THE EVOLUTION OF COGNITIVE WARFARE STRATEGIES IN THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

Abstract

Information and psychological influence have long been effective means of exerting non-traditional forms of foreign policy pressure in contemporary international relations. The latest technologies of influence are increasingly being integrated into state strategies as key instruments for advancing national interests. They are becoming high-precision weapons that paralyze the ability of democracies to mount effective resistance. Information and psychological influence operate in the intangible, cognitive dimension and are not constrained by territorial borders. World leaders have identified information and psychological warfare as a distinct pillar of foreign policy, in which information security has become a critical component of national security. The latest influence technologies are being actively integrated into state strategies as key tools for advancing national interests. Rapid technological development enables information operations on an unprecedented scale, with unprecedented speed and stealth. Due to technological progress, societies around the world have become more vulnerable to attempts at hostile influence.

This article examines international information warfare through the lens of the concept of “cognitive warfare.” It explores the conceptual foundations of cognitive warfare. The authors focus on examining the key differences between the mechanisms of information warfare and cognitive warfare. Particular attention is paid to examining the evolution of cognitive warfare due to the development of the latest information and communication technologies and technological progress. The article analyzes the key aspects of NATO’s current concept of cognitive warfare and measures to counteract the negative, often unpredictable, consequences of cognitive warfare.

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Received: 15.05.26 / Revised: 29.05.26 / Accepted: 06.06.26 / Published: 30.06.26