WHAT’S THE GAME-PLAN TO GUARD THE REPUBLIC?
Guest Editorial by Jesse Robert, ATO-II, CAS, CCI, CEH, CPO, COSS
Context of Fifth Generation Warfare
In today’s strategic environment, the U.S. faces significant challenges as adversaries, particularly authoritarian regimes advance their capabilities in economic, military, and ideological domains. This document examines the concept of Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW), emphasizing cognitive warfare and irregular warfare tactics that target the perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors of populations to manipulate societal outcomes.
Defining Key Concepts
Irregular Warfare
According to the U.S. Army’s field manual, irregular warfare (IW) is a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over populations, utilizing asymmetric approaches to erode adversaries’ will and resources. Key characteristics include:
Focus on undermining political authority rather than defeating armed forces.
Emphasis on non-military instruments of power at the tactical level due to the insufficiency of military means alone.
Cognitive Warfare
Cognitive warfare is a crucial element of irregular warfare, involving systematic manipulation of target populations’ perceptions and decision-making processes. Techniques include psychological operations, information warfare, and narrative control to influence behavior and create divisions within societies.
Fifth Generation Warfare
5GW represents a paradigm shift in warfare that emphasizes non-traditional tactics. Unlike previous generations that focused on kinetic military engagement, 5GW employs advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber attacks, and manipulation of social media to create confusion and instability within targeted societies. Operations often occur in a “gray zone” of international law, making them harder to attribute and respond to.
Current Global Dynamics
The document highlights the growing concern over Chinese expansionism, particularly through soft power tactics and influence campaigns. Key points include:
Chinese Communist Ideology: The “Middle Kingdom” mentality seeks to reshape the global order, prioritizing state control over individual freedoms while leveraging technological advancements for surveillance and population control.
U.S. Vulnerabilities: The U.S. faces threats from various adversaries, including China and Russia, employing economic and cognitive warfare strategies that target societal coherence and institutional trust.
Impact of Authoritarian Ideologies
The rise of liberal authoritarianism in countries such as Canada and European nations is seen as a consequence of culturally Marxist ideologies influencing institutional structures. This erosion of traditional values poses risks to the fabric of democratic societies, further exacerbating polarization and division.
Strategic Implications for the U.S.
A robust counterintelligence framework is critical for defending against these multifaceted threats. The document outlines the necessity for:
Cognitive Resilience: American society must bolster its defenses against disinformation and cognitive manipulation. Initiatives to educate the public on information literacy are essential.
Strengthening National Security: U.S. counterintelligence must adapt to recognize and counter the influence of adversaries operating within its borders, ensuring protection of democratic values and societal integrity.
Conclusion
The interplay between Fifth Generation Warfare, cognitive manipulation, and the countering of authoritarian ideologies presents a comprehensive challenge that demands a reevaluation of U.S. national security strategies. The American commitment to preserving the values of freedom, transparency, and dignity stands as a bulwark against the expansion of authoritarian principles, underscoring the crucial need for collective action in safeguarding the Republic.
Today, we are in a time of strategic competition against adversaries who fervently strive to outpace and eventually surpass us economically, intellectually, militarily and ideologically. They are enhancing and perfecting their capabilities while concurrently attempting to disrupt the rules-based international order. Our future presents a challenging and unpredictable environment that demands an adaptive, innovative, and prepared apparatus capable of effectively combatting such advances.
To clarify as best I can, I must start this write-up by properly defining several components and terminology as it relates to the “warfares”. Cognitive warfare as we know it, is a tool for use within Irregular Warfare (IW). Cognitive warfare is often employed as a critical element within an irregular warfare campaign. It’s normally accomplished by methodically manipulating the perceptions of the targeted populace and intentionally influencing behavior. It leverages various techniques, which normally include narrative attacks, psychological operations, and strategic information use. According to NATO, “it goes beyond information warfare by targeting how individuals and groups process information and make decisions. (NATO) It is said that it can significantly enhance the effectiveness of irregular IW operations. “
Simply setting aside, but also addressing the inter-service and interagency dispute on IW definitions for this paper. Irregular warfare has long been defined as “a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over populations. “ The core of the doctrine is that it, “utilizes indirect and asymmetric approaches with military and non-military capabilities to effectively erode targeted adversaries’ power, influence, and overall will to engage. “
The latest addition of the U.S Army Special Operations field manual (FM 3-05) dated June- 2025, Highlights “ Irregular warfare. The overt, clandestine, and covert employment of military and nonmilitary capabilities by state and non-state actors to achieve policy objectives other than military domination of an enemy, either as the primary approach or in concert with conventional warfare (ADP 3-0).”
It further goes on to state, “2-5. The main objective of irregular warfare varies with the political context. It can be employed below the threshold of armed conflict or in concert with conventional warfare. While it often focuses on establishing influence over a population, irregular warfare can also focus on eroding an enemy’s ability and political will for aggressive action. Irregular warfare has historically been an economy of force effort to fix enemy forces in secondary theaters of conflict or to cause enemy leaders to commit significant forces away from the main battle area. The following characteristics can distinguish irregular warfare from conventional warfare:
• The intent is to erode a political authority’s legitimacy and influence or to exhaust its resources not to defeat its armed forces—while supporting the legitimacy, influence, and will of the local populace.
