Russia’s Information Warfare: Exploring the Cognitive Dimension

Abstract

The U.S. military increasingly invests in capabilities to meet challenges from the growth of strategic competition in the information environment, which is aimed at influencing and disrupting adversaries and other groups. By analyzing Russia's approach to information warfare, this article adds to the current understanding of the Russian modus operandi in the information environment. The article argues that the success of competitive strategies in this domain requires not only investment in its technical and informational dimensions but also deep knowledge of its most important one-the cognitive dimension. The article concludes with recommendations to incorporate cognitive dimension considerations in Marine Corps operations in the information environment. Keywords: information warfare, Russia, cognitive dimension, deputy com-mandant for information, culture, Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) information operations, operations in the information environment T he U.S. military is increasingly investing in structures and capabilities to meet the challenges resulting from the exponential growth of strategic competition in the information environment. However, U.S. military Blagovest Tashev has expertise in Eastern Europe and Eurasia and currently works in the Trans-lational Research Group at Marine Corps University's Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL). LtCol Michael Purcell is a former armor officer and Eurasian foreign area officer with extensive operational experience in the former Soviet space. Maj Brian McLaughlin is a former infantry officer, Eastern European foreign area officer, and crypto-linguist, who is focused on Ukrainian security and politics and developing curriculum at CAOCL to ensure deploying forces are better prepared to operate among foreign populations. The views presented in this work are the authors' own.