By Charles Davis.

Much has been said about the global phenomena surrounding TikTok in America since President Trump’s August 2020 Executive Order 13943 was issued, then put on hold, and then altogether discarded with the change of presidential administrations. With roughly 87 million users in the United States there is a large support base for this entertaining social media platform. It is amazing what privacies we will willingly give away if the request is packaged right. Here is free entertainment and a way to engage with friends and like-minded people, just let us monitor what you like and give you more of it.

Its ascent to global phenomenon has been incredibly quick, more than doubling its worldwide user base between 2019 and 2021 (291.4 million to 655.9 million). TikTok will have 834.3 million monthly users worldwide in 2023. Meaghan Yuen April 24, 2023 [1]

TikTok’s appearance on the US social media scene began with Musical.ly, a company based in Shanghai with a headquarters in Santa Monica, California. The company allowed users to create short lip-sync videos and was released in 2014. ByteDance Ltd, a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Beijing, purchased Musical.ly in 2017 as a means to get into the US market. [2] By 2018 ByteDance had pulled the subscriber base into the newly minted TikTok, with all the capabilities of ByteDance data mining and software enhancements.

Just one year later, the US Committee on Foreign Investment was calling for a review of the acquisition. At this point, the primary concern was censorship. As these concerns became evident Senators Schumer and Cotton called for an assessment of the national security risks associated with TikTok. The senators primary concern was ByteDance’s obligation to adhere to Chinese law first and foremost. [3]

In a Letter to the Acting Director of National Intelligence, the Senators stated: “China’s vague patchwork of intelligence, national security, and cybersecurity laws compel Chinese companies to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party… Questions have also been raised regarding the potential for censorship or manipulation of certain content. TikTok reportedly censors materials deemed politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party, including content related to the recent Hong Kong protests, as well as references to Tiananmen Square, Tibetan and Taiwanese independence, and the treatment of Uighurs.” [4]

While concern over Chinese censorship was growing in Congress, ByteDance was logging 700 million daily users globally and the first half revenues for 2019 were assessed to hit 7 billion US dollars. [5] Powerful US corporations were also seeing a windfall as a result of TikTok’s popularity. Susquehanna International Group (SIG) owns 15% of ByteDance. The Pennsylvania based investor group’s China arm invested 2 billion dollars across 260 companies in Shanghai. The total investment in ByteDance was only 5 million but it was valued at 15 billion at the time of President Trumps Executive Order 13942, which may explain the mixed political, corporate, and private responses to the order. [6]  

President Trump’s order specifically addressed TikTok, stating: “The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.  At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok.” [7] The President’s concerns went deeper than content manipulation or removal, which was something he had personal experience with.

“TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories.  This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.” [8]

He specifically mentioned how TikTok videos spread debunked conspiracy theories of the origins of COVID 19, expressing concern how the platform would be used in future misinformation and disinformation campaigns that served Chinese interests.

The threat from TikTok is greater than information control though. TikTok is collecting biometrics and has been doing so since its release. ByteDance is providing facial recognition data that enables Chinese global video surveillance to distinguish age, gender, and ethnicity. In July 2021, Professors at the University of Melbourne specifically addressed these concerns in a piece published by the university’s magazine Pursuit.

Their research indicates, TikTok’s iOS app has the capability to access and copy from clipboard data, detect objects and scenery, and capture voice and facial recognition data. [9] Wouters and Paterson argue: “These biometrics are unique and personal digital replicas of appearance, behaviour and expression. They are comparable to fingerprints as they can help others identify, surveil and profile people of interest.” [10] Given the era of deepfake and AI integration, having access to hundreds of millions of audio and facial fingerprints presents significant global security concerns. Just consider how many citizens use facial recognition for secure assess or what people keep in their notes or on phone and computer clipboards.

An example of the potential threat this poses, on a global scale, can be found in a December 2020 report from the Washington Post. Harwell and Dou’s research indicates, another Chinese tech giant, Huawei is using facial recognition to establish alert mechanisms for the presence of ethnic Uighurs. “If the system detected the face of a member of the mostly Muslim minority group, the test report said, it could trigger an alarm, potentially flagging them for police in China, where members of the group have been detained en masse as part of a brutal government crackdown.” [11]

The concept went into test phase in 2018 and focused on identifying age, sex, and ethnicity using facial recognition and artificial intelligence. Given the close to 1 billion TikTok accounts, China has the ability to develop software to recognize and target any demographic in the world. SenseTime, China’s largest facial recognition company trades on the Hong Kong exchange and is currently on the US entity list (associated with the Defense Authorization Act) which bans US exports and investments. But we continue to allow TikTok to function as a primary data mining entity for the colossal database fueling this industry.