• The nonmilitary instruments of power are more prominent at the tactical level because the military instrument of power alone is insufficient to achieve desired objectives.”
Fifth-generation warfare represents a larger paradigm shift, although Gen 1-4 warfare traits and tactics will always be employed in most campaigns in some form or fashion, 5GW aims to emphasize non-traditional tactics that primarily target the human ‘cognitive domain’. As indicated by ‘OAF Nation’, 5GW uses “advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyberattacks, social engineering, misinformation, and manipulation of social media and it most successfully operates in the ‘gray zone’ areas of international law, often using ambiguity and deniability, making it hard to properly attribute the attacks therefore hindering formulation and execution of traditional responses” also a strong, paramount characteristic of Irregular War in itself.
These ideas are very much connected because they all mix together and work as part of a larger way different countries try to influence each other. Cognitive warfare and 5GW are basically types of irregular war, which means they don’t look like traditional fighting with soldiers, small arms, Javelins and tanks. Instead, they focus specifically on affecting people’s thoughts, what everyone thinks about targeted issues, and how our societies stay together with the ultimate goal of division. Technology helps make these nasty tricks possible. Most of what occurs within cognitive warfare and 5GW happens very quietly, without making it obvious that a huge battle is occurring for ‘hearts and minds’ as we know it. This dubious area is sometimes referred to as the “gray zone” because it’s not quite peaceful and not quite war.
In essence, cognitive warfare and 5GW provide specific frameworks and methodologies for executing irregular warfare in the ‘digital information’ age.
FIFTH GENERATION WARFARE (5G)
In the modern day international context, the 5GW phenomenon is a very serious concern of those of us on the receiving end of the Globalist/PRC warfare strategy that is much different from traditional war. The 5GW strategy is based on both the economic front and the subliminal mind, innovating strategies to create chaos and disorder in societies, very much like Cloward and Piven’s “crisis strategy”. On the other hand, the Chinese Communist ideology based on the “Middle Kingdom” mindset aims at a reshaping of the order in the world where the “state” will consistently beat the individual. It’s clear, the CCP, United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO) and individually the World Economic Forum (WEF) espouse the same globalist ideology and intentions of systematically eroding Western societal norms, institutional trust, sowing division in the populace and eventual complete demoralization as stated by (Yuri Bezmanof). The impact of these ideologies has already been a danger worldwide and replaces the existing liberal democratic world- order model on the global power balance.
Looking at Europe and the U.K. specifically, liberal authoritarianism has taken hold in several governments including Canada, France, Ireland, Germany. The mass migrations are really “masked” invasions that have not helped the situation in any affected country. These man-made and created mass-invasions are strategically planned and perpetrated by the United Nations (UN) with the CCP’s assistance. The U.S was on the verge of the same authoritarian shift with the likes of VP Kamala Harris being ‘placed’ on the presidential ballot, despite what democrat voters wanted, and not receiving one vote. Yet, another example is Biden being forced out of the running, you won’t hear displeasure from me, but still American voters put him there.
The extensive media coverage we all saw framing former VP Harris representing one of the largest states, being a far left, pro-LGBT, and either the first Afro-American or Eastern Indian American female to run for the office of President of the United States. Fortunately for America the people did not buy what the media was trying to sell us. Boy did they ever try to convince us. Harris did plenty to unintentionally sabotage her campaign that was plagued from the start. Failure to connect with Americans, her radical Marxist ideas were very apparent and her obedience to the Cultural Marxist (WOKE) ideals were plain unAmerican at best.
As a U.S counterintelligence response to these maneuvers, the reorganizing and alignment of our counter-espionage efforts is of utmost importance, not only as security/defense from espionage tactics, but just as important, likely more, for the absolute safeguarding of our moral Judeo-Christian and democratic-based, values and principles, that are fundamentally paramount to the Republic if we are to exist as such.
From my observations and many hours of research, in the last decade, 5GW has already been at play and has been, for some time. The “Information Domain” or Information Environment (IE) as it is better known in the military space, is where most of this 5G warfare takes place. There’s a constant battle to control information narratives via Print media, TV Media, Social Media, Podcasting etc. Essentially, any physical or digital communication medium is fair game and many are susceptible to enemy/adversary exploitation. In my view, the ultimate skirmish will determine not only world hegemony, but also will determine the state of our “Cognitive reality” and whether the true “will of the people” enshrined in the Constitution & Bill of Rights are permitted to speak and think freely, make informed and sound decisions, by having to continually decipher fact from fiction, disinformation, misinformation and malicious information and any other new category of information that may arise.
