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Signal
Submitted
Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
This article discusses the unprecedented challenges the United States faces in cognitive warfare within the expanding cognitive domain, emphasizing adversaries' use of gray zone tactics targeting human consciousness as a new combat space.
The article 'Cognitive Warfare: The Fight for Gray Matter in the Digital Gray Zone,' authored by Michael J. Cheatham, Angelique M. Geyer, Priscella A. Nohle, and Jonathan E. Vazquez, explores the United States' struggle to counter novel forms of cognitive warfare. It highlights that while democracies focus on frameworks promoting collective understanding, adversaries increasingly deploy gray zone tactics—aggressive actions below the threshold of declared war—targeting cognition and human consciousness. François du Cluzel of NATO is cited describing these forms of warfare. The piece discusses the degradation of knowledge through cognitive warfare, which spans psychology, linguistics, neurobiology, logic, and more, framing cognition as a critical operational domain alongside physical and informational domains. The article positions the cognitive domain as a future major battlefield for warfare, requiring new defense frameworks and innovations. The analysis is grounded in the authors' extensive military and intelligence backgrounds and is published in Joint Force Quarterly 114, 3rd Quarter 2024.
Confidence: High
The article details adversary use of gray zone cognitive warfare tactics targeting democratic societies (aggressor activity) while also focusing on U.S. and NATO efforts to understand and innovate defenses in this emerging domain (defense preparation).
Source URL
https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=joint-force-quarterly
Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "f81cac20-d7b9-4f18-bafd-82c6417ef7a1",
"url": "https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=joint-force-quarterly",
"source": "extension",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
"subcategory": "Information Operations",
"incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
"country": "United States of America",
"source_reliability": "A",
"info_credibility": "2",
"tags": [
"cognitive warfare",
"gray zone tactics",
"information operations",
"propaganda",
"disinformation",
"NATO",
"U.S. defense",
"psychology",
"neurobiology",
"digital warfare"
],
"nodes": [],
"countries": [
"United States of America"
],
"where_text": "Cyberspace",
"headline": "Cognitive Warfare: The Fight for Gray Matter in the Digital Gray Zone",
"description": "The United States confronts unique challenges in cognitive warfare as the operational sphere extends beyond physical and information domains to include human consciousness. Adversaries employ gray zone tactics that do not escalate to declared war but aim to disrupt democratic societies by attacking cognitive processes. The article quotes François du Cluzel from NATO on these tactics and defines cognitive warfare as targeting the capacity to know, produce, or thwart knowledge across disciplines such as psychology and neurobiology. Authoritative military figures Michael J. Cheatham (USAF), Angelique M. Geyer (USCG), Priscella A. Nohle (USA), and Jonathan E. Vazquez (USAF) analyze implications for defense in this emerging cognitive domain. The paper underscores the need for new frameworks and innovations to counter degrading effects of cognitive warfare on allied knowledge and command structures.",
"summary_short": "This article discusses the unprecedented challenges the United States faces in cognitive warfare within the expanding cognitive domain, emphasizing adversaries' use of gray zone tactics targeting human consciousness as a new combat space.",
"summary_extended": "The article 'Cognitive Warfare: The Fight for Gray Matter in the Digital Gray Zone,' authored by Michael J. Cheatham, Angelique M. Geyer, Priscella A. Nohle, and Jonathan E. Vazquez, explores the United States' struggle to counter novel forms of cognitive warfare. It highlights that while democracies focus on frameworks promoting collective understanding, adversaries increasingly deploy gray zone tactics—aggressive actions below the threshold of declared war—targeting cognition and human consciousness. François du Cluzel of NATO is cited describing these forms of warfare. The piece discusses the degradation of knowledge through cognitive warfare, which spans psychology, linguistics, neurobiology, logic, and more, framing cognition as a critical operational domain alongside physical and informational domains. The article positions the cognitive domain as a future major battlefield for warfare, requiring new defense frameworks and innovations. The analysis is grounded in the authors' extensive military and intelligence backgrounds and is published in Joint Force Quarterly 114, 3rd Quarter 2024.",
"actor_primary": null,
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "United States of America",
"location_region": null,
"location_coordinates_lat": null,
"location_coordinates_lon": null,
"location_precision": "Unknown",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": false,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "The article details adversary use of gray zone cognitive warfare tactics targeting democratic societies (aggressor activity) while also focusing on U.S. and NATO efforts to understand and innovate defenses in this emerging domain (defense preparation).",
"event_time_utc": "2024-07-01T00:00:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": "2024-09-30T23:59:59.000Z",
"event_time_confidence": "unknown",
"created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:51.708Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-08T21:13:30.226Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "unknown",
"time_precision_band": "unknown",
"severity_band": "moderate",
"attribution_confidence_band": "medium",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
A
Info credibility
2
Event time
Jul 1, 2024, 00:00 UTC
End time
Sep 30, 2024, 23:59 UTC
Event time confidence
unknown
Location
United States of America
Country
United States of America
Countries
United States of America
Tags
cognitive warfare, gray zone tactics, information operations, propaganda, disinformation, NATO, U.S. defense, psychology, neurobiology, digital warfare
Signal
Submitted
Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
This article discusses the unprecedented challenges the United States faces in cognitive warfare within the expanding cognitive domain, emphasizing adversaries' use of gray zone tactics targeting human consciousness as a new combat space.
