Cognitive Warfare - Preface By the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation

Curator note

Exploiting the flaws of human nature to better target the minds of individuals is not a new idea. The maneuver of influence and deception has always been part of the art of war. Sun Tzu already underlined the importance of the psychological factor in his time, and if the Roman Empire first relied on the strength of its army, it owed its longevity to its persistent will to impose its culture and thus its own vision of the world. Today, the technological progress made in the informational field and the hyper-connectivity in which we live, made possible by the digitization of information, multiply the possibilities of manipulating an individual or targeting a group of people. The recent explosion of psychological manipulation processes for the purpose of swindling through social engineering clearly shows that knowledge of human behavior and the ability to influence it are now at the heart of a new strategic issue. This battle of perceptions affects all sectors of society and in particular the security and defence sectors.
NATO is constantly monitoring emerging threats and has quickly become interested in this subject. The Allied Command for Transformation, located in Norfolk (USA), responsible for the preparation and development of future Alliance capabilities, has recently worked on a study called “Cognitive Warfare,” which aims to shed light on and anticipate the militarization of technologies that are grouped under the acronym NBIC (Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science).
This is why I welcome the holding of this first scientific meeting, which took place on June 21 in Bordeaux on the theme of Cognitive Warfare. This theme seems to me to be quite remarkable and I sincerely thank the École Nationale Supérieure de Cognitique, with which my command has had a fruitful cooperation for many years, for having hosted and organized this first meeting with our Innovation Hub. I also salute the participation of the eminent international experts who responded to our invitation and contributed to the success of this day.
The richness of the exchanges in French and English, the presentations, the round tables, and the practical demonstrations at the ENSC testify to the great vitality of the research and development in Cognitive Warfare available to the Allies. It is up to NATO’s Allied Command Transformation to continue to federate energies to maintain and develop this dynamic, in the service of stability, conflict prevention and security of the one billion citizens of the Atlantic Alliance.