Mitigating and Responding to Cognitive Warfare

The NATO STO HFM-ET-356 performed an assessment of the Science and Technologies (S&T) required to mitigate and defend against Cognitive Warfare (CogWar). CogWar has emerged replete with security challenges due to its invasive and invisible nature and where the goal is to exploit facets of cognition to disrupt, undermine, influence, or modify human decisions (proposed by HFM-ET-356). CogWar represents the convergence of a wide range of advanced technologies along with human factors, used by NATO’s adversaries in the 21st century battlespace. CogWar is a risk to global defence and security and threatens human decision making. The ET-356 proposed a S&T Road map to guide NATO and Allied Partners in future research activities and investments. The proposed Road map is based on a “House Model,” and linked to the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) decision cycle. The Model represents seven main S&T knowledge areas and enablers that are cross-cutting related: Pillars: Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive and Behavioral Science, Social and Cultural Science; and Bars: Situational Awareness and Sensemaking, Cognitive Effects, modus operandi, and Technology and Force Multipliers. This work underpins the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept and its Warfare Development Initiative Cognitive Superiority, and the NATO Strategic Concept 2022.