The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Anthony Vinci, author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution, discusses how the battlefield has shifted from physical territory to the human brain. From China's influence within U.S. education and gaming to the subtle "mind hacking" potential of AI-generated misinformation, Anthony breaks down the strategic landscape of modern information operations. Join us for a deep dive into the risks posed by TikTok, the crisis of masculinity in the digital age, and how we can build individual resilience against an era of total surveillance.

Recording Date: 8 Jan 2026

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #100 Rand Waltzman on the Metaverse and Immersive Virtual Reality
  • #212 Libby Lange on Algorithmic Cognitive Warfare
• The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America by Anthony Vinci
• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff
• Princeton Review

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Anthony Vinci is the author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America (Henry Holt, 2025). He served as the first Chief Technology Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) where he was one of the first leaders to bring AI into intelligence. Earlier in his career he served in Iraq, Africa, and Asia. After leaving the world of intelligence, Vinci became an executive at a private equity firm and CEO of VICO, an AI company that is bringing the intelligence revolution to the rest of us by democratizing intelligence analysis. He is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and received his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

John Boyd is well known to have formally written down very little of his own theories on war and conflict, making researching his concepts challenging and leading many to infer meanings based on their own interpretations—or others'—of what little easily accessible evidence of his thinking remains. In Snowmobiles and Grand Ideals, Ian Brown unpacks Boyd in his own words delivered during his lectures.

Recording Date: 9 Dec 2025

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #146 Sebastian Bae on Gaming
• Snowmobiles and Grand Ideals: John Boyd's Vision for Thriving in Chaos by Ian T. Brown and Frans P. B. Osinga
• A New Conception of War by Ian T. Brown
• YouTube: Steve Jobs Introducing The iPhone At MacWorld 2007
• Destruction and Creation by John Boyd (1976)

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Ian Brown is a retired Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter pilot with multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Pacific region. He has written dozens of articles, reviews, and short stories for a variety of defense-related publications, covering topics of military history, military theory, future war, and wargaming. His book A New Conception of War: John Boyd, the U.S. Marines, and Maneuver Warfare (Marine Corps University Press, 2018) was added to the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Professional Reading Program in 2019. He currently works as a wargame analyst for Group W and has designed several wargames independently.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Bill Wall discusses Accrete AI's comprehensive AI platform. The conversation explores the necessity for the U.S. to balance military focus with information strategies, diplomacy, and a deeper understanding of the populace to achieve success in modern conflicts.

Recording Date: 9 Dec 2025

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #56 Bob Jones on Governance
• Accrete AI
• Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph by T.E. Lawrence
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
• LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media by P. W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking
• Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

Bill Wall is the CEO and Co-Founder of Accrete AI Government, an enterprise AI company helping government entities rapidly capture and analyze massive amounts of siloed data, providing analysts with deep insights that enable faster decision-making.

Bill has a unique background, combining elite military service and deep experience in the sales and implementation of innovative solutions that drive business transformation. In the private sector, Bill has built technology teams across various industries. His professional experience includes leadership roles at companies like EMC, Praescient Analytics, Boundless Geospatial, and Flywheel Data, where he focused on IT solutions, big data analytics, and geospatial software.

Before entering the corporate world, Bill retired from the Army as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-two years in service. During his military career, he founded a computer network operations organization within the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen where he worked closely with the national intelligence community to transform the way intelligence was developed and shared.

Academically trained in international relations, Bill holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a Master of Arts in International Relations and Latin American Studies from the University of Miami. Beyond his professional achievements, he has been married to Francesca for 30 years and is a father to two sons, sharing his home with two dogs and a cat.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.