The historical patterns of warfare are characterized by a major transition from aggression across the borders to ‘informational’ and ‘economic warfare’, which is easily observable throughout the shift from first to the fifth generation warfare. While the first and the second generations of warfare placed most value on ‘manpower’ and the ‘use of artillery firepower’, ‘direct combat’ was characterized by the first generation and the ‘technological process’ in the second generation (Michael and Boone). The third generation separately appeared as a product of ‘synchronized operations’, where 3rd gen warfare is also primarily defined by the maneuver warfare. This involves using speed and mobility to gain a positional advantage, outmaneuvering the enemy rather than simply trying to overpower them with brute force. The tactical use of speed, stealthness, and surprise to bypass enemy lines and collapse enemy forces from the rear.
With the advent of 4th Generation Warfare (4GW) it is considered an asymmetric process, usually at least one side or combatant is not a traditional military force, and it is often a non-state actor, operating outside the conventional normalcies of warfare. Groups such as Al- Qaeda (AQ) and Islamic State (ISIS), or a bonafide computer hacker group causing damage and chaos. While their targets and outcomes are aligned with ‘a’ state’s position, they are not acting at the state’s direction or on their behalf (at least publicly). Fourth Generation war made the lines and laws of war very blurry. The traditional normal distinction between ‘war and peace’, as well as distinction of combatants and civilians, becomes increasingly less clear to everyone involved. Lastly, 4GW also involves the use of economic, political, social, and information warfare synchronously, or sometimes instead of, pure military tactics.
Today, at the tail-end of 4GW and at the intersection of 5GW, we introduced ‘information technology’ into the mix, which is still evolving today with tons of technology intermeshed into militaries across the world. The US finally adopted a concept (C4ISR) encompassing all the systems and processes used to gather (collect), consolidate, process (interpret), and disseminate battle and intelligence information to effectuate and support decision-making and operational effectiveness, all warriors in the battlespace utilize Blue Force Trackers that are lit on screen. Special Operations Forces (SOF) at least at Tier-1 Special Mission Units (SMU), may be tasked to wear full team trackers coupled with cameras broadcasting real time harnessing highly encrypted video for capturing actions during high value target (HVT) operations. All while visually displaying a common operating picture of the battlespace in real time, and on any digital device (mobile/fixed) for monitoring by Commanders at several levels all the way to the White House ‘Situation Room’. Capabilities such as Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and the many different battlefield sensors at play, have all become essential tools, not only to theater, brigade and company level commanders, but also the warfighters in the field, airborne, or afloat.
The strategic move of the present 5GW concept has increasingly become focused on the ‘human terrain’ sphere. The value of this move is in the ‘perception’ as war planners create subtle manipulations with the targeted country’s subsidiaries (Krishnan).
The purpose of this warfare somehow became to ‘shape perceptions’ rather than use direct military prosecutions through the media, propaganda, and mis/ disinformation. What previously played a major role such as actual physical borders, ports, materiel and resources now has increasingly become no more than symbols on a geographical information system (GIS).
Furthermore, 5GW exploits propaganda and subliminal messaging to destabilize societies by sowing division and chaos. By strategically disseminating misinformation and crafting very persuasive narratives, these methods intentionally manipulate public perception as a whole, and further amplify the many societal fractures pre-existing in our nation.
The usage of the many assorted digital media platforms allows for rapid dissemination and targeted influence, appealing to both conscious and subconscious biases of individuals within our population. The amount of existing social media platforms is enormous and continues to proliferate annually. Mediums such as TikTok pose the greatest risk to our youth as the CCP has direct access to their cognitive realm. There are foreign entities, nation states (CCP/Russia/Iran) to a lesser degree countries like Cuban Intelligence and Israeli Unit 8200, the largest single military unit in the Israel Defense Forces. Other foreign operatives, and our own agencies like NSA and FBI constantly manipulate our cognitive domain especially through Television and Social Media. Consequently, societies become more increasingly polarized as these tactics exacerbate existing tensions, often resulting in a loss of trust in traditional U.S institutions (Khan). We can apply this to current U.S societal views of our government, law enforcement, media outlets, education K-12, universities, colleges among many other institutions infected with the WOKE virus (cultural marxism).
This topic can’t be discussed without speaking of the ‘insider threat’ which has been, and is actively working against the United States government and the people. Honestly, I’m not positive if the overall threat is specifically nation state sponsored or merely multi-nation state sanctioned and supported. In either scenario, there are Americans, belonging to various groups across the country working to successfully overthrow the United States government. Groups such as members of Democratic Socialist of America (DSA), Communist Party USA (CPSUA), Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR),the Muslim Brotherhood and hundreds of other US based groups, coupled with groups like ANTIFA, PSL, SJP, CodePink, Unity of Fields, StopCopCity and thousands of others, which ironically ALL fall within the Democrat paradigm. Many of these groups are in alignment with each other despite differences in their ultimate cause and many support, spread, and espouse the Cultural Marxist ideology that has spread all across the West. It’s heavily infecting American ideology, basic American Principles and institutions. The use of social media and the hate and discontent for the US has been used to meld these groups together for common action.
