaus was a Senior Advisor for Mission Integration and at the MITRE Corporation. He led, shaped, and managed MITRE’s support to USCYBERCOM bydeveloping and overseeing the execution of cross-cutting technical strategies to increase MITRE’s impact in advancing the effectiveness of cyber operations. He has a deep and abiding passion for the practical application of influence and persuasion in competition and conflict as technological advancements drive new realities in how people consume and process information. Professor Venhaus served over 28 years in the U.S. Army, primarily in persuasive communications (PSYOP). He designed, implemented, and managed multi-media campaigns on four continents across the full spectrum of peace and armed conflict. Professor Venhaus retired from the Army in 2014 after serving in the Pentagon as the principal staff advisor to the Secretary of Defense for information operations. His published works include a special report entitled “Why Youth Join al-Qaeda,” which examined case studies of individuals who became foreign fighters to discern their behavioral motivations and seeks to establish a usable strategy to divert future generations from the path to extremism. He has also authored several classified reports on applying persuasive communications against malicious cyber actors and in the competition below the level of armed conflict. A 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Professor Venhaus is a plank-holder in the PSYOP Regiment and a Life Member of the PSYOP Veterans Association. He has also been awarded a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Troy University and Masters of Professional Studies in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University. Besides his duties at ARLIS, Professor Venhaus is the Executive Director of the Information Professionals Association. When the weather is not conducive to sailing with his wife of 28 years and their dog, he lives in Crownsville, Maryland. 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. | |||
| #68 Andy Norman on Cognitive Immunology | 02 Nov 2021 | 00:42:04 | |
During this episode, Andy Norman presents the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative (CIRCE) and his work on cognitive immunology, which studies the mind’s resistance to bad ideas. After describing how the name of his organization was inspired by Circe, the goddess who helped Odysseus avoid the temptations of the siren’s song, Andy discusses mental immunity, how epidemics of irrationality occur, and how present cultural conditions exacerbate the spread of bad ideas. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-68 Guest Bio: Andy Norman is the author of Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think. His research illuminates the evolutionary origins of human reasoning, the norms that make dialogue fruitful, and the workings of the mind’s immune system. He champions the emerging science of mental immunity as the antidote to disinformation, propaganda, hate, and division. He is also Founder of CIRCE, the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative. Andy Norman, PhD, is the award-winning author of Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think. His work has appeared in Scientific American, Psychology Today, Skeptic, Free Inquiry, and The Humanist. He has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, public radio, The BBC’s Naked Scientist, and The Young Turks. His research illuminates the evolutionary origins of human reasoning, the norms that make dialogue fruitful, and the workings of the mind’s immune system. He champions the emerging science of mental immunity as the antidote to disinformation, propaganda, hate, and division. He likes to help people develop immunity to bad ideas. Andy directs the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University and is the founder of CIRCE, the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative. 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. | |||
| #66 Daniel Ragsdale on DoD Tech Modernization | 19 Oct 2021 | 00:47:55 | |
During this episode, Dr. Daniel Ragsdale of Two Six Technologies discusses Department of Defense (DoD) modernization priorities, research & engineering, science & technology, and acquisition and sustainment efforts. After describing the major components of DoD’s Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering officer, Rags makes the case that DoD’s “appetite for risk must be increased--flat out.” He also provides his thoughts on measuring IO effectiveness attribution. Show Notes: https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-66 Guest Bio: Dr. Daniel Ragsdale is the Vice President and Architect at Two Six Technologies. Before this role, he was principal director for cyber in the Department of Defense’s research and engineering office (USD R&E). He was also a Program Manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and he spent 30 years in uniform as an officer in the US Army. He also holds a PhD and Masters degree in Computer Science. He prefers to go by “Rags.” Before joining DARPA, Colonel Ragsdale served 30 years in the U.S. Army in a variety of operational, R&D, and educational roles. His combat deployments included Operations Urgent Fury (Grenada), Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Iraqi Freedom (Iraq). Ragsdale served nearly 15 years at the United States Military Academy, West Point, in an array of teaching and research roles, which culminated in his service as Vice Dean for Education. His military career included combat deployments in support of Operations Urgent Fury, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. 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. | |||
| #65 Sean Guillory on Cognitive Neuroscience Applications | 12 Oct 2021 | 00:52:03 | |
