Don't Sleep on Russian Information War Capabilities
Ukraine looks to have Russia beat in countering Russian disinformation. But this is only part of the story. Instead of fixating on Russia's missteps, policymakers and analysts would benefit from studying Ukraine's sophisticated information campaign while bearing in mind that Russia retains significant information warfare capabilities and a willingness to use them.
Apr 5, 2022 Defense One
How China Plays by Different Rules—at Everyone Else's Expense
A single Chinese state-run firm has secured a controlling interest in at least 33 radio stations in 14 countries. But there is virtually no opportunity for foreign ownership, input, or influence in the Chinese media marketplace. This inequity presents U.S. leaders with an opportunity: Unless China opens its media marketplace to foreign investment and ownership, its firms should be forced to divest their American holdings.
Feb 7, 2022 The Hill
Platforms Should Use Algorithms to Help Users Help Themselves
Social media users generate massive volumes of content, which then spreads at extraordinary speeds. Yet platforms generally rely on a slow process of human moderation to remove prohibited content. What if moderation could happen before the content is even posted?
Jul 20, 2021 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Two Vignettes: How Might Combat Operations Be Different Under the Information Joint Function?
RAND researcher Christopher Paul employs storytelling to illustrate two distinct approaches to Joint Combat Operations. While both vignettes result in the expulsion of adversary forces and the restoration of territorial integrity, they take different approaches to kinetic and informational power.
Oct 8, 2020 Mad Scientist Laboratory Blog
Artificial Intelligence and the Manufacturing of Reality
Humans carry flaws in deciding what is or is not real. The internet and other technologies have made it easier to weaponize and exploit these flaws. And artificial intelligence will likely be used to exploit these weaknesses at an unprecedented scale, speed, and level of effectiveness.
Jan 20, 2020 Strategy Bridge
Is It Time to Abandon the Term Information Operations?
Operations in the information environment will be a critical part of future joint force operations and should be baked in to those operations as a fully valued tool in commanders' combined arms toolboxes. Reaching that goal will require greater acceptance and understanding of information across the joint force, new structures for information forces, and the evolution of how operations in the information environment are handled within the staff.
Mar 13, 2019 Strategy Bridge
Free Lunches for Adversaries
When leaders take actions that are unpopular with wide audiences, propagandists have it easy. While Western leaders should not make propaganda potential the primary factor when weighing policy decisions, neither should they wholly disregard the opportunities that unpopular policies will offer adversaries.
Feb 13, 2018 U.S. News & World Report
How the Pentagon Should Deter Cyber Attacks
Foreign hackers are not afraid to launch attacks on the United States in cyberspace that they would not dare risk in a real theater of war. As cyber aggression gets worse and more brazen, the U.S. must figure out how to deter foreign actors in cyberspace as effectively as it does in nuclear and conventional warfare.
Jan 10, 2018 Strategy Bridge
Russian Propaganda Is Pervasive, and America Is Behind the Power Curve in Countering It
Even as Washington pursues cooperation with Moscow on Syria and other issues, America should expose Russia's obsession with propaganda and disinformation.
Sep 13, 2016 U.S. News & World Report
Inciting Peace
Malicious ideas, ideologies, and narratives (such as those promoted by ISIS) cannot just be eliminated — they need to be replaced.
Mar 30, 2016 Foreign Policy Concepts
A Broad Approach to Countering the Islamic State
Recent analysis about how to defeat the Islamic State tends to be based on no more than intuition, a general sense of history, or a small number of cases of questionable comparability. A study of 71 historical cases of counterinsurgencies should help provide empirical evidence to this important debate.
Sep 2, 2014 The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog
Paths to Victory in the Australian Defence and Security Context
The historical importance of commitment and motivation and the need to overmatch insurgents suggest that Australia should weigh any commitment of support against existing conditions, those that can be changed and those that can't, writes Christopher Paul.
Oct 2, 2013 The Strategist
History Favors More Time
The Afghans will have better prospects for defeating their insurgency with continued improvement, of course, and the United States can contribute to that improvement while American forces remain, writes Christopher Paul.
Apr 3, 2012 NYTimes.com
Find the Right Balance Between Civilian and Military: Don't Just Strip the DoD of Capabilities to Inform, Influence, and Persuade
All parties would like to see greater U.S. capability to inform, influence, and persuade abroad, with the Department of State as the robust leader of American public diplomacy and the Department of Defense as a valued and supporting partner, writes Christopher Paul.
Oct 31, 2010 MountainRunner Institute
Psychological Operations by Another Name Are Sweeter
The Department of Defense has decided to change the name of military psychological operations (PSYOP) and this is a good thing, writes Christopher Paul.
Jul 29, 2010 Small Wars Journal
Rethink Washington's 'War of Ideas'
The term
Jun 2, 2009 The Christian Science Monitor
Ad Men for U.S. Defense
Improving the U.S. military's brand identity demands more than just a catchy new slogan. While communications can help explain U.S. policies, the behavior of every soldier, sailor, airman and marine is what ultimately determines how civilians view U.S. forces, write Todd Helmus, Russell Glenn and Christopher Paul in a commentary appearing in United Press International.
Aug 20, 2007 United Press International
