The Black Box Problem in Cognitive Warfare: Why “Targeting Cognition” Is Not Enough

A new essay argues that cognitive warfare's claim to target cognition is weakened because analysts can only observe inputs and outputs, not the cognitive middle layer. The piece contends that focusing solely on targeting cognition is insufficient for understanding or conducting cognitive warfare.

Abstract Cognitive warfare is often presented as a distinct form of conflict because it targets cognition, the brain, or decision-making itself, but that claim becomes weaker when the analyst can observe only the relationship between informational inputs and behavioral, attitudinal, or organizational outputs. This essay argues that the cognitive middle layer, including attention, perception, memory, emotion, belief, reasoning, and decision-making, … Read more https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/07/02/the-black-box-problem-in-cognitive-warfare-why-targeting-cognition-is-not-enough/ The post The Black Box Problem in Cognitive Warfare: Why “Targeting Cognition” Is Not Enough https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/07/02/the-black-box-problem-in-cognitive-warfare-why-targeting-cognition-is-not-enough/ appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University https://smallwarsjournal.com .