(More) Social Sciences as Sorcery – vague associations
Beware the weaponization of benign information.
(More) Social Sciences as Sorcery – on socialization
“Illiterate peasants have many apt proverbs to illustrate this piece of folk wisdom.”
“There is no universal algorithm for human behavior”
Humans are more important than hardware.
(More) Social Sciences as Sorcery – “the gravest kind of danger”
But it looks so impressive on a graph.
This isn’t about Twitter
I had some positive feedback this week on a nearly decade old post about social media and my desire to use it less. Just about everyone has a relationship with social media these days. It’s an evergreen topic. You can always write about social media the way playwrights can always write plays about the theater. … Continue reading This isn’t about Twitter
(More) Social Sciences as Sorcery – grandma’s wisdom
You learned the best psychology from your grnadmother and the schoolyard.
(More) Social Sciences as Sorcery – the pseduo-science of counting
How much does a mango cost in Kabul?
(More) Social Sciences as Sorcery – jargon and frameworks
Beware those who are hyperfocused on methedology, frameworks, and jargon.
What is hybrid warfare?
Is ‘hybrid warfare’ a real thing or just something people say to sound smart?
The things that didn’t make it
Sometimes things get too real. And other times, there’s just not enough space on the disc.
“If you have a phone, you can be a resistance fighter.”
War. War never changes.
Except when it does.
Become an insider
The newsletter goes out on Sunday. This is for you. And you should sign up because you are already here.
Behaviors shape Attitudes
You tend to have stronger attitudes if you have skin in the game.
Send in the Grammandos
grammando – noun. One who is particularly particular about the accuracy of grammar, punctuation and syntax.
On Quiet Professionals
Being a quiet professional doesn’t mean being a silent professional.
The Banana Spider at Face Level
Robin Sage, ethical dillemmas, the GWOT effect, ideological subversion, and the fear of spiders.
Great Power Competition in the Middle East
An education in language and culture provides the marked advantage. Better incentivize it.
Polite propaganda
Another piece of evidence in my war against measures of effectiveness.
The Third Person Effect
This post won’t have an effect on me, but it will probably have an effect on you.
Administrative Warfare: Deception + third person effect
It’s not the info that matters, it’s how people respond to it.
Ok, but what should the Army do to combat this?
“Hangin’ with railbait like you is gonna lower my rep.”
The Non-Kill Chain
PSYOP as the “non-kill chain,” OCO at the platoon level, and defining a “theory of success.”
The urge to “do something” and the need to be patient
If we only manage what we measure, then we tend to focus on things that are measurable.
Not everything is measureable.
Administrative Warfare: Fake Bomb Threats
There are lots of possibilities for this kind of warfare.
The only limitations are willingness and imagination.
Bahamut
Bahamut (ba-ha-mut / بهموت) – A powerful mythological creature that holds up the world, or destroys it.
#FinalFantasy
11 Men 1 Mind
You can’t see an infantry squad – it is an idea that only exists when jointly held by its members.
“It’s psychological warfare, just done with modern tools”
The background noise of future war is going to be stupid videos that make you nuts.
“Trash talk raises the psychological stakes of the game”
It has an effect on the adversary and it has an effect on you.
It’s not nothing.
In-person, on the phone, or via email — in that order
In getting other people to respond, this is the way.
“Nicotine and bullets bring the world together”
This is what “strategic competition” looks like on the ground.
The Illusory Truth Effect
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
The Redundancy Effect
Most people who have to brief believe they are good at briefing. Just like driving.
The secret ingredient of innovation
It’s easy to write off innovation as talent. If it’s just raw talent, then we have an excuse.
The Premier Partnered Irregular Warfare Force
“You won’t be graded on the things that your team does – you’ll be graded on the things that your partner does.”
Neurowarfare
This is an interesting one that is kind of flying under the radar. SOF operators do not currently receive any direct training on neurowarfare (indeed, most are unfamiliar with the concept entirely), and published research is strikingly limited. Of the small number of academic publications on the topic, only a handful directly address neurowarfare. Special … Continue reading Neurowarfare
“We can’t kill our way out of this”
When you mix flawed strategy with gung-ho leaders you get the GWOT effect.
“Tactical things don’t matter for big-picture deterrence”
Javelins, drones, are completely irrelevant to political leaders. They don’t know and don’t care about the stuff.
In future war, we’re all getting canceled
“We’re waiting on the results of the investigation, general.”
Human Dynamics in Great Power Competition
Should our strategists put human dynamics first? Eh, probably not.
Reflection Partners
It’s kind of like that peer at work who ‘gets it’ the same way you do. The one who goes out with you for a long lunch where you figure it all out.
Flying the F-35 and making YouTube videos
How are you not going to make the obvious “chair force” joke?
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Carrying the Gun 