Much of this media manipulation is accomplished through the fact that former President Obama’s admin had passed legislation directly affecting the use of legal propaganda in the United States. In 2012, they amended or modernized the 1948 Smith-Mund Act taking away restrictions on propaganda use in the United States. This now permits U.S media outlets, especially recently DEFUNDED government controlled (USAID) outlets like NPR, US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Voice of America (VOA), ICIJ, Politico, OCCRP as examples. “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF) revealed that USAID funded 6,200 journalists, 707 non-state media outlets, and 279 media-focused Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in more than 30 countries in 2023.
It’s not the ‘overseas’ propaganda, lies, or manipulation that is of concern to me, as US intelligence services (USIC) and the Department of State (DoS)are required to push out such information to foreign audiences in an effort to shape world views and support certain narratives to ensure the United States is top dog . It’s the simple fact that a lot of this large apparatus was (until recently) focused and directed towards the United States citizenry to oppose DJT or support whatever narrative they wanted. Recent and successful efforts by current sitting U.S President, Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) auditors essentially shut down USAID effectively squashing NPR and PBS funding etc. Millions were given to these organizations to push false narratives, especially about Trump. It’s quite ironic that tax payer dollars were utilized to brainwash the very US citizenry funding our own mental and cognitive demise. I wont discuss here the roles United States Institute for Peace were playing within the whole paradigm of influence campaigns and color revolution in the streets.
My main concern is the several generations of journalists who have attended liberal colleges and universities with anti-American, leftist, cultural Marxist teaching professors, who transfer that ideology to the students. Just as scary are a subset of students who have been recruited during early college years and provided “grants” from Bill Gates for their journalism education, with a solid promise of job placement upon graduation, normally at one of the liberal media outlets.
Gates is right up there with George Soros when it comes to societal manipulation. From my past investigations, I learned that these journalists are developed and handled in a manner, so that once the young college student hits the job market, their world-view and political ideology is no longer unbiased or A-political, but now naturally left leaning, sometimes even radically authoritarian Communist, Marxist and at minimum, Socialist. Many of these young journalists come from the Gates’ camp having received a scholarship or grant.
They are groomed to write and project Globalist, Marxist type world views and proceed to write and publish the types of narratives that support Bill Gates’ or his organizational views, philanthropy projects, and sugar coat experimental vaccine programs in Africa or to provide ‘cover’ articles when a story needs burying (quite often ). Gates is one mere example of the US players of this 5G warfare or battle for control of narratives, that we are currently experiencing here in the U.S and Europe. His overt connections to China and investments should entirely be questioned, given the fact he’s in bed with the enemy that we often call our“Near Peer Competitor”.
.Thus, 5G warfare not only alters the landscape of conflict, but also underscores the necessity for concerted media literacy initiatives to bolster societal resilience against such insidious strategies. For instance the whole Palestine conflict.
EXAMPLE: In May 2025, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) released its ninth list of those killed in the Israel-Hamas war, bringing the total death toll to over 60,000 Palestinians. However, the reliability of these casualty figures has been questioned by various sources. There have been many inconsistencies and omissions which is to be expected in any propaganda war. Hamas’s Government Media Office had published death tolls that cannot be reconciled with the Health Ministry’s data, particularly in their demographic breakdowns. Some analysis suggest the Health Ministry may be significantly understating fatalities among adult males (the demographic most likely to be combatants) while overstating deaths of women and children. There’s some evidence to support that both agencies are both Hamas.
The Health Ministry’s lists do not distinguish between civilians and members of Palestinian armed groups, and Israel has accused Hamas of inflating the percentages of women and children killed for propaganda purposes. In 2023 Gaza reports the Al-Ahil Hospital was hit killing 100-450, mostly children ( of course), by indiscriminate Israeli munitions fire. All the current US media outlets quickly, without question or due diligence grab hold of these intentionally spun reports and continue to blow up headlines with falsities. A little research easily determined that a rocket fired from the designated terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) landed in the hospital back parking lot after its booster fizzled out, it moderately damaged a few vehicles, perhaps killed a few people, injured a few more, but the rocket never came near the actual hospital infrastructure at all, thus negating any possibility of nearly 500 deaths, in that particular instance. In that case, U.S media, the bright ones they are, used Hamas as their reliable source of information when reporting in the U.S. Seems they continue to do so at their choosing.
Of course, corrections were never issued and even if they had, millions of US people already processed and believed this propaganda and intentional misinformation. From day one, as with any war there’s been a campaign to control popular opinion of this conflict, but specifically to discredit the Israeli government and its leadership, accuse them of war crimes, and persuade popular US and world support for the Palestinian & Hamas cause. Actors like Hamas have mastered their information warfare and propaganda skill-set using sympathetic agitators, operatives and legit American demonstrators to make perceptions across the ocean here at home, a reality on the ground, and in the streets of every major US city .
