Cognitive Warfare to Dominate and Redefine Adversary Realities: Implications for U.S. Special Operations Forces
•February 11, 2026
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Why It Matters
If unaddressed, cognitive attacks can undermine decision‑making and operational security, eroding U.S. strategic advantage. Integrating cognitive capabilities safeguards both mission effectiveness and personnel mental sovereignty.
Key Takeaways
- •Cognitive warfare targets perception, judgment, belief formation
- •AI and social media enable hyper‑realistic disinformation
- •China and Iran already employ cognitive contagions
- •SOF needs multidisciplinary cells with data scientists
- •Cognitive resilience programs protect mental sovereignty
Pulse Analysis
The concept of cognitive warfare expands the battlefield beyond physical terrain into the human mind. By directly shaping perception, judgment, and belief, adversaries aim to rewrite reality for target audiences. This shift blurs the line between traditional psychological operations and emerging technologies, creating a hybrid domain where information, emotion, and neuro‑science converge. As nations invest in AI‑driven influence tools, the speed and precision of cognitive attacks outpace conventional defenses, forcing militaries to reconsider what constitutes a combatant and what qualifies as a strategic target.
Artificial intelligence and algorithmic amplification are the primary enablers of this new threat. Machine‑learning models can generate hyper‑realistic deepfakes, craft personalized narratives, and micro‑target individuals based on behavioral data harvested from social platforms. Nations such as China and Iran have already deployed these techniques to sow discord, erode trust in institutions, and create epistemic closure within hostile populations. The viral nature of cognitive contagions means that once a narrative gains traction, counter‑measures struggle to penetrate the echo chambers reinforced by platform recommendation engines. Consequently, the informational environment becomes a contested terrain where truth itself is weaponized.
U.S. Special Operations Forces must embed cognitive expertise across every echelon to stay ahead of adversaries. The JSOU paper recommends forming dedicated cognitive warfare cells staffed by data scientists, behavioral psychologists, and cyber operators, coupled with AI‑driven firewalls that detect manipulative content in real time. Parallelly, soldiers need cognitive resilience training that reinforces mental sovereignty and equips them to recognize engineered narratives. Institutionalizing these capabilities not only safeguards mission integrity but also creates a strategic advantage by turning the cognitive domain into a force multiplier. Policymakers and defense planners should prioritize funding and doctrine updates to institutionalize this emerging warfighting function.
Cognitive Warfare to Dominate and Redefine Adversary Realities: Implications for U.S. Special Operations Forces
Cognitive Warfare to Dominate and Redefine Adversary Realities: Implications for U.S. Special Operations Forces is authored by Jeremiah “Lumpy” Lumbaca, PhD and published by JSOU Press.
“The battlefield of the future is the human mind, and the very concepts of reality and truth are the target. Cognitive warfare goes far beyond traditional psychological operations; this new form of conflict combines cyber tools, psychological sciences, and neurosciences to alter perceptions and influence decision-making. In this occasional paper, Dr. Jeremiah Lumbaca argues that the U.S. is not yet prepared to face its adversaries using cognitive warfare tactics and proposes a way SOF can evolve to win in this new domain of conflict.”
Below is a brief overview of Dr. Lumpy’s JSOU Report:
Cognitive warfare directly targets the processes of perception, judgment, and belief formation within individuals and groups. This form of conflict utilizes the intersection of cyber tools, psychological sciences, and neurosciences to achieve political or military objectives by altering enemy cognitive processes. The primary aim is the generation of cognitive effects rather than simple information dissemination. This includes the deployment of cognitive contagions, ideologically charged constructs designed to spread virally across digital networks to embed specific patterns of thinking. Over time, these operations can lead to epistemic closure. This is a state where a target population rejects new information that contradicts an engineered narrative.
Technological advancements in artificial intelligence and social media algorithms serve as the primary enablers for these operations. AI facilitates micro-targeting and the creation of hyper-realistic disinformation, such as deepfakes, while social media platforms prioritize engagement over accuracy. The report highlights that adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party and Iran already utilize these methods to erode internal cohesion and decision-making processes in contested regions. For U.S. Special Operations Forces, this environment necessitates a shift in organizational structure and training. Dr. Lumpy recommends the establishment of multi-disciplinary cognitive warfare cells at all echelons to include data scientists and behavioral psychologists. Furthermore, the piece advocates for the development of cognitive resilience programs and the use of AI-driven cognitive firewalls to preserve the mental sovereignty of personnel operating in manipulated information environments.
The post Cognitive Warfare to Dominate and Redefine Adversary Realities: Implications for U.S. Special Operations Forces appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.
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