Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.
July 6, 2026
Ethical Considerations Toward Harmonizing Human and Machine Agency in Embodied Neurotechnologies
Several nations are evidencing increased interest in and consideration of employing various types of neurotechnologies to optimize cognitive and motor performance and perhaps modulate emotion and behavior. In this essay, published in the international journal Neuroethics, Dr. James Giordano, working with colleagues Drs. Nicolas Berberich and Gordon Cheng from the Technical University of Munich (GER) address Western and Asian ethical perspectives focal to the regard, guidance and governance of using such cutting edge developments in real world practice and settings.
June 20, 2026
The emerging armamentarium of cognitive warfare with Dr. James Giordano (Video)
In this lecture for the Cognitive Security Institute, Dr. Giordano discusses the weaponization of neuroscience to engage the brain as the new battle-space, and the ethical issues that arise in and from these dual use developments.
June 9, 2026
Autonomous Narrative Warfare: Engaging Agentic AI Within the Cognitive Battlespace
Cognition is becoming a focal domain of strategic competition of the twenty-first century battlespace.
June 8, 2026
Cognitive Warfare at the Crossroads: Defining and Developing Capabilities
To date, there continues to be some discussion, including essays that have appeared in this forum, as to whether and to what extent cognitive warfare represents anything other than psychological operations (PSYOPS) with more sophisticated tools and methods, or if it actually is a unique and evolving domain of combat.
May 20, 2026
"Strategic Insights" Moves to Monthly Release
Beginning in June 2026, Strategic Insights will shift from a weekly to a monthly release.
May 5, 2026
Substrate Vulnerability: Neural Factors in Cognitive Security | James Giordano
A realist approach to cognitive security must appreciate the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological and socioenvironmental factors as both (1) constituent to human function and (2) opportune targets of influence, and effect.
Irregular Warfare, Part One: Updating the Term and the Toolkit
Irregular warfare (IW) is not a new phenomenon, although its contemporary character has been substantively reshaped by advancements in technology, and more specifically, by the developments in AI.
May 4, 2026
Synthesized Command & Control: A new way human choices can guide AI warfighting
As the U.S. military races to adapt to ever-larger amounts of increasingly advanced, and iteratively autonomous AI, how do humans stay in control?
April 27, 2026
Losing the Loop: A Model for Human Operational Involvement Part Two: A Proposed System Toward a Solution
Last week’s “Losing the Loop: Iteratively Autonomous Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Human Operational Involvement” examined how increasing autonomy in agentic AI reshapes the structure, tempo, and locus of human decision-making in operational environments, particularly as these systems transition from analytic tools to increasingly directive and generative components of the human–machine team. Seen in sequence, the logic is cumulative. The first section demonstrates how autonomy can erode the integrity of the decision loop. The second makes that erosion visible, locating the specific points at which human judgment becomes constrained or displaced.
April 21, 2026
Losing the Loop: Iteratively Autonomous Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Human Operational Involvement
The U.S. Department of War is rapidly scaling the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to the warfighter, streamlining routine tasks so operators can focus on what matters most. The successful launch of GenAI.MIL signals both momentum and institutional commitment to embedding AI across operational environments.