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 discusses his ongoing concerns about the “American Maginot Line.” He is concerned that the United States is insufficiently and inappropriately funding the cognitive war that is bearing down on us. Moreover, the United States domestic political system hampers progress. Our gallop across the information landscape includes political hot button topics, sea stories, open source intelligence, and also some bright spots.

Recording Date: 29 May 2024

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #49 Matt Armstrong on the Smith-Mundt Act
  • #187 Randy Rosin on Reflexive Control
  • #129 Eliot Jardines on Open Source Intelligence
• Deft9 Solutions
• Colour Revolution
• EU vs Disinformation
• Disinformation Governance Board
• Disinfo 2024 Conference
• Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui
• Has China Won?: The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy by Kishore Mahbubani
• Disinformation: The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era by Donald A. Barclay

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

Dr. Joshua “Bugsy” Segal is the Co-Founder & Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at Deft9 Solutions. A veteran of over 30 years in national security policy, strategy and operations, and intelligence, both military and civilian, Dr. Segal is an internationally recognized expert in arms control, countering foreign malign influence, and counter-WMD. Dr. Segal spent over a decade as a member of U.S. multilateral arms control delegations in Geneva, Vienna, and The Hague, including the negotiations to finalize the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention and establish the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. After leaving the federal government and then retiring from the military, Dr. Segal serves as an advisor to senior DoD leaders on operations in the information environment and teaches OSINT tradecraft.

About: 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, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

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