Taigusys is another Chinese company, likely benefiting from the data accumulated through TikTok. Taigusys is the leading developer of emotion recognition software. They are taking facial recognition and developing AI cues for the emotion associated with the expressions captured. As you can imagine, through shared videos, TikTok is capturing virtually every expression known to mankind.   A March 2021 article, by the Guardian’s Michael Standaert, indicates this is a 36-billion-dollar industry nested very effectively in an ideological campaign of positive energy, encouraged by Xi Jinping. Management at Taigusys laud this technology as a means to predict dangerous behavior within prison and mental health facilities, allowing faster and more appropriate response to crisis. [12] This same technology, implemented in large urban environments would allow for predictive assessments of crowd and protestor volatility, providing early response opportunities to quell unrest or descent.

Data collection for facial and emotional recognition companies is not the only use the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has found for TikTok. Initial Congressional concerns over disinformation seem to have been validated in recent months. A June 2023 Washington Times report identified video tracks purportedly from a Russian special operations soldier, which surfaced on TikTok, were actually created by China. The investigative report indicates the fictional personality “Baoer Kechatie” is associated with Chinese deepfake technology that was drawing approximately 400,000 followers.  An April 2023 report from the Defense Science Board indicates Identity Exploitation and Control (IEC) may be the most difficult of the five new dimensions of conflict. [13]

Probably the most concerning statement regarding IEC is the assessment China and Russia are working in tandem to maximize this capability.

“China is using these new means of identity exploitation and control to pursue dissidents and non-Han Chinese minorities including Mongols, Tibetans, and Uyghurs. China also is leveraging its global harvest of data on individuals to expand its reach to target and manipulate individuals on a global scale including more than 10,000 living outside of China. Russia is adopting key elements of China’s domestic surveillance system including Huawei telecom equipment. While this does not change the scale of China’s IEC, it leverages Russia’s cyber skill-sets and can propagate a worldwide China-Russia IEC threat.” [14]

All the examples provided correlate with China’s approach to Cognitive Warfare and present a new and dynamic threat to global stability.

The NATO allied Command Transformation defines Cognitive Warfare as “the activities conducted in synchronization with other instruments of power, to affect attitudes and behaviors by influencing, protecting, and/or disrupting individual and group cognitions to gain an advantage.” [15] Similarly, the Taiwan Institute of European and American Studies describes cognitive warfare as “…activities undertaken to manipulate environmental stimuli to control the mental states and behaviors of enemies as well as followers in both hot and cold wars.” [16] Combatant commanders have always sought out ways to erode an adversary’s moral. Now, our adversaries are seeking ways to stimulate emotional responses and affect critical decision-making through social media. 

Jana Mantua’s recent work “China’s Focus on the Brain Gives it an Edge in Cognitive Warfare” discusses decision dominance and winning hearts and minds. Mantua sees China’s approach on two fronts, cognition and subliminal cognition. The primary component of cognition is the ability to collect and analyze physiological signals. TikTok provides the platform for CCP collection and analysis, and it provides an avenue of approach for the subliminal cognition. During the subliminal cognition phase of Chinese cognitive warfare, content will be collected and pre-treated with new messages, while applying defensive technology against adversary information operations. [17]  Simply put, China is collecting data on what stimulates our brains and how, in an effort to determine the best approach to win hearts and minds through subliminal messaging.

It is likely the CCP is also developing techniques to stimulate mass behaviors based on target groups, since its facial recognition program can determine age, sex, ethnicity and its emotional recognition technology can determine the responses elicited. Combining these three initiatives (TikTok, facial recognition, emotional recognition) allows the CCP to use systems with built in cameras (phones and computers) to identify target groups, engage in cognitive warfare and evaluate the response rendered, without the target group realizing the attack is occurring.

Mantua asserts, “China continuously employs internet commentators, or ‘wumao,’ to spread propaganda online that is consistent with the state’s interests. They also selectively amplify the voices of influencers, including Westerners, who are promoting China of their own volition.” [18] Other researchers see similar issues with CCP exploitation of free speech. Lim and Bergin indicate, “While the CCP carefully polices its domestic walled garden, it exploits the freer spaces outside of China’s borders to project its influence on the world stage.” [19] China sees the cognitive domain as the next evolution in warfare. This battlespace is particularly significant to China, from a cultural perspective. Cognitive Warfare follows the teachings of Sun Tzu by affording and opportunity to defeat an adversary without armed conflict, while subliminal cognition provides plausible deniability, allowing China to save face on the global stage.