During this episode, Dr. Sean Guillory of Booz Allen Hamilton discusses various ways that cognitive neuroscience is being applied within industry and relates these applications to national security, as well. Our wide-ranging covers FMRI brain scanning, human-machine interface and human-machine teaming, automation, cognitive electronic warfare, robotic process automation, adversarial machine learning, and Grammar.ly for Disinformation. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-64 Guest Bio: Sean Guillory attained his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Dartmouth College where he primarily worked with neurosurgery patients to help improve the mapping for brain functions that were personally important to their lives. After taking that experience to help build up a start-up business incubator aimed at helping humanity (Fruition Tech Labs) and working on data science efforts to help catch online scammers (ConsumerAffairs), he focused on ways of utilizing his background to help with issues within Defense and National Security. At Booz Allen Hamilton, he works with the firm’s various cognitive domain efforts utilizing automation, biometrics, and social science methodology to help solve our customers’ concerns. 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. | |||
| #64 Greg Radabaugh on Informational Power and the JIOWC | 05 Oct 2021 | 00:33:17 | |
“There is no peacetime in the information environment,” according to Greg Radabaugh, who is the former Director of the Joint Information Operations Warfare Center (JIOWC). “Information rounds are being fired at us continually 24/7.” While our forces do well at operations in the information environment (OIE) at the tactical and operational levels, Greg discusses the imperative for US leaders to focus on the strategic aspects of informational power (IP). After recapping the history and purpose of the JIOWC, Greg gives his perspective on the concept of informational power--a term coined by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford. A key factor in successfully applying IP is characterizing the IE in a manner that enables commanders to understand adversary actions in the IE and resulting decisions. Greg also discusses the new version of Joint Pub 3-13 (Information Operations) as well as the importance of Joint Doctrine, in general, as a definitional framework especially important for synchronizing activities across the DoD enterprise and among friends and allies. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-64 Guest Bio: Greg Radabaugh was the Director of the Joint Information Operations Warfare Center (JIOWC) from 2012-2018. Currently, he leads Gray Bear Consulting providing a variety of consulting services related to informational power, information operations, and cognitive security policy. 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. | |||
| #63 Mike Vickers on IO and the Cyclops | 28 Sep 2021 | 00:40:38 | |
Alas, now an ancient prophesy has been fulfilled… Telemus said all these things would come to pass someday. — Homer’s Odyssey During this episode, the Honorable Dr. Mike Vickers provides his thoughts on a wide range of strategic issues--all of which have connections with the information environment. Mike makes the case that America is like the cyclops in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Like the cyclops, the United States is being blinded and deceived by clever adversaries. Mike also discusses China, India, Estonian technology implementation, the authoritarian-democracy trade off, and international relations theory. He also gives a nuanced examination regarding "whole-of-nation" sloganeering. On one hand, Mike discourages simple phrases that might promote inadequate solutions; on the other, he does agree that we are at a point where we need to cohere around a national strategy and direct our instruments of power productively--including our citizenry. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-63 Guest Bio: Dr. Michael G. Vickers is career as a special operator, CIA operations officer, national security policy maker and Intelligence Community leader spanned the last two decades of the Cold War through a decade and a half of our war with al-Qa’ida, its allies and its offshoots – service that saw unprecedented senior tenure across Republican and Democratic administrations. Most recently, from 2011 to 2015, Dr. Vickers served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, exercising authority, direction and control over the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, Defense Security Service, and the intelligence components of the Military Services and Combatant Commands. As the USD(I), he conceived and led a comprehensive transformation of defense intelligence capabilities, encompassing the signals intelligence system and overhead space architecture, penetrating and persistent remotely piloted aircraft, the Department’s strategic human intelligence posture, its corps of all-source analysts, and its cyber operations forces. From 2007 to 2011, he served as the first and only Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, Low-Intensity Conflict and Interdependent Capabilities. As the ASD SO/LIC&IC, Dr. Vickers was the “Service” Secretary for all Special Operations Forces, and had policy oversight of all of DoD’s operational capabilities – strategic forces (nuclear forces, missile defense, space, cyber), conventional force transformation (air, ground and maritime), and Special Operations Forces. He conceived and led the largest expansion of Special Operations Forces in our nation’s history, and oversaw several other major capability investments ranging from next generation long-range strike to undersea warfare to deter future great power war. Throughout his nearly decade-long service as a national security policy maker and Intelligence Community leader, Dr. Vickers was heavily involved in operations. He was a key operational strategist for the campaign to dismantle and defeat core al-Qa’ida, and played a major policy and planning role in the operation that killed Usama bin Ladin. He oversaw counterterrorism operations in multiple countries and a wide range of other operations, from the surge of forces in Afghanistan to sensitive intelligence collection operations, paramilitary support to opposition forces