The same thing can be said for the infamous Nisour Square massacre, where 17 Iraqi civilian deaths occurred. Several USG contractors (4) worked for Blackwater, a prime contractor for the USG, now Constellis, due to the backlash, strong demands of the Iraqi government and public outcry the event was highly politicized. They were accused and wrongly convicted, but later pardoned. Initially US Army investigators found the contractors were justified in their actions as they stated they were ambushed and took defensive actions. Due to tainted evidence, a determined Obama admin, propaganda, false narratives, and complicit globalist, left wing owned and controlled media outlets demanding justice. The guys at Blackwater never stood a fair chance. However, several of them were able to tell their full story to America via the Shawn Ryan Show– Vigilance Elite podcast in episode # 11. SRS is one of the few sources of media I personally trust. These days almost all mainstream media (MSM) outlets are just full of it . CBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, BBC etc are all basically propaganda outlets that will surely never be trusted in my lifetime.
The methods of 5GW extend well beyond traditional battlefields, incorporating elements that influence perception and cognitive control, which require the U.S. to adapt its defense strategies accordingly. To remain competitive, the American national security apparatus must prioritize ‘understanding’ and the active ‘countering’ of the Globalist Elite, CCP’s, Russia, and terrorist’ multifaceted influence tactics that span diplomatic, informational, military, political, and economic arenas (Norris). This includes recognizing both China’s and individual designated terror groups like Al Qaeda’s and even ‘Mexican Cartels’ like Sinaloa and CJNG’s innate capability to manipulate the information environment (IE) domain within our own borders. At this point we must recognize China’s strategic initiatives to insinuate economic dependency and control into the global markets.
Taiwan, singularly represents a crucial flashpoint, necessitating astute information power strategies to deter any potential aggression effectively. China’s use of not only, ‘The Three Warfares’ but also ‘Unrestricted Warfare’ doctrines as we see endless waves of assault in spheres of industrial espionage, intellectual property theft, sabotage, chemical warfare (fentanyl crisis), warfare by proxy, political warfare, biological warfare (SARS-CoVid-2), lawfare, subversion to no end, and literally the list goes on and on. It’s much better surmised as ‘Unrestricted Warfare’ doctrine. As it pertains to Al Qaeda, they have fooled our intelligence community (USIC) once again. Hamza, Abdullah and Siad bin Laden are all still alive, Hamza presumed dead by drone strike in 2018, CIA remains steadfast in their assessments to this day that he perished. During this time, with master terror plotter Saif Al Adel they have devised an elaborate, grand attack plan, to avenge his fathers death (UBL) by bringing the battlefield to our front doors at home. They (jihadist) want the ‘battlefield’ to be hosted within our American society, businesses, neighborhoods, schools, and our children’s playgrounds.
Meanwhile they’ve infiltrated our borders with thousands of terrorist operatives currently living among the US populace. This was all accomplished by Hamza seeking shelter and protection in his ‘perceived’ enemies land (Iran), laying low in Iran and ‘playing dead’ for years while CIA analysts took his ‘absence’ as a ‘perceived’ MQ-9 Reaper kill.
Meanwhile AQC has quietly and strategically restructured, building the “Islamic Army of Mahdi” consisting of a large conglomerate of thirty (30+) plus jihadist terror groups, that espouse one jihadi vision, training over 60k jihadist thus far, at over 35 newly established terror training camps, all located within the Afghanistan and the Pakistan region. This region, that we so abruptly, recklessly and negligently abandoned under Joe Biden’s command, has again become a hotbed attracting terrorists from around the world for training. Some of these combatants have been training to attack both the United States and Europe inside abandoned US Tier1 tactical training facilities, according to non-USG intelligence reports.
The October 7th attack on Israel was successful largely because the Hamas perpetrators (despite Sunni/Shia religious differences) were able to train at the camps established in Afghanistan prior to the large assault on Israel killing 1200. They will attack Israel again, likely from all sides and with many more terrorists. Currently their focus is on the AFRICOM region with AQ operating mostly in the background, while the Islamic State and affiliates do most of the dirty work and claim responsibility protecting AQ. And of course it is not widely publicized that in 2023 a report was issued indicating 5000 plus Christian were killed over a 14 year period in Africa, 70 Christians were recently killed in February 2025, 49 killed in March and likely more by ISIS and other Al Qaeda affiliates like Boko Haram. This is their game manipulating perceptions to allow for their continued operational existence.
The goal is total annihilation of Jewish state, Christians, and destruction of the West with establishment of a Western Islamic Caliphate. They are prepared for another strike on the US homeland, something most people ‘believe’ can’t happen again after 09/11, another fatal ‘mis-perception’ intentionally put into place. However, the US has provided the Taliban with over 13 billion dollars total, at 40-80 million per week. This money is broken into four different disbursements, there’s one for Counterterrorism in the Afghan region and is supposed to be used to fight ISIS, yet they are working together and financing operations around the world. Taliban and Al-Qaeda are no longer separate entities; they are now “one” due to the inter-tribal marriages, specifically Hamza marrying the original Taliban founder’s daughter. AQ is running this show and Hamza’s inter-tribal marriage (s) with Taliban and Haqqani Network women have solidified their resolve.