While TikTok may be a fun pastime for the American population, it is a strategic capability being leveraged globally by our greatest adversary.

[1] https://www.insiderintelligence.co010598m/charts/global-tiktok-user-stats/

[2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/lip-syncing-app-musical-ly-is-acquired-for-as-much-as-1-billion-1510278123

[3] https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-schumer-request-assessment-of-national-security-risks-posed-by-china-owned-video-sharing-platform-tiktok-a-potential-counterintelligence-threat-with-over-110-million-downloads-in-us-alone#:~:text=Leader%20Schumer%20and%20Senator%20Cotton,U.S.%2C%20as%20well%20as%20a

[4] https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/10232019%20TikTok%20Letter%20-%20FINAL%20PDF.pdf

[5] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tiktok-cfius-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-opens-national-security-investigation-into-tiktok-sources-idUSKBN1XB4IL

[6] https://thehustle.co/10052020-sig/

[7] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-tiktok/

[8] ibid

[9] https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/tiktok-captures-your-face

[10] ibid

[11] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/08/huawei-tested-ai-software-that-could-recognize-uighur-minorities-alert-police-report-says/

[12] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/03/china-positive-energy-emotion-surveillance-recognition-tech

[13] https://dsb.cto.mil/reports/2020s/DSB-SS2020_NewDimensionsofConflict_Executive%20Summary_cleared.pdf

[14] https://dsb.cto.mil/reports/2020s/DSB-SS2020_NewDimensionsofConflict_Executive%20Summary_cleared.pdf

[15] https://www.act.nato.int/article/cognitive-warfare-strengthening-and-defending-the-mind/#:~:text=Together%2C%20these%20two%20words%20paint,cognitions%20to%20gain%20an%20advantage

[16] https://academic.oup.com/jogss/article/7/4/ogac016/6647447

[17] https://irregularwarfare.org/articles/chinas-focus-on-the-brain-gives-it-an-edge-in-cognitive-warfare/

[18] https://irregularwarfare.org/articles/chinas-focus-on-the-brain-gives-it-an-edge-in-cognitive-warfare/

[19] https://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/user_upload/IFJ_Report_2020_-_The_ China_Story.pdf

*********

Note: Thoughts and assessments in this work are those of the author and are not meant to reflect organizational opinions of the Warrant Officer Career College or the U.S. Army.

This article by Charles Davis was first published by Small Wars Journal on July 18, 2023. Republished with permission of author and editor of SWJ.

There are a lot of topics in this NATO news update – Russia reinforces western border, Exercise Sea Breeze 2018, Helsinki summit, UK defense review, Russia social media, Black Sea military competition, defense of the Baltic States, Russian hybrid warfare, the admin part of moving troops and equipment in response to a crisis, new Russian airborne tank, and more.

The dust has settled over the tumultuous Brussels Summit and follow-on Helsinki conference (Putin and Trump). So now it is back to business as usual for the western defense alliance. Supposedly the member nations are working through plans to meet the 2024 target of 2% of GNP towards their defense budget. Iraq will see a renewed effort for training assistance (Canada playing a major role). Afghanistan is still a major effort for NATO as well – financial support of the ANDSF and troop commitments will continue until 2024. North and West Africa with its constant instability has the attention of Italy, France, and others. The migration issue – movement of people from MENA – is a major problem that still needs to be addressed. And, of course, the big Russian bear to the east has prompted some organizational changes as well as a number of exercises for Eastern Europe and Northern Europe – hopefully Poland, the Baltic States, and others are feeling the love.

Russia

Russia continues to dominate the news about NATO. Although NATO is actively involved in the migration from the Middle East and North Africa, defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan – it is Russia that seems to provide the most content for the SOF NATO News Update.

Russian Troop Buildup. The North Atlantic Treat Organization has forward deployed troops and aircraft to buttress the defense of the Baltic States as well as Poland and other eastern European countries. Russia has not let this gone unanswered and its military has sent thousands of new units and weapons to its western border in response (or is it the other way around?). (Newsweek, July 24, 2018).