battling despotic regimes, operations against rogue state nuclear weapons and missile programs, and operations against drug cartels. During the nearly decade and a half that spanned the operational phase of his career, he served as a Special Forces weapons and engineer sergeant, as the commander of a classified counterterrorism unit, and as CIA operations officer. As a Special Forces solider and officer, he was trained to parachute behind Soviet lines with a “backpack” nuclear weapon, and led hostage rescue operations and sensitive intelligence collection operations. As a CIA officer, he played key roles in the invasion of Grenada, the US government’s operational response to the Beirut bombings, and the covert effort to drive the Red Army out of Afghanistan. As the principal strategist for the multi-billion dollar Afghanistan covert action program – the largest and most successful covert action program in CIA’s history – Dr. Vickers developed the winning strategy when very few thought it was possible to win. His contributions to the first war the Red Army had ever lost and US victory in the Cold War were chronicled in the film and New York Times best seller, Charlie Wilson’s War. Dr. Vickers has received the nation’s highest awards in the fields of intelligence and defense, including the Presidential National Security Medal and the OSS Society’s William J. Donovan Award. He holds a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. from the University of Alabama. He has written a memoir of his career, to be published by Knopf Penguin Random House in 2022. He currently serves as an Executive Vice President at In-Q-Tel, a Principal with the Telemus Group, a senior advisor to the Boston Consulting Group, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and on several corporate, non-profit and government boards. 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. | |||
| #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge | 21 Sep 2021 | 00:56:43 | |
During this episode, Jonathan Rauch of the Brooking’s Institute discusses his new book: The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth. The Constitution of Knowledge may be thought of as a distributed network with taproots in the same philosophical lineage as the Enlightenment and the United States Constitution. The Constitution of Knowledge keeps us anchored in reality, mediates social conflict, enables civil discourse, and turns disagreement into knowledge. Jonathan makes the case for why we need it and how it should be protected. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-62 Guest Bio: Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer of The Atlantic. Rauch is author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (June 2021) and previously author of Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (1993). Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institute and the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer of The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His many Brookings publications include the 2021 book The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, as well as the 2015 ebook Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy. Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program and the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer of The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His many Brookings publications include the 2021 book The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, as well as the 2015 ebook Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy. Other books include The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better after 50 (2018) and Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America (2004). He has also authored research on political parties, marijuana legalization, LGBT rights and religious liberty, and more. Although much of his writing has been on public policy, he has also written on topics as widely varied as adultery, agriculture, economics, gay marriage, height discrimination, biological rhythms, number inflation, and animal rights. His multiple-award-winning column, “Social Studies,” appeared from 1998 to 2010 in National Journal. Among the many other publications for which he has written are The New Republic, The Economist, Reason, Harper’s, Fortune, Reader’s Digest, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, Slate, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Public Interest, The Advocate, The Daily, and others. In his 1994 book Demosclerosis—revised and republished in 2000 as Government’s End: Why Washington Stopped Working—he argues that America’s government is becoming gradually less flexible and effective with time, and suggests ways to treat the malady. His 1993 book Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (published by the University of Chicago Press) defends free speech and robust criticism, even when it is racist or sexist and even when it hurts. In 1992 his book The Outnation: A Search for the Soul of Japan questioned the then-conventional wisdom that Japan was fundamentally different from the West. Rauch was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated in 1982 from Yale University. In addition to the National Magazine Award, his honors include the 2010 National Headliner Award, one of the industry’s most venerable prizes. In 1996 he was awarded the Premio Napoli alla Stampa Estera for his coverage, in The Economist, of the European Parliament. In 2011 he won the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association prize for excellence in opinion writing. His articles appear in The Best Magazine Writing 2005 and The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004 and 2007. He has appeared as a guest on many television and radio programs. He does not like shrimp. 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. | |||
| #185 Becky Fair and Hannah Lincoln on Disrupt and Overwhelm Strategies | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:47:37 | |
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.
