At Crescent Bridge, we recognize that more and more of our colleagues in the government and private sector are embracing the term “cognitive advantage” to describe a more proactive, calculated, and outcomes-driven strategy in the cognitive domain. This is a posture we have strongly and consistently advocated.
What is a Cognitive Advantage?
A cognitive advantage is an element of modern warfare. It is a sustained capability to maintain superior awareness in the cognitive domain, to defend decision autonomy at every level of American society—citizens, corporate leaders, military leaders, and policymakers—and to outcompete adversaries in shaping global perceptions and choices in ways that preserve U.S. freedom of action and safeguard and advance U.S. national security.
How do we achieve a Cognitive Advantage?
First: Reassert a strong U.S. national narrative.
In the cognitive domain, our national narrative is both sword and shield. It projects power, influence, and advances our interests. It tells the story of our values, our history, our aspirations, our view of the world, and our resolve, and it is reinforced by actions and deeds. It supports confidence in our institutions and our commitments. It also counters adversary narratives and actions that seek to undermine America within our own borders and across the world. Regardless of how we see the political environment, we must articulate and advance a strong, seamless U.S. national narrative as foundational to a cognitive advantage.
Second: Empower our master storytellers.
Our master storytellers are not just communicators; they are architects of persuasion. Facts are fleeting, but stories remain with us—they shape how we feel, which in turn drives how we behave. In the cognitive domain, well-crafted stories—including those tailored to navigate today’s hyper-technical and chaotic information environment—shape threat perceptions, influence our sense of reality, sustain resolve, and can tip the balance in competition or conflict.
Third: See and understand our adversaries’ capabilities.
We must understand our adversaries’ capabilities and intentions in the cognitive domain—where perception, knowledge, and decision-making are contested. Our adversaries go to great lengths to mask and conceal their activities. It is time for cognitive intelligence—intelligence in and about the cognitive domain and our ability to reliably understand how, where, and why adversaries seek to shape our thinking and decisions—to emerge as a priority.
Fourth: Sustain a technological edge.
We must sustain a technological edge in AI, cognitive science, cyber, and other technologies that force our adversaries to go on the defensive. China in particular is working to take that advantage from us by its own means and by stealing U.S. data, technologies, and intellectual property to use against us. We must safeguard the extraordinary capabilities of U.S. technologies—including those of small, bold startups—that provide critical national security advantages and are also relentlessly targeted by our adversaries.
Fifth: Plan and drive designed strategies and outcomes.
We need to proactively plan, organize and drive designed strategies and actions across our governmental institutions, international partners, and private sector at the intersections of shared security interests. As a priority, we need a strategy and a commitment to play offense in a quiet but relentless manner that confuses our adversaries, shatters their confidence, and forces them—not us—to deal with the uncertainties of cognitive warfare.
Finally, Harness the community’s intellectual power.
If all of this is to work, we need to harness the incredible intellectual power, critical thinking, and collaboration among government, private sector, academia, and in many cases, our allies. In this collaboration; we need leaders; not to overly prescribe or to build bureaucracy, but to inspire, convene, add clarity of purpose, and to enable the incredible capability this community offers. For our leaders, a reminder that when relegated to small tasks and small thinking, influence operations in the cognitive domain will achieve small results. This is a time for vision, big thoughts, innovation, and audacity.
Crescent Bridge believes these are the foundation elements of a cognitive advantage. If we are successful, we will sustain decision-making autonomy at all levels; preserve domestic and allied social cohesion; retain global influence, credibility, and narrative power; expose and undermine adversary cognitive warfare; and achieve U.S. objectives without direct conflict. Challenging?—Yes. Attainable?—Certainly.