RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

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.

 

Research and Commentary

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Tag: Cognitive Warfare

Digital illustration of a human profile with a glowing brain facing an AI-generated profile connected by network-like data streams and neural patterns.

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.

Illustration of a human head silhouette containing a glowing brain with digital circuitry, data streams, and floating numbers, representing cognitive warfare, neurotechnology, and information operations.

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.

Title slide reading “Substrate Vulnerability: Neural Factors in Cognitive Security” by Dr. James Giordano, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University. INSS and NDU logos appear at the top, with a stylized portrait of Giordano on the right against a dark, abstract background.

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.

Illuminated brain map with network pathways. Visualization of interconnected neural pathways in brain.

April 9, 2026

Cognitive Warfare and the Changing Character of Engagement: A Neurostrategic Perspective

The contemporary battlespace is undergoing a profound transformation in its fundamental logic.

close up of a human brain

Jan. 6, 2026

Cognitive Warfare 2026: NATO’s Chief Scientist Report as Sentinel Call for Operational Readiness

The recently released NATO Chief Scientist’s 2025 Report on Cognitive Warfare provides a timely acknowledgment of a strategic reality that contemporary conflict is increasingly behavior-centric, and the decisive terrain is often not geographic but how individuals and groups perceive, interpret, decide, and act.

The image shows a silhouette of a human head in profile, with the brain area illustrated using circuit-like patterns. At the center of the brain is a large microchip, symbolizing artificial intelligence or a combination of human cognition and technology. Radiating outward from the chip are multiple circuit lines, connecting the brain to the surrounding background. The background features bright blue concentric circles and electric-like energy streaks, creating a futuristic, high-tech atmosphere.

Nov. 18, 2025

Darwin Monkey: Next Generation Neuromorphic Computing and Competition for Cognitive Capability and Control

The Darwin Monkey System represents a substantive pivot from conventional AI toward synthetic cognition through neuromorphic architectures that emulate the structural and functional dynamics of the brain.

Illustration of a human head in profile with a glowing brain highlighted in red and orange, set against a futuristic blue digital background representing neural activity and data flow.

June 16, 2025

The “Ins” and “Outs” of Cognitive Warfare: What’s the Next Move?

INSS has relaunched Strategic Insights. Read the latest post by Elise Annett and Dr. James Giordano.