Research Question: Becky and Hannah suggest an interested student examine how China’s influence online compares to everything else that’s influencing other people online. Because there’s a lot of evidence that China is doing a lot online to influence people’s minds, but not a lot of evidence that China has been successful except in a few cases and in a few countries. Resources:
Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: Becky Fair is the Vice President of Information Advantage at Two Six Technologies. She spent a decade as a CIA officer in a variety of roles and brings a deep understanding of the national security community mission sets. She was the CEO and co-founder of Thresher, a software company acquired by Two Six Technologies, that uses unique data sets and machine learning to help decision makers in government and industry detect and measure information operations. She started her career working in Russia at the International Finance Corporation, a division of the World Bank. Hannah Lincoln is the Analysis Lead for the M3 team at Two Six Technologies. She spent a decade in China during its late economic boom years (2008-2018), where she worked in consumer research for a variety of multinational companies. Research on Chinese consumers was a natural segue into China intelligence analysis. Ms. Lincoln moved back to the US in 2018 and switched to OSINT analysis with a focus on Chinese censorship, propaganda, and disinformation at Thresher, now part of Two Six Technologies. 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. | |||
| #61 Susan Coyle on the Australian Perspective | 14 Sep 2021 | 00:29:01 | |
During this episode, MAJGEN Susan Coyle, Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force, discusses a variety of projects and whole-of-government challenges that she is confronting relative to information operations. After she recaps her primary role and the branches within her division, our discussion touches on the threat from China, broader gray zone competition in the Pacific region, labor considerations, and partnerships. Books and Other Web Links:
Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-61 Guest Bio: Major General Coyle currently holds the appointment of Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force. Susan Coyle was born in Kyogle, NSW on 21 May 1970. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy she graduated from the Royal Military College in 1992 into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. She has worked at the tactical, operational and strategic level in a variety of command and staff appointments including Commander Joint Task Force 633, Commander 6th Brigade, inaugural Commander Task Group Afghanistan, and Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. Major General Coyle has received a Distinguished Service Medal as the Deputy Commander JTF 636 / Commander Task Group Afghanistan on Operation SLIPPER / HIGHROAD, and a Conspicuous Service Cross as the Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. She holds post-graduate qualifications in a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, a Master in Organisational Development and Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of New England, and a Master of Management in Defence Studies from the University of Canberra. 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. | |||
| #60 Chan Swallow on Air Force Studies, Analyses and Assessments | 07 Sep 2021 | 00:52:37 | |
During this episode, Chan Swallow discusses the Air Force’s A9 office, as well as how the Air Force builds capability while confronting technology acquisition tradeoffs. The wide ranging conversation also covers manpower and talent acquisition issues--especially the competition for talent which can take raw data and turn it into actionable insights. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-60 Guest Bio: Robert Chandler Swallow, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Principal Deputy Director, Studies, Analyses and Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for the development of Air Force-wide policy, guidance, and analyses that inform Air Force leadership decisions concerning current and future warfighting capabilities. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Swallow was the Technical Director for the Joint Warfare Analysis Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. Leading the JWAC advancement of targeting analysis with a focus on providing future combatant commanders with more targeting options faster, he worked across the interagency to provide modeling and simulation, network analysis, wargaming, and operations research optimized weapons pairings that leveraged emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and directed energy to conduct conventional, cyber, information, space, economic, and gray zone warfare. Specific partnerships with U.S. Cyber Command, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Air Combat Command and the Joint Technical Coordination Group for Munitions Effectiveness, led to breakthroughs in threat representative network simulation and advanced weapons pairings. Mr. Swallow gained experience in policy, strategy, military operations, counter-terrorism, cyber warfare, economics, infrastructure, operations research, and nuclear engineering while serving in the U.S. Navy. He concluded his military service in three joint assignments: Commander of the JWAC, Professor at the National Defense University teaching Economics of the National Security Strategy during the Great Recession and developing the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands Fellowship. Mr. Swallow also worked in the Pentagon serving as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs developing policy options for the Middle East, Russia, the Caucasus, Europe, Africa and NATO. His sea tours include operations around the world highlighted by commanding the guided missile frigate, USS Nicholas, that intercepted the merchant ship, BBC China, carrying contraband nuclear centrifuges to Libya exposing the illegal nuclear efforts of Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, and Libya; executing emergency relief efforts in Yemen after the terrorist attack on USS Cole; and driving the carrier, USS Enterprise. 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. | |||
| #59 Mark Moffett on Societies, Identity, and Belonging | 31 Aug 2021 | 00:39:15 | |
During this sprawling episode, biologist and author, Dr. Mark Moffett, discusses societies. Mark observes that the acceptance of strangers was a breakthrough in the evolution of humanity. Moreover, humans maintain allegiance to group identities, and our uneasy coexistence with outsiders is reflected both in the fault lines within societies and in the relationships between nations. These topics are explored along with the involuntary nature of social membership, cosmopolitanism, immigration, and subtle micro-signals which indicate group belonging. Mark’s upcoming research efforts will examine how animal societies stay together and what causes them to break apart, and compare the situation for humans; his field work will encompass a wide range of vertebrate animals, from lions and chimpanzees to Florida scrub jays and parrot fish. Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-59 Guest Bio: Dr. Mark Moffett is a biologist at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian and the author of ‘The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall.’ Dr. Moffett has published three other highly regarded books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles. He has carried out research and exploration in over one hundred countries, earning him a medal from The Explorers Club, and has received an award for writing from Harvard. 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. | |||