Violent Extremism in America: Interviews with Former Extremists and their Families on Radicalization and Deradicalization

July 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Brown, R. (RAND); Helmus, T. (RAND) Date: 4 August 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Ryan Brown (RAND) and Dr. Todd C. Helmus (RAND) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Dr. Brown stated that homegrown extremism has increased in the US during recent years. Both the lethality of attacks and […]

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China-US Competition: Measuring Global Influence

July 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Moyer, J. (University of Denver); Meisel, C. (University of Denver); Burrows, M. (Atlantic Council) Date: 3 August 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Jonathan Moyer (University of Denver), Mr. Collin Meisel (University of Denver), and Mr. Mathew Burrows (Atlantic Council) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series.  Measuring a […]

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Escalation Management in Gray Zone Crises: The Proxy Factor

July 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Murauskaite, E. (University of Maryland); Ellis, D. (University of Maryland) Date: 27 July 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Ms. Egle Murauskaite (University of Maryland) and Mr. Devin Ellis (University of Maryland) as part of its SMA STRATCOM Speaker Series.   This research, supported by the DoD’s Minerva Research Initiative, looked […]

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Key Elements of the 2021 Nuclear Posture Review

July 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Péczeli, A. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Date: 21 July 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Anna Péczeli (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) as part of its SMA STRATCOM Speaker Series. The purpose of a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) is to assess the current nuclear threat environment, outline nuclear […]

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Israel After Netanyahu: Anchored in a One-State Reality

July 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Lustick, I. (University of Pennsylvania) Date: 22 July 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Ian Lustick (University of Pennsylvania) as a part of its SMA EUCOM Speaker Series.  According to Dr. Lustick, the current dispute over the West Bank and the disputed sovereignty of the Israeli government will not end in an ideal […]

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Effective Communication: Lessons Learned From Those Outside the US Government and Military

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Author(s): Astorino-Courtois, A. (NSI, Inc.); Popp, G. (NSI, Inc.) Summary Report Preview This report integrates key insights and lessons learned from the SMA IIJO effort about how those outside of the US government and military (i.e., non-government and private sector organizations) use messaging and communication to influence and inform. Ultimately, what emerges is a collection […]

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Operational Cyberpsychology: Adapting a Special Operations Model for Cyber Operations

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Author(s): Spitaletta, J. (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory) Invited Perspective Preview This paper conceptualizes operational cyberpsychology as a field that supports missions intended to project power in and through cyberspace (Joint Staff, 2018) by leveraging and applying expertise in mental processes and behavior in the context of interaction amongst humans and machines (Norman, 2017). […]

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An Agenda for Disinformation Research

July 2021 No Comments

Speaker(s): Garland, J. (Santa Fe Institute) Date: 20 July 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Joshua Garland (Applied Complexity Fellow, Santa Fe Institute) as part of its SMA IIJO Speaker Series. Dr. Garland defined disinformation as “false misleading or inaccurate information disseminated with the intent to deceive.” Disinformation must be countered because it undermines individuals’ […]

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Cognitive Defense of the Joint Force in a Digitizing World

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Author(s): Wright, N. (Georgetown University, University College London (UCL), Intelligent Biology and New America) Report Preview How can we defend the humans in the Joint Force—and its key support networks—from adversarial information operations in our digitizing world? Service personnel, their families and friends are human. Adversaries and other destabilizing forces threaten to sow disruption amongst […]

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Strategic Influence: Applying the Principles of Unconventional Warfare in Peace

July 2021 No Comments

Author(s): Jones, R. (United States Special Operations Command) Invited Perspective Preview “The most important aspect of our containment strategy is that it serves to contain ourselves,” former President Dwight Eisenhower reportedly observed after he had left office. Perhaps the greatest problem facing the United States in the post-Cold War era is not our waning ability […]

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