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27 May 2024

Cognitive warfare: The tip of China’s gray zone spear - ANALYSIS

SHERWIN E. ONA, LAIZA LIMPIN

The Chinese embassy’s claim that Filipino officials have agreed on a “new model” in Ayungin shoal is beginning to look like another disinformation master stroke. Amplified by trolls and pro-Beijing commentators, this illustrates Beijing’s constant attempt to seize the initiative by controlling the narrative and diverting public attention. As usual, Filipino officials were in the reactive-defensive mode. National Security Adviser Eduardo Año described it as false, malicious, and ludicrous while Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro alluded to the incident as part of Beijing’s “weapons of mass deception.”

Combined with the recent deep fake video of President Marcos Jr., these events have added a new dimension to the already precarious situation in our maritime zones. Moreover, it reveals a broader malign influence agenda that is aimed at undermining the Philippine position by weakening its institutions, discrediting its officials, and misleading its citizens. We believe that this is an attempt by Beijing to use cognitive warfare to complement its gray zone tactics of disinformation and offensive cyber operations.

Traditionally, cognitive warfare (CW) is a warfighting concept that attacks the enemy’s cognitive abilities to impair its decision-making capabilities and weaken its ability to resist. During peacetime, the aim of CW is to reshape a target population’s opinion and behavior. It is a favored tool for gray zone operations because of its strategic use of psychological/information warfare and digital technologies to create alternate narratives, weaken an adversary’s resolve, and fostering societal division without resorting to armed conflict.

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