Consequently, fortifying our collective cognitive resilience and fostering strategic alliances are imperative to shielding democratic values and ensuring the sustenance of a liberal world order against authoritarian expansion using communist , cultural Marxist, Islamist and socialist ideologies permeating our lands.
I view the discipline of Counterintelligence as a critical instrument in successfully defending against the type of threat presented by the CCP, Russia and Iran, in particular 5GW. This type of warfare is marked by the ineffectiveness of defining boundaries between war and peacetime, presenting the need for a different kind of strategy, other than merely combating the threat (Michael and Boone). At this point, while the U.S was in multiple theaters of war, the last twenty years (20). The CCP has sat back and studied our military deployment operations, special operations movements, tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) and overall conduct in the prosecution of war. I’ve been suspecting it for years and it was confirmed a few years back by retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Senior Operations Officer, Sam Faddis.
Faddis stated flat out that, “our counterintelligence programs have been an epic failure when it comes to offensive and defensive operations against our adversaries, notably China”. I too have observed our counterintelligence efforts have been somewhat lacking, on multiple fronts. It seems we caught some luck with the intervention of recent Chinese espionage efforts to collect against the U.S. Navy leveraging newer recruited Sailors as foreign agents .
On a different vector, in such a scenario with China, the Republic’s moral and democratic basis would need to be defended alongside its secrets. In such a scenario, where subversion occurs in a perception-based conflict waged against the Republic, after an adversary has successfully penetrated such territory, counterintelligence serves an instrumental purpose in successfully preventing such full infiltration. However, it serves an important purpose in pursuing a moral war and protecting those moral institutions and important elements of the Republic’s democratically controlled structures of authority. Such institutions operate in an equally significant manner alongside our official borders under attack.
5GW uses economic warfare to destabilize societal strength and weaken the economy of a nation through manipulation of its currency and financial market disruptions. Economic factors are essential to ensuring stability and confidence among the populace. Trade restrictions and tariffs imposed by nations can disrupt supply chain importation processes and weaken them, creating an economic dependency that compromises political autonomy. 5G warfare tactics, including data breaches and unlawful acquisition of intellectual capital, can accelerate economic collapse as designed. (Khan).
Taking a quick look at China’s economic warfare tradecraft in Central America. In Honduras, the government made this choice in 2023 after they talked about what Taiwan and China could give them. Honduras asked Taiwan for two billion (2b) dollars to build a hospital and a dam, but Taiwan said no to this. After that, Honduras quickly decided to work with China instead. China responded by visiting Honduras and making agreements to help them. We don’t know yet if the promises will come true, but Honduras’s decision was already made. One would think our State Department would be all over this situation in an effort to persuade Honduras in the other direction.
Central America is a place where China is trying to make sure Taiwan is not seen as a separate country anymore. Since 2017, countries like Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras have decided to say they now recognize China instead of Taiwan. China has promised to help them by investing money, building things, or giving aid. El Salvador did something similar in 2018. They announced they no longer recognized Taiwan. China then promised to build a stadium, a library, and water treatment plants. Some officials in the U.S warned that a new port project in El Salvador might also be used for military purposes (dual use). Now, El Salvador’s economy is more connected with China, and it’s being careful about its foreign relationships. Again, Central America is our backyard and it sure seems our counterintelligence apparatus that is hopefully still operating in the region needs to step up their game like sometime yesterday. We simply can’t have enemy bases lying dormant right down the corridor.
These concepts require extensive understanding to successfully counter China. This understanding is an ‘imperative’ for the continued success of our national security and protection against economic disaster on a global scale.
Changing gears, the utilization of terror as a psychological tool in 5GW serves to fundamentally alter public perception and degrade overall morale. Terror tactics, designed to evoke fear and uncertainty, manipulate the human psyche to destabilize the societal structure and erode trust in governmental and institutional frameworks (Krishnan).
Through methods such as anonymous terror threats and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, 5G warfare seeks to generate a pervasive sense of vulnerability and disorder within targeted populations. This strategic use of terror not only weakens public confidence but also amplifies societal insecurities, contributing to the polarization and fragmentation integral to 5GW tactics. Therefore, understanding the psychological ramifications of terror as an irregular warfare tool in modern conflicts highlights the urgency of developing counter-measures that address both national security and the psychological resilience of our populace.
CHINESE COMMUNIST IDEOLOGY MIX
China’s “Middle Kingdom” worldview is rooted in the belief that it occupies a central position in global civilization, aspiring to reshape the current liberal world order with its own ideological framework. This perspective is deeply embedded in the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy, which views the existing international system as a remnant of Western dominance that hampers China’s rightful place in global leadership (Schurmann) .
This is accomplished by emphasizing stability over individual liberties, China seeks to replace democratic freedoms with a model that prioritizes ‘control’ and harmony as defined by the Party’s doctrines. Surveilling its populace and imposing censorship are integral to this ideological vision, supporting the transition towards a world where the state’s interests supersede personal freedoms. (Schurmann).
This ambition to establish a state-centric world order poses a substantial threat to liberal democracies, potentially realigning global power structures in favor of authoritarian regimes.