Hybrid Warfare – Works Both Ways. There are many news accounts and reports about the use of hybrid warfare by the Russians (Crimea, eastern Ukraine, and Baltic States come to mind). However, little is reported about how the Russians would plan to defend itself or control territory it occupies if threatened with adversaries that employ hybrid warfare. But the Russians have given it some thought. Read “Russia to Use Irregular Forces Against ‘Hybrid Threats’: The Case of Kaliningrad”, Eurasia Daily Monitor – The Jamestown Foundation, July 24, 2018.

New Russian Airborne Tank. A new tank that is air drop capable called the Sprut SDM 1 is now coming on-line that will give Russian paratroopers an anti-tank capability. Evidently the crew can be inside the SDM 1 when in is under canopy. Hmmmm! Read more in “Russia Testing New Tank That Lands From the Sky”, National Interest, July 25, 2018.

NATO’s Relationship with Russia. So what is the ‘official’ word how how NATO and its potential enemy get along? NATO says it wants a constructive relationship with Russia but – it’s complicated. Read “Relations with Russia”, NATO, July 26, 2018.

More on the Helsinki Summit

A NATO news update would not be complete without a mention of President Trump! The fallout from the disastrous Helsinki meeting (on many levels) between President Trump and President Putin is continuing – although the U.S. news cycle is quickly moving on to other topics. The concrete results of the ‘agreements’ from the meeting have yet to materialize. One thing is for certain – Trump’s attacks on NATO the previous week has likely damaged (to what degree is unknown) the alliance. The verbal assault may possibly encourage Russia to take a more belligerent stance with its bordering nations – Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, etc.

Chaos Theory. Matthew Blood, an independent political and security analyst, provides his perspective in “Chaos Theory: Confusing Diplomatic Means and Ends in Helsinki”, Small Wars Journal, July 20, 2018.

More on the Brussels Summit

Moving Troops & Equipment – Not so Easy. While the media focused on the circus act of the leader of one of the more prominent member nations of NATO during a recent meeting of the western defense alliance – the Brussels Summit – a lot of constructive work was done behind the scenes. Recent NATO exercises revealed that moving troops and equipment across borders is more difficult than thought – from an administrative standpoint. Learn about the efforts that NATO is now involved in to mitigate the challenges presented by legal and administration rules and regulations posed by different countries in “Exploring the allied decisions on military mobility in Europe”, Defense News, July 27, 2018.

NATO Exercises

Exercise BREEZE 18. The Bulgarian Navy hosted several other nations for an exercise that trained participants in various fields of maritime warfare. Ships from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Germany took part in a high variety of tasks to include seamanship drills, countering maritime threats, and communication drills. See “NATO Ships Trained at Exercise BREEZE”, NATO Media Centre, July 23, 2018.

Sea Breeze 2018. The U.S. recently participated in a multi-national maritime exercise held in Ukraine. The exercise (land and sea) involved land, air, and sea units in the Black Sea region and was held in July 2018. The Russians took exception – describing the training as tension-provoking and potentially destabilizing. Read “Russia threatens ‘negative consequences’ over Marine exercise with Ukraine in the Black Sea”, Marine Corps Times, July 20, 2018.

USAF in Poland. Read about how US airmen and soldiers were deployed to Krzensiny Air Base to test their ability to rapidly set up facilities. (U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Poland, July 2018).

Commentary

UK Defence Review. Malcom Chalmers, the Deputy Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), writes about the review of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) currently underway in the UK. (RUSI, July 20, 2018).

NATO Still Matters. Dalibor Rohac, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), provides his perspective on the Brussels Summit, Helsinki conference, and President Trump in “Counterpoint: Does NATO Still Matter? Yes!”, AEI Inside Sources, July 23, 2018.

Defending the Baltic Nations. According a 2016 RAND Corporation report the Russian military could overrun the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in 60 hours. In fact, during a September 2017 military exercise called Zapad – the scenario of using hybrid and conventional warfare to overrun a Baltic nation was rehearsed. A NATO news update would not be complete without one or two articles about the Baltic region! Read more in “Baltic Peace Through NATO Strength”, Real Clear Defense, July 26, 2018.

Black Sea – Politics and Military Competition. With the demise of the Cold War U.S. interest in the Black Sea region diminished significantly. That is – until Russian aggression in recent years in Crimea, Georgia, and Ukraine sparked the interest of the United States once again. Read more in “Black Sea’s Back, Alright? A New Special Series”, War on the Rocks, July 26, 2018.

