#28 Jeremy Mushtare and Austin Branch on PSYOP, Manpower, and IO Initiatives
Release Date: 02/02/2021
#246 IPA APEX Conference
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Dave Acosta and Austin Branch discuss which will be September 8–9, 2026 at the CARASOFT facility in Reston VA. As governments, militaries, industries, and societies confront increasingly sophisticated influence operations, disinformation campaigns, and cognitive warfare...
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#245 Pat Roberson and Andrew Hallman on Arms and Influence: How information and influence operations are evolving in the modern security environment – and how the United States can regain the advantage
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Andrew Hallman and Pat Roberson from Leidos discuss information operations (IO) and influence warfare in the modern security environment. Adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran are using information campaigns to challenge U.S. dominance, targeting both American homeland audiences...
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#241 Andy Whiskeyman on Cognitive Intelligence
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Andrew Whiskeyman discusses his co-authored article: . "COGINT" is the systematic mapping, safeguarding, and operational exploitation of decision-making architectures in the contemporary cognitive battle space. Topics include: understanding and protecting human decision-making...
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#242 Doug Wilbur on Propaganda
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Doug Wilbur discussed propaganda, information warfare, and strategic optimism–emphasizing society's capability for problem-solving. He defined propaganda as any communication intended to influence behavior in the propagandist's favor, distinguishing it from persuasion. Wilbur...
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#243 Doug Abdiel on the New Fog of War–Navigating Through GPS-Denied and Degraded Environments
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Doug Abdiel discusses the vivid operational problem of GPS-denied or GPS-degraded environments and how is helping operators cut through the fog of modern warfare. Recording Date: 16 Feb 2026 Research Question: Doug Abdiel suggests an interested student or researcher examine the...
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#244 Sean Guillory on Betting Intelligence and National Security
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Sean Guillory discusses the rapid ascent of prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi which are transforming global events into tradable assets. Recording Date: 23 Feb 2026 Research Question: Sean Guillory suggests an interested student or researcher examine: How...
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#240 Anthony Vinci on the Fourth Intelligence Revolution
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Anthony Vinci, author of , discusses how the battlefield has shifted from physical territory to the human brain. From China’s influence within U.S. education and gaming to the subtle "mind hacking" potential of AI-generated misinformation, Anthony breaks down the strategic...
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#239 Ian Brown on Snowmobiles and Grand Ideals
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. John Boyd is well known to have formally written down very little of his own theories on war and conflict, making researching his concepts challenging and leading many to infer meanings based on their own interpretations—or others’—of what little easily accessible evidence of his thinking remains....
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#238 Bill Wall on AI in Information Operations
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Bill Wall discusses ’s comprehensive AI platform. The conversation explores the necessity for the U.S. to balance military focus with information strategies, diplomacy, and a deeper understanding of the populace to achieve success in modern conflicts. Recording Date: 9 Dec 2025...
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#237 Josh “Bugsy” Segal on Ukraine, Electronic Warfare, and Fast Battlefield Innovation
The Cognitive Crucible
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Dr. Josh “Bugsy” Segal recaps his recent observations from the Ukraine battlefield and concerns for Western governments which don’t adapt quickly. Ukraine's rapid development of sophisticated, cost-effective domestic defense technology, including advanced counter-drone...
info_outlineAbout the PSYWAR Podcast: Cognitive Crucible listeners can follow this link and check out the PSYWAR podcast. The PSYWAR podcast demystifies psychological operations, informs soldiers about how they can join the PSYOP regiment, discusses the future of Information Warfare, and sprinkles in some cool war stories.
Bios:
Colonel Jeremy Mushtare is the Commanding Officer of the US Army’s 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne). During his Army career, Jeremy has held numerous command and staff positions. His last assignment was at the Pentagon as Director for Information Operations in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC).
Mr. Austin Branch is an Information Operations pioneer, practitioner and leader. He holds the distinction of being the Army’s very first FA30 Information Operations officer when that career field was just forming in the 1980s. While in uniform, he served at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Since retiring from the Army, Mr. Branch served in several senior executive civilian roles within the Department of Defense which focused on information operations, cyber, and counter-terrorism. Austin is also one of the founding members of the Information Professionals Association.
IPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.
For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.
Or, you can connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell on LinkedIn.