The article 'Cognitive Warfare: The Fight for Gray Matter in the Digital Gray Zone,' authored by Michael J. Cheatham, Angelique M. Geyer, Priscella A. Nohle, and Jonathan E. Vazquez, explores the United States' struggle to counter novel forms of cognitive warfare. It highlights that while democracies focus on frameworks promoting collective understanding, adversaries increasingly deploy gray zone tactics—aggressive actions below the threshold of declared war—targeting cognition and human consciousness. François du Cluzel of NATO is cited describing these forms of warfare. The piece discusses the degradation of knowledge through cognitive warfare, which spans psychology, linguistics, neurobiology, logic, and more, framing cognition as a critical operational domain alongside physical and informational domains. The article positions the cognitive domain as a future major battlefield for warfare, requiring new defense frameworks and innovations. The analysis is grounded in the authors' extensive military and intelligence backgrounds and is published in Joint Force Quarterly 114, 3rd Quarter 2024.
Confidence: High
The article details adversary use of gray zone cognitive warfare tactics targeting democratic societies (aggressor activity) while also focusing on U.S. and NATO efforts to understand and innovate defenses in this emerging domain (defense preparation).
Source URL
https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=joint-force-quarterly
Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "f81cac20-d7b9-4f18-bafd-82c6417ef7a1",
"url": "https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=joint-force-quarterly",
"source": "extension",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
"subcategory": "Information Operations",
"incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
"country": "United States of America",
"source_reliability": "A",
"info_credibility": "2",
"tags": [
"cognitive warfare",
"gray zone tactics",
"information operations",
"propaganda",
"disinformation",
"NATO",
"U.S. defense",
"psychology",
"neurobiology",
"digital warfare"
],
"nodes": [],
"countries": [
"United States of America"
],
"where_text": "Cyberspace",
"headline": "Cognitive Warfare: The Fight for Gray Matter in the Digital Gray Zone",
"description": "The United States confronts unique challenges in cognitive warfare as the operational sphere extends beyond physical and information domains to include human consciousness. Adversaries employ gray zone tactics that do not escalate to declared war but aim to disrupt democratic societies by attacking cognitive processes. The article quotes François du Cluzel from NATO on these tactics and defines cognitive warfare as targeting the capacity to know, produce, or thwart knowledge across disciplines such as psychology and neurobiology. Authoritative military figures Michael J. Cheatham (USAF), Angelique M. Geyer (USCG), Priscella A. Nohle (USA), and Jonathan E. Vazquez (USAF) analyze implications for defense in this emerging cognitive domain. The paper underscores the need for new frameworks and innovations to counter degrading effects of cognitive warfare on allied knowledge and command structures.",
"summary_short": "This article discusses the unprecedented challenges the United States faces in cognitive warfare within the expanding cognitive domain, emphasizing adversaries' use of gray zone tactics targeting human consciousness as a new combat space.",
"summary_extended": "The article 'Cognitive Warfare: The Fight for Gray Matter in the Digital Gray Zone,' authored by Michael J. Cheatham, Angelique M. Geyer, Priscella A. Nohle, and Jonathan E. Vazquez, explores the United States' struggle to counter novel forms of cognitive warfare. It highlights that while democracies focus on frameworks promoting collective understanding, adversaries increasingly deploy gray zone tactics—aggressive actions below the threshold of declared war—targeting cognition and human consciousness. François du Cluzel of NATO is cited describing these forms of warfare. The piece discusses the degradation of knowledge through cognitive warfare, which spans psychology, linguistics, neurobiology, logic, and more, framing cognition as a critical operational domain alongside physical and informational domains. The article positions the cognitive domain as a future major battlefield for warfare, requiring new defense frameworks and innovations. The analysis is grounded in the authors' extensive military and intelligence backgrounds and is published in Joint Force Quarterly 114, 3rd Quarter 2024.",
"actor_primary": null,
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "United States of America",
"location_region": null,
"location_coordinates_lat": null,
"location_coordinates_lon": null,
"location_precision": "Unknown",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": false,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "The article details adversary use of gray zone cognitive warfare tactics targeting democratic societies (aggressor activity) while also focusing on U.S. and NATO efforts to understand and innovate defenses in this emerging domain (defense preparation).",
"event_time_utc": "2024-07-01T00:00:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": "2024-09-30T23:59:59.000Z",
"event_time_confidence": "unknown",
"created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:51.708Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-08T21:13:30.226Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "unknown",
"time_precision_band": "unknown",
"severity_band": "moderate",
"attribution_confidence_band": "medium",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
A
Info credibility
2
Event time
Jul 1, 2024, 00:00 UTC
End time
Sep 30, 2024, 23:59 UTC
Event time confidence
unknown
Location
United States of America
Country
United States of America
Countries
United States of America
Tags
cognitive warfare, gray zone tactics, information operations, propaganda, disinformation, NATO, U.S. defense, psychology, neurobiology, digital warfare