Turkey – a NATO Ally? There are a number of issues that provide sources of tension in the relationship between the United States and Turkey. These include the growth of authoritarianism under Erdogan, drift to Russia by Turkey, U.S. support of the Kurds, and Turkish secret support of jihadist groups in Syria. However the U.S. needs to use “. . . an incremental and interest-based approach focused on clear areas of strategic convergence in order to protect its long-term alliance with a post-Erdogan Turkey”. Hmmmm. Or a least that is what a writer for the Institute for the Study of War seems to think. Read “Navigating the U.S. – Turkey Relationship Beyond the Quagmire”, ISW, July 25, 2018.

Understanding NATO. Stephen Walt tells us about five misunderstood facts about the Western defense alliance in “NATO Isn’t What You Think It Is”, Foreign Policy, July 26, 2018.

Reports

Russian Social Media. A recent study examines Russian-language content on social media and how Russia uses propaganda to threaten the countries of Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, and Belarus. The Russians are attempting to drive a wedge between the ethnic populations of the target countries and also to discredit the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In addition, it aims to sow confusion and mistrust among the Western nations and erode their democratic institutions. Read the 149-page report in Russian Social Media Influence: Understanding Russian Propaganda in Eastern Europe, RAND Corporation, 2018.
www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2237.html

Russian Strategy. Dr. John R. Deni et al provide a 56 page report entitled Current Russia Military Affairs: Assessing and Countering Russian Strategy, Operational Planning, and Modernization, Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) U.S. Army War College, July 2018.
https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1385

More Russian Strategy. Alexander Moens and Cornel Turdeanu have penned a 25 page report entitled Fear and Dread: Russia’s Strategy to Dismantle North Atlantic and European Security Cooperation, Macdonald Laurier Institute, July 2018.
www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/nato-respond-russia-new-mli-report/

Videos

Rapid Deployment. In the event of an international crisis involving a NATO member the alliance has to be able to respond rapidly with the movement of troops, equipment, air, and naval forces. In order to be able to do this NATO conducts a wide range of exercises across Europe each year. Learn more in How NATO Rapidly Deploys Troops, NATO, July 10, 2018, 1-min.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=19EkFPdjpiI

*********

Photo: German frogmen training. Photo by Bundeswehr, August 4, 2017.

]]> 7223 https://sof.news/io/milblogging/ Thu, 08 Mar 2018 17:00:25 +0000 http://www.sof.news/?p=5254 Here at SOF News (an extremely small staff I tell you) we scour the Internet and social media everyday for hours to find relevant news for our SOF audience (that follow the SOF News website, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook). We do [...]]]>

Here at SOF News (an extremely small staff I tell you) we scour the Internet and social media everyday for hours to find relevant news for our SOF audience (that follow the SOF News website, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook). We do this so you don’t have to. You get to read about special operations news from around the world by following us. We do the hard work and package it up for you so you can get on with your busy day – content that you know all about the latest SOF news and can hold your own in a conversation during coffee break – whether in a team room or in the vast domain of USSOCOM HQs. We have a website, weekly newsletter, and several social media accounts – pick your poison.

Political Aspects of Mil Blogging. Which brings me to my point about mil bloggers. One dynamic that is becoming increasing clear is an undercurrent within the military blogger community (includes all social media) where the political views are advanced by participants on the left and right (yes, surprise, surprise there are liberal mil bloggers out there as well). There is a certain variety of liberal mil bloggers, it seems to me, that are using their status as ‘military veterans’ to advance their liberal agenda – some in a very academic and civil manner. Others in a more insidious way. Of course, on the other side of the coin there are some conservative mil bloggers doing the same. Then there are the mil bloggers who ignore the ‘political grist’ and concentrate on military news, commentary, and analysis (I think this is where SOF News resides).

Virtue Signalling. One tactic of some of the leftist mil bloggers is the accusation of ‘virtue signaling’. For instance, if a writer says that he spent a career in SF and he feels women don’t belong on an ODA he is accused of ‘virtue signaling‘ with the intent of discrediting the author and his argument. Many of these social media accounts take every opening to discredit someone opposed to their views. Some of them are targeting members of the SOF community – casting doubt on their credentials and asking questions like “What really makes a Green Beret or SEAL so special?”

Trash Talking. I was quite aware of the conservative mil blogging community – most of whom are quite reputable; although there are many that do a lot of ‘trash talking’ (reminds me of cornerbacks in the NFL). [1] What has become more evident to me is the (apparently) growing presence of mil bloggers on the left. Once again, most of whom are quite reputable. However, there seems to be a growing number who engage in the trash talking tactics as well.

