CogWar 101

These are notes from various sources, unassembled into what we need: Editor will remove this note when complete:

• 
  
• Cognitive Warfare
• The weaponization of Public opinion by a external entity for the purpose of influenceing public and governmental policy an destabilization public intuitions
• Western
• China  & New Actors
• New Technologies
• Cogwar 2.0

• CogWar focuses on the weaponization of information, including 

System 1 thinking - Fast

System 2 Thinking - Slow

Cognitive Biases

Group level

• Groupthink
• Echo chamber: we share the same information group
• Bubbles

• how adversaries distribute information
• how it is understood, 
• how information influences human 
• thought
• behavior 
• decision making

 OODA decision framework.

The OODA Loop model is a four-point decision loop that supports quick, effective and proactive decision-making. The four stages of the Loop are:

1. Observe – collect current information from as many sources as practically possible.
2. Orient – analyze this information, and use it to update your current reality.
3. Decide – determine a course of action.
4. Act – follow through on your decision.

Warfare process cycles through this loop many times quickly

https://www.mindtools.com/a3ldgz1/ooda-loops

Russia has been studying and applying this for 100 years on its own people, Since 2000 Putin decided He has been a war with the West.

apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1200226.pdf

Troll Farm Set Pieces #1

 The methods used by Russian propaganda described by a Russian journalist:

“I studied at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. We had a military department. In an atmosphere of secrecy, we were taught special combat propaganda - the art of sowing discord in the ranks of the enemy with the help of disinformation and manipulation of consciousness. Let me tell you, it’s a scary business. I'm not kidding. Combat, or “black,” propaganda allows any distortion of real facts to solve propaganda problems. This is an effective weapon used for the sole purpose of knocking out the enemy’s brains. The "rotten herring" method. The "inverted pyramid" method. The "big lie" method. The “40 to 60” principle. The "absolutely obvious" method. You also know all these methods and techniques. You just don't realize it. As intended. We were taught to use special propaganda techniques against soldiers of the enemy army. Today they are used against the civilian population of our own country. For two years now, reading Russian newspapers or watching television shows, I have noted with interest that people coordinating the distribution and interpretation of news in Russia clearly learned from the same textbook as I have, from the same cheerful colonel or his colleagues. For example, the “rotten herring” method. It works like this. A false accusation is chosen. It is important that it is as dirty and scandalous as possible. For example, petty theft, child molestation, or murder, preferably out of greed work well. The purpose of the “rotten herring” is not to prove the accusation. It’s to cause a wide, public discussion... How it’s unjust and unfair. The human psyche is arranged in such a way that, as soon as the accusation becomes the subject of public discussion, its “supporters” and “opponents”, “experts”, rabid “prosecutors” and ardent “defenders” of the accused inevitably arise. But regardless of their views, all participants in the discussion again and again pronounce the name of the accused in connection with a dirty and scandalous accusation, thus rubbing more and more “rotten herring” into his “clothes”, until finally the “smell” begins to follow him everywhere. The question “killed-stole-seduced or not” becomes the main one when his name is mentioned. Or, for example, the “40 to 60” method invented by Goebbels. It consists in creating media that give 60 percent of their information in the interests of the enemy. On the other hand, having earned his trust in this way, the remaining 40 percent are used for extremely effective, thanks to this trust, disinformation. During World War II, there was a radio station that the anti-fascist world listened to. It was thought to be British. Only after the war did it turn out that it was actually Goebbels’ radio station, which worked on the “40 to 60” principle he developed. The “big lie” method is very effective It is a bit like the “rotten herring” method, but actually works differently. Its essence is to offer the audience such a universal and terrible lie with the highest degree of confidence that it is almost impossible to believe that it's possible to lie about such a thing. The trick here is that a properly composed and well-invented ‘big lie’ causes such a deep emotional trauma in the listener or viewer that it then determines his views for a long time, contrary to any arguments of logic and reason. False descriptions of cruel abuse of children or women work particularly well. Let’s say that the message about a crucified child due to the deep emotional trauma it causes will determine the views of the person who received this information for a long time, no matter how much someone tries to convince him later, using logical arguments. But our cheerful colonel especially revered the method of “absolute evidence”, which delivers, although not fast, but reliable results.”

Source

Translated by @

@NatalkaKyiv

 from a Russian Journalist post on telegram

Pulled off twitter before it disapears

NAFO

 

North Atlantic Fella Organization

The North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO, French: Organisation des Fella de l'Atlantique nord, OFAN, a play on NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an Internet meme and social media movement dedicated to countering Russian propaganda and disinformation about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[1][2][3][4] It has been categorised as a form of information warfare.^[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAFO_(group)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/01/nafo-ukraine-russia/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/world/middleeast/ukraine-memes-russia-fundraising.html https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraines-internet-army-of-nafo-fellas-fights-russian-trolls-and-rewards-donors-with-dogs-11664271002 https://www.politico.eu/article/nafo-doge-shiba-russia-putin-ukraine-twitter-trolling-social-media-meme/ https://www.dw.com/en/nafo-ukraines-info-warriors-battling-russian-trolls/a-63124443 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/11/europe/ukraine-nafo-russian-trolls-intl/index.html https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-war-trucks-trolls-tourniquets/ https://www.kyivpost.com/post/204 https://kyivindependent.com/making-sense-of-ukrainian-memes-from-watermelons-to-saint-javelin/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/08/06/russia-ukraine-soft-power-culture-diplomacy-fellas-nafo/ https://cepa.org/article/nafos-fellas-must-evolve/ https://gizmodo.com/15-memes-nafo-russia-ukraine-war-trolls-putin-zelensky-1850471235 https://news.usni.org/2023/04/17/feds-investigating-former-sailor-behind-pro-russian-donbass-devushka-accounts https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/08/31/a-virtual-army-of-impish-cartoon-pooches-is-waging-war-on-russia https://www.wired.com/story/take-down-trump-truth-social/