The Cognitive Domain.

Decades of USA’s systemic “non-cognition” of CCP’s broad-ranging aggressions indicate American neglect of the Cognitive Domain, in general.  USA’s quick grasp of this is fundamental to not becoming a casualty of CCP’s informational-ized intelligent strategies, weaponry, and advantage.  Effective counters to this, as well as USA’s own innovations in this field, will first require shifts in senior US public and private sector leaders’ emphasis on this dynamic cognitive domain.  A final and most decisive frontier.

Modern Chinese strategic thinking is reflected in Xi Jinping’s guidance concerning the imperative for “Winning informatized battles.”  This dynamic challenge is broached in this new release:  “The Chinese Way of War: How Has it Changed?” by Timothy L. Thomas, China-Russia Information Warfare expert.  See:  The Last Dragon (Chinese Communist Dominance of AI + 5G Technology)

 

Across the Cognitive Domain there are abundant implications for US law, policy, strategy, operations, organization, technology, doctrine, professional development, force development, research and development, as well as field application of not only US counter-measures, but also pro-action across public and private sectors.

Success first depends on understanding Chinese concepts of war.  The danger of not doing this will be reflected in China’s advances and advantages going unnoticed and unaddressed within, around and beyond US horizons. 

Drawing from the last part of “The Chinese Way of War:  How Has it Changed”, the section on Xi Jinping Era offers these concepts and comments for consideration:

  • There is no difference in peace and war.   Competition is the constant.
  • China’s art of modern war respects its ancient approach to war enhanced by Intelligent Power.
  • War under informational-ized conditions for intelligence operations.
  • China can no longer adapt to war but must design it.
  • The Cognitive Domain is the main competitive field.
  • Strategy means shaping circumstances and then relying on strategic-thinking decisions makers to optimize AI-enhanced intelligent perception integrating diverse intelligent capacities to rapidly adapt.
  • Cross-domain unconventional and asymmetrical fighting will be the new normal.
  • Precision release of energy.
  • Biological control warfare is the main mode of combat operations.
  • This means micro-level manipulations to decapitate decision-making and forces.
  • New combat theories:  Distributive Killing, Multi-field Combat, Wasp Colony Technology, Wolfpack and Wasp Swarming across all domains, Trojan operations, Incapacitation Operations, and Intelligent Safety Combat.
  • Artificial neural network with deep learning capability and the ability to maintain independent wisdom.
  • Use AI to shape the design and conduct of future wars.
  • AI = The Brain.  Operational Networks = The Nerves.  Operational Big Data = The Blood.
  • Self-adaptive capacities with automatic execution of actions.
  • Cyber-electronic attack as the core means of destroying the enemy’s combat system.
  • System Confrontations give way to Algorithm Competitions.
  • Victories won through algorithms.
  • Information Dominance depends on Space Dominance.

Adverse Info Context.  Today the positive potential of Americans’ coherent decision making is challenged by:

  • Too much information
  • Not enough trusted facts
  • Denial of facts
  • Deprivation of facts
  • Manipulation of facts
  • Murder of facts
  • Agendas immune to facts
  • Attitudes immune to facts
  • Deception and Disinformation
  • Marketed agendas of invisible actors
  • Multiple forms of subversion
  • Contrived “echo chamber” campaigns
  • Mainstream media fronting Information Warfare by invisible backers
  • Information spin by political PACs
  • Information distortion (in effort to capitalize on sensationalism) by US think tanks
  • Education manipulation
  • Conceptual advantage by threat superior multi-dimensional strategies, concepts and methods
  • There is also a “one-way broadcast” phenomenon driven by the need to be heard and heeded.  This self-affliction impedes consideration of potential facts, let alone fathoming the implications of these.
  • Not fully fathoming China’s mastery of an integrated mental-conceptual-informational-influential-artificial intelligence domain as decisive 21st Century Competitive Space
  • Overall fatigue with the persistent barrage of TMI, information unreliability and fact uncertainty

USA’s main challenge in the path of China’s innovation in the Cognitive Domain consists of:

  • Discerning key points of China’s asymmetric advantage
  • Addressing damage done to date.
  • Seeing where US approaches can counter China’s
  • Seeing where US approaches cannot counter China’s
  • Innovating ahead of China’s current thinking
  • Supplementing strategic and operational planning with proven China experts
  • Rapidly evolving broad-based professional development institutions

Perpetuation of USA’s systemic “non-cognition” of CCP’s broad-ranging aggression across the Cognitive Domain, will prove disastrous.