Hot Button Issues. Some favorite topics of leftist mil bloggers include gun control, women in SOF and combat arms, equal representation of women in national security forums (panel discussions, symposiums, etc.), and non-veterans being able to comment on national security issues. Of course, some of these same issues and points of view are advanced by centrist and conservative mil bloggers as well (for instance women in SOF). [2] It isn’t a well-defined area. Probably one way of describing the situation is saying the leftist mil bloggers are advancing issues of concern important to (using a favorite conservative term) ‘social justice warriors’ (SJW).

Gun Control. The latest school shooting in Florida really brought this out – on the left and the right. For example some commentators with a SOF background, relying on their training and experience, voiced their opinions and observations on the topic of LE officers responding to school shootings. If their stance differed from that of a ‘leftist’ mil blogger (who was a veteran) then the ‘just because you are SOF doesn’t make your opinion or observation more valid than mine; I carried an M16 in Iraq’ argument is used. I guess we ignore the fact that the SOF guy probably has specialty courses like SOTIC, SFAUC, CQB, hostage rescue, CT opns, etc. in his toolbox.

Non-Veterans and National Security Issues. Another favorite issue of some liberal mil bloggers is reinforcing the idea that non-veterans can comment on issues relating to conflict and national security. There seems to be a big push to invalidate the military service of mil bloggers (who are veterans) even among the liberal mil bloggers. It is a ‘just because you served doesn’t mean your opinion means more than a non-veteran’ type of argument. Of course, sometimes it is the personality at hand. They are quick to point out the virtues of Max Boot (a military historian and great author but no military service) probably because of his constant pounding of President Trump in social media. [3] On the other hand I find that the leftist military bloggers are quite ready to criticize the ‘national security credentials’ of President Trump (by raising the draft deferment issue) or John Bolton (by pointing out he joined the National Guard to avoid service in Vietnam). I guess it is very ‘situational’ in their mind.

Discrediting SOF Commentators. Another troubling aspect is the apparent ‘offensive’ against the SOF social media community. There appears to be a small group of non-SOF mil bloggers and social media users who take every opportunity in very open and sometimes ‘hidden’ ways to discount a mil blogger or social media user who has a SOF background. As if the special training and wartime experiences a SOF service member has gone through doesn’t make him any more special than the regular infantryman, personnel clerk, cook, or mechanic. SOF folks and organizations are accused of having a ‘warrior mindset’ (as though that was a bad thing) and living in a ‘hypermasculine culture’. [4] This same crowd ridicules the ‘alpha male’ while ‘ endorsing the ‘beta male mindset’.

Mutual Admiration Society and Ganging Up. There appears to be – at least in the ‘leftist’ mil blogger community (and it is also in the ‘rightist’ mil blogger community as well) – a ‘mutual admiration society’ that employ reinforcing tactics; especially in the “Twitter Sphere”. It is almost as though there is a ‘ganging up’ policy. Some of the tactics include the use of ‘memes’ and others use humor. For example Duffel Blog (I am a big fan) recently took the opportunity to poke fun at the ‘veteran blogger’. [5]

It is all very interesting in an academic sort of way. So does SOF News have a ‘leftist’ or ‘rightist’ approach?

Probably not. As Joe Friday once said . . .

Footnotes:

[1] If I took the occasion to point out that I was a corner back on a college football team (which I was) and therefore I know about corner backs ‘trash talking’ then I could be accused of ‘virtue signaling’.

[2] A broad generalization of the ‘women in SOF’ issue could be this: one segment of the mil blogging community think women don’t belong in SOF (usually SOF commentators) while another segment would like to see more women in SOF as long as the standards are not changed. Then, there is the segment that believes the standards are outdated or inappropriate; which of course, would ‘change’ (not lower) standards allowing more women to become SOF.

[3] Max Boot is one of my favorite book authors. I like his commentary on national security. His constant disparaging of Trump, to the delight of leftist mil bloggers, during the election and over the past year detracted considerably from the value of his Twitter feed. Once Trump is out of office in 3 to 7 years Boot will most likely be looked upon less favorably by the leftist mil blogger crowd.

[4] Twitter feed on March 8, 2018.

[5] See “Opinion: As a veteran, my opinion counts more than yours”, Duffel Blog, March 7, 2018. I love the Duffel Blog by the way.

Resolute Support Social Media – Everyone knowledgeable about counterinsurgency recognizes the importance of winning the media battle. Unfortunately, it seems the insurgent and terrorist groups like ISIS, the Taliban, and others seem to be way out in front of the U.S. and its coalition partners in the information operations (IO) and social media fight. But things seem to be getting better.

CJTF-OIR is setting a high bench mark for successfully using social media in the IO war against ISIS in the Syrian – Iraq area of operations. CJTF-OIR’s use of Twitter and other social media avenues is fairly consistent and rings of accuracy (to an extent). Resolute Support Social Media staff workers in Kabul seem to be a step behind CJTF-OIR but it isn’t for lack of trying. The strategic communications (EF8) and PAO advisors get high marks for working with the Afghan institutions in developing their IO organizations. The use of social media in Afghanistan is just as important as in the Middle East region (Iraq and Syria).

Take a look behind the scenes of one ‘social media operator’ who just completed a tour in Kabul with Resolute Support HQs managing the Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube accounts for Resolute Support. Megan Gully, a member of the U.S. Army Material Command Public Affairs office, deployed to Kabul for an extended tour. Read her story “Commentary: My Deployment to Afghanistan”, DVIDS, July 28, 2017.

Social Media and Conflict – selected articles, papers, analysis, and commentary on the role of social media in conflict and war.

The Importance of Counter Influence Operations. History has shown that the United States is vulnerable to an extent by propaganda and covert influence operations. The British used it to lead us into World War I, the Soviet Union used it effectively against us during the “Cold War”, and the North Vietnamese were effective in its use to paint the Tet Offensive in 1968 as a U.S. military failure. Unfortunately the United States no longer has the U.S. Information Agency which could mount counter influence operations. One observer thinks that the U.S. Congress needs to ” . . . use 21st-century policy means to wage the 21st-century information war. America needs a Strategic Information Agency.” Read “Laying Bare the Enemy’s Aims: Defending Public Opinion in the 21st Century”, War on the Rocks, January 2, 2017.

Shaping Opinions. “War Goes Viral”, by Emerson T. Booking and P.W. Singer, The Atlantic, November 2016. A great and comprehensive article about how social media shapes opinion and is used by warring parties in conflict.

The Virtual Caliphate. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has an approach to information warfare that represents a key component of its overall strategy. Even though it is under pressure on the ground in the virtual world ISIS continues to make headway. While it may not establish a Caliphate that holds territory (it does now but may not in the long-term) it certainly can carve out a slice of the virtual world for its Caliphate. The United States and its allies need to continue to diminish the ISIS threat in the physical world but must meet the challenge ISIS poses in the virtual world as well. Read more in “The Virtual Caliphate: ISIS’s Information Warfare”, Institute for the Study of War, December 20, 2016.

Lone Wolfs and ISIS Virtual Planners. The Islamic State has its physical caliphate (Syria and Iraq) with provinces in places like eastern Afghanistan and the Lake Chad Basin. It also operates in the ‘virtual world’ as well. Learn more in “ISIL’s Virtual Planners: A Critical Terrorist Innovation”, War on the Rocks, January 4, 2017.

DARPA, Social Media, and the ID of Terrorists. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is moving ahead with a project that looks to develop automated software designed to identify terrorist threats through social media. Executive Biz Blog, January 3, 2017.

Soft Power and the Weaponized Narrative. The new battlespace (in part) can be found on the Internet. Almost all parties to every current conflict in the world uses social media to shape the fight. Read more in “Weaponized Narrative is the New Battlespace”, Defense One, January 3, 2017.

ISIS and Social Media: A Fatal Attraction. Cellphones, computers, and social media are used by terrorists, insurgents, and political dissidents to spread their message and sway the conversation. But their use also pose danger. Read “Fatal Attraction: ISIS Just Can’t Resist Social Media”, The Daily Beast, January 3, 2017.

Social Media News – papers, publications, commentary, and analysis on how information operations is used to influence the population in support or against governments and their security forces. Islamic State and Social Media, the Kremlin’s IO machine, ‘disinformation’ (dezinformatsiya) is now ‘fake news’, and more.

Social Media News and the Islamic State in Afghanistan. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) uses propaganda to advance its cause, gain popular support, gain recruits, and spread its narrative of Salafi-jihadism. Borhan Osman, writing for the Afghanistan Analysts Network, examines the influence operations of the ISKP in eastern Afghanistan. Read ISKP’s Battle for Minds: What are the main messages and who do they attract?, AAN, December 12, 2016.

Extremist Use of Media. Terrorist and insurgent groups have long used the latest in media technology to gain support in their cause, instill fear among target populations, and gather recruits. Read more in “The Age of Selfie Jihad: How Evolving Media Technology is Changing Terrorism”, CTC Sentinel, November 30, 2016.