In addition, the Chinese Communist ideology’s emphasis on ‘state stability’ and prioritizes the use of surveillance and censorship as mechanisms to control the populace, ensuring compliance with the CCP Party’s ideals. Shurmann stated, “this approach reflects a comprehensive system where electronic surveillance and data analysis using AI models serve to detect and ‘neutralize dissent’, thereby reinforcing the state’s authority” .
In this context, censorship becomes a main tool to curate information that aligns with the Party doctrines while suppressing narratives that undermine state control. The integration of advanced technologies into everyday life allows the government to monitor citizens’ activities, ‘anticipating’ potential threats to societal harmony as defined by the state. (Schurmann) .
Consequently, the ideological emphasis on ‘stability’ over liberty forms the bedrock of China’s ambition to supplant the liberal democratic order, showcasing an alternative governance model that prioritizes collective state interests over individual liberty and freedoms.
It should also be noted that China has occupied our abandoned air base in Afghanistan (Bagram), struck many deals with the reigning Taliban mostly for natural resources and outfitted some of the region (Kabul) with a 90,000 camera, sophisticated and state of the art surveillance and monitoring system. The system is similar to the one currently in use in China. It’s very much what they’d like to accomplish throughout the free world. There’s no doubt, it’s being used nefariously to ensure Sharia compliance in the Taliban dictated land.
Consequently, If the Chinese model supplants the liberal democratic order, profound shifts in international norms and structures should be anticipated. The widespread adoption of a governance system prioritizing ‘state control’ and ‘surveillance’ over individual liberties could redefine human rights standards globally (Schurmann). We can see this model being offered already with the planning, financing, and implementation of the “Smart Cities” concept that is coming to fruition in many parts of the world.
This transition would influence numerous countries to embrace stronger centralized governance models, thereby diminishing the influence of our liberal democratic ideals such as transparency (way more needed everywhere), free speech, and individual personal freedoms. Moreover, the geopolitical balance would tilt in favor of state-centric regimes, potentially marginalizing democracies and altering alliances, trade norms, and conflict resolutions predicated on democratic governance principles. Under such a system, the authoritarian states might gain legitimacy, thereby shifting global political and economic standards towards state interests, ultimately affecting international collaborations and the current global order’s cohesion.
WHERE IS THE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
Counterintelligence holds a strategic and moral imperative in safeguarding national security against foreign intelligence operations, with a particular focus on threats from China and Russia. China’s espionage activities, especially within U.S. cyber domains, substantially challenge U.S. security and economic interests, adept counterintelligence strategies are essential (Olson).
The fact that former FBI Director Christopher Wray, on multiple occasions testified before Congress and made a statement to the effect of, “Chinese hackers have already infiltrated multiple U.S. telecoms, deposited suspected malware, and have gone dormant within the affected systems likely to be re-activated upon escalation of geopolitical tensions”. Another statement was made with respect to U.S. cyber-security “All warning signs are present, the system lights are all blinking and flashing RED.” This makes me wonder how many more unknown systems considered critical infrastructure are already penetrated with similar trojan like tactics.
Counterintelligence involves not only the protection of sensitive proprietary or government classified national security information, but also the maintenance and protection of our nation’s moral integrity by defending democratic values against authoritarian encroachments. Strategies such as running double-agent operations and advanced physical and technical surveillance techniques provide robust defenses against these nefarious acts, allowing for the identification and quick neutralization of such espionage attempts before they ever compromise our critical infrastructures. By fortifying these defensive measures, counterintelligence serves as a formidable barrier to protecting the Republic’s core values against foreign intelligence threats while preserving the integrity of national and international democratic institutions (Olson).
Moreover, counterintelligence should and in a lot of cases actually does, serve a broader function, beyond the protection of classified information, acting as an essential defense of the republic’s moral foundations and democratic values. This aspect of counterintelligence emphasizes the resistance against infiltration and influence operations that threaten the ideological structure sustaining democratic institutions. By resisting efforts from authoritarian states like China, which constantly engage the U.S. in systematic espionage and disinformation campaigns, counterintelligence plays a crucial role in safeguarding not only tangible assets but also intangible ideals . This moral dimension underscores the preservation of values such as transparency, liberty, and human dignity, which are foundational to the republic’s identity as a whole.
Consequently, CI efforts must remain vigilant, steadfast and evermore present and proactive, fostering a robust defense against both insider threats and the external threats posed by all foreign nations, friend or foe, ally, partner or enemy or else the continued erosion of our nation’s ideological commitment to democracy, ultimately will no longer be preserved with the integrity of of our institutions and social fabric becoming frayed.
Furthermore, CI operates on a silent warfront by upholding moral clarity and safeguarding democratic institutions against foreign encroachments. This dimension of counterintelligence transcends the conventional espionage narrative, as it embodies a broader ideological struggle to counteract the subversion of our values by authoritarian regimes like China (Olson).
