The ALx Bulletin - September 2026 - The Cognitive Battlefield: Safeguarding Leadership & Judgement
Threat influence methods can affect Soldiers directly or indirectly with the goal of influencing their thinking. The threat may employ direct influence activities, for example overt propaganda, or more subtle attacks like engaging in activities that amplify social or political differences.
Alternatively, the threat may choose an indirect attack by targeting a weapon or information system used by
digital signatures created by Soldiers in their daily lives.
Education about threat influence tactics and techniques and ways to mitigate threat efforts such as online awareness, digital signature management, and critical thinking increase Soldiers’ ability to resist the negative effects on their morale and will.
ADP 3-13 Information
Execute Today[Content You Can Use Immediately]
Information disorder is the spread of false, misleading, or harmful information that disrupts the information environment and influences public perception. It’s easy to create, spreads rapidly, and is amplified by platform algorithms. It’s also become a strategic national security problem, not just a communications challenge. The authors of this article argue that this environment advantages authoritarian states, weakens democratic accountability and multilateral cooperation, and increases the risk of conflict escalation.
Read “Information Disorder and Irregular Warfare: Three Things to Know” here.
AI is changing leadership responsibilities. It can be used as a tool to accelerate decision-making, surface insights, and drive efficiency, but there are still clear limitations. It cannot replace nuanced human judgment, context, or relationships. Effective leaders keep humans in the loop, ensuring critical human oversight and safeguarding strengths that machines can’t replicate. Obtain practical leadership insight and tips through a variety of articles and webinars from the Center for Creative Leadership.
NEW!!! Army University Press published “The Noncommissioned Officer: A Primer,” a guide designed to help noncommissioned officers apply Army doctrine to the daily realities of leading and caring for Soldiers. Released Sept. 18, 2026, the primer blends doctrine, history, behavioral psychology and personal anecdotes and is a practical reference for NCOs at all levels to supplement existing guidance. Download it here.
Prepare for Tomorrow [Content to Improve Your Organization]
“Adversaries understand that free societies can be influenced without being invaded.” -Ryan McBeth
US adversaries spend billions of dollars annually to weaponize online narratives.. This article details how adversaries turn social media outrage into real-world disruptions of U.S. military logistics and offers practical ways to address the challenge . Read “Outside the Wire: Information Warfare As Long-Range Effects” here.
Adversaries are actively conducting cyber operations that target democratic institutions, military systems, and critical infrastructure to erode public confidence and weaken national resilience. These actions achieve strategic effects while remaining below the traditional thresholds of armed conflict. The author of this article presents a solution to this challenge. Read “Internet Wars: Establishing a Cyber Force to Ensure National Security” here.
The contemporary information environment is characterized by unprecedented levels of connectivity, exposure, and competition for human attention. While information has become abundant, the cognitive capacity required to process it remains limited. This article argues that information overload can generate cognitive fatigue by overloading attention, degrading memory, and reducing decision-making quality. Read the full article here.
“A tool can help a formation see patterns, move information, and support decisions, but it cannot care for soldiers, enforce standards, read the climate of a team, or accept responsibility for consequences.” – Sgt. Maj. Marshall M. “Will” Williams, US Army, Retired
NCOs closest to the soldier will often be the first to see whether AI tools are being used successfully. This article argues that the Army should treat AI supervision as a core NCO responsibility: the first-line leadership discipline of training soldiers, calibrating trust, enforcing standards, protecting judgment, and reporting ground truth when AI-enabled tools reach the point of use. Read “The Noncommissioned Officer as Artificial Intelligence Supervisor” here.
Learn Always [Content to Help You Think]
The book “Perceptions Are Reality” highlights information operations are central to winning large-scale combat operations, not peripheral to them. Spanning 11 chapters, this book includes case studies from World War II through Georgia and Ukraine to show how armies and states shape perception, decision-making, and battlefield outcomes. While written in 2018, the book’s central insight still holds: information remains decisive in large-scale combat operations. The technologies shaping that fight have only become faster, more complex, and more disruptive. Download it here.
Get Involved [Opportunities for YOU to Drive Change]
October marks the national observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This year’s theme is “Securing the Next 250”.
Cyber threats are getting faster and smarter. New and evolving technology is accelerating the rate at which hackers can find and take advantage of weak spots in our computer software and systems. That puts our country and economy at risk. Explore the tips and resources on this page.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026 urges every individual, organization, and community to proactively strengthen America’s digital defenses, emphasizing that resilience starts now and every action counts. Download the toolkit here.