Law to Reorganize VOA, Radio Free Europe, etc. There are a number of news outlets run by the U.S. to disseminate information. These include Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Some congressional members feel that the organizations are not centralized and therefore cannot quickly adapt to the 24/7 news cycle. Read more in “New Law Would Reorganize VOA, Other US Government Broadcasters”, Voice of America, December 14, 2016.

Islamic State’s Media War. ISIS has a very competent media operation that has successfully disseminated its strategic communications throughout the world. Read more in “Lighting the Path: The Story of the Islamic State’s Media Enteprise”, War on the Rocks, December 12, 2016.

Paper on US IO Efforts. A recent paper by Christopher Paul discusses shortfalls and deficiencies in U.S. capabilities in information operations (IO). Read more in “Enhancing US Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade”, Parameters, Autumn 2016, Strategic Studies Institute, pages 87-97.

‘Dezinformatsiya’ is now ‘Fake News’. The use of disinformation – through social media news – has been a tool for governments for a long time. The Soviets refined it as a component of ‘political warfare’. Recent news reports in main stream media would suggest that ‘fake news’ is a new aspect of the media. Not so much. Read “Before ‘fake news,’ there was Soviet ‘disinformation'”, The Washington Post, November 26, 2016.

ODNI Statement on Foreign Influence on U.S. Elections. The Democrats are up in arms about the possibility that the Russians influenced the U.S. presidential election in favor of President-Elect Trump. Some intelligence agencies are pointing at the Kremlin as well. The Director for National Intelligence is looking into the matter – read a press release (Dec 14, 2016) on this topic in “Intelligence Community Statement on Review of Foreign Influence on U.S. Elections”.

How to Fight ‘Fake News’. One commentator suggests that we should not “. . . try to fight the firehose of falsehood with the squirtgun of truth.” We should instead “. . . put ‘raincoats’ on those who will be hit with the firehose.” Read “Beyond the Headlines: RAND’s Christopher Paul Discusses the Russian ‘Firehose of Falsehood'”, The RAND Blog, December 13, 2016.

Kremlin and IO. The Russians have mastered the realm of information operations. Recent news reports indicate that they have a significant social media machine designed to influence audiences around the world. The Russians cyber warfare capability is also well resourced. This type of hybrid warfare is dominated by information and psychological conflict. Russians view modern warfare as not only military conflict but competition in the political, diplomatic, economic, and informational sectors. (Sort of reminds you of the Cold War – doesn’t it?). Read more in “The Kremlin’s ‘New Generation Warfare’ Is Just Getting Started”, War is Boring, December 10, 2016. For more on this topic read Alexander Velez-Green’s article “The United States and Russia Are Already at War”, Small Wars Journal, December 13, 2016.

The Islamic State has expertly used social media to advance its cause. Through the use of information operations it has recruited foreign fighters to Iraq, Syria, Libya, and other areas of the world. It has developed support groups and mechanisms throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. The terrorist group is raising money through the messaging it disseminates via the Internet. In addition, it spreads its message of fear and discouragement among sectors of the population that would oppose the groups aims. The social media content of ISIS is relevant, focused, and targeted to its primary audience. What is striking about the terrorist group’s ability to effectively use social media is, that at the same time, the organization is currently losing momentum, fighters, and territory on the battlefields of Iraq, Syria, and Libya.

Below is a selection of news reports, papers, and publications about the Islamic State’s use of social media.

Lighting the Path: the Evolution of the Islamic State Media Enterprise (2003-2016), by Dr. Craig Whiteside, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Haque (ICCT), November 15, 2016. This paper takes the approach that the Islamic State’s media operations have a history going back to just after the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. The framework for the analysis focused on the interaction between key media leaders, the structure and institutions, and the process of innovation.

Fighting the Islamic State on Social Media, by Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, RAND Corporation, October 11, 2016. The author believes that “. . . countering ISIL in the real world also requires countering its messaging online.”

“NATO: Islamic State is crushing West in global content war”, McClatchy DC, November 16, 2016. The Islamic State has a very modern marketing strategy that is extremely effective.

“How Islamic State Weaponized the Chat App to Direct Attacks on the West”, The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2016.

“Getting Serious on the Information Battlefield”, U.S. News & World Report, October 25, 2016.

“Content Wars: Daesh’s sophisticated use of communications”, NATO Review Magazine, 2016.