Through covert and clandestine operations our counterintelligence apparatus consisting of multiple government agencies (18) are no doubt working diligently to disrupt ongoing foreign intelligence entity investigation (FOE) efforts that aim to manipulate our Republic, I’m just not so sure this will or has been good enough. Perhaps the advent of Artificial Intelligence will immediately (if applied correctly) , bolster this effort creating overmatch against our adversaries by preemptively neutralizing threats, AI/CI operations could probably better protect our moral fabric and foundational values critical to the identity of our democratic societies with the correct programming.
Thus, counterintelligence remains essential not just for safeguarding national interests, but also for defending the ideological bastions of freedom and human dignity, which stand at the heart of democratic modeled institutions.
THE U.S. IS VERY MUCH WORTH FIGHTING FOR
The ideological conflict between Western democracies and authoritarian political systems like China is the primary ideological divide in today’s world. On one side, Western democracies defend the individual freedom, transparency and human dignity, while, the opposite side like the CCP representing the state-based supremacy over society which prioritize stability and control over personal freedom and human rights (Schurmann)
The ideological divide between Western democracies and authoritarian ones is more than just theoretical, It defines the geopolitical landscape in the world today and the cultural impact. The divide dictates the alignments in the world and policy choices in countries all across the globe. Authoritarian political systems are presenting new norms of governance that should alter today’s behavior in the world and how countries should develop and secure their interests. Hence, the ideological conflict is not just a reflection of needs presented by today’s development from a security standpoint but a desperate need to defend the core value package that a democratic Republic and democratic countries are constructed around.
Finally, by upholding of Western values by adhering to the Constitution and founding documents, we can continue on with our surrounding freedoms, transparency, and human dignity as they are key to our prosperity despite authoritarian efforts to subvert. Authoritarian regimes are heavily sowing efforts that present the idea of a state-led path that relies on extreme levels of surveillance, like the case of China and parts of Afghanistan. In this sense, while state-controlled models come with critical results, the principles embraced by Western democracies become essential in the ideological war between the two ends of the spectrum. (Khan)
If Westernized societies disregard or abandon the path of our values, this erosion process will bear a heavy toll upon us. This impact will affect not just our coexistence but also our global governance framework and policy with regards to other people’s freedoms. At this stage, the preservation of such values is not only an ideological appeal but a loss of crucial support to a global order that distributes and provides priority to individual goods and transparency of society above all else.
Thus, the consequences of succumbing to China’s state-centric vision could entail the redefinition of human rights and a profound loss of moral leadership globally. As China’s model gains traction, individual liberties may be systematically suppressed, with state surveillance and control supplanting personal freedoms and transparency. This shift would redefine international human rights norms, prioritizing collective state interests over individual rights, thereby diminishing the influence of democratic values that emphasize dignity and freedom. (Michael and Boone)
Moreover, the ascension of an authoritarian model may fundamentally alter global power dynamics, marginalizing democratic ideals and displacing the liberal world order that upholds these principles. As a result, the erosion of moral integrity in governance would challenge the ideological underpinnings of Western democracies, leading to potential instability in international collaborations and the reorientation of global influence towards authoritarian regimes.
CONCLUSION
Fifth Generation Warfare, Chinese Communist Ideological expansion, and robust counterintelligence measures collectively define a complex global stage, critical for securing the United States’ values and overall role. Understanding the nuanced tactics of 5G warfare, which harness psychological and economic tools to create disarray, is pivotal for safeguarding national integrity. Simultaneously, countering the Chinese Communist Ideology’s influence on the world’s political and social landscapes remains a substantial challenge, as it threatens to replace democratic norms with a distinctly authoritarian model prioritizing state control. Counterintelligence emerges as an essential strategy, protecting not only national secrets but also the core democratic ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of thought, transparency, liberty, and especially human dignity. Ultimately, these interconnected struggles underscore the significance of preserving the values and global stature of the United States, as they underpin the broader defense of a democratic world order against rising authoritarian threats.
About the Author
Starting as Army JROTC & Civil Air Patrol Cadet, Jesse has progressed to have completed a stellar 25 year career and background in the DoD defense and intelligence community as a DoD Physical Security Specialist, Anti-Terrorism Officer and Terrorism Liaison Officer. He’s been awarded many times over the years for leadership, performance and merit including helping secure two James S. Cogswell awards (DCSA), Pinkerton Government Services “Service Hero Award” and The Counterterrorism Group’s “Directors Award of Excellence”. Jesse is currently an undergraduate student at AMU pursuing a degree in Intelligence Operations with focus in Latin America. He plans to transfer to the Citadel in Alexandria, Va . He recently completed a three year internship with the Counterterrorism Group, a Paladin 7 Company where he extensively participated in various aspects of CT and CI operations as a CT Analyst, OSINT Analyst, CI Targeting Officer, and Assistant Team lead (ATL) Open Source Intelligence Research & Development (OSINT-RDT). He’s also a student and intermediate level researcher of SOF, Irregular Warfare and conflicts and member of Irregular Warfare Center’s “Global Network” (IWGN) within the Functional Area Networks (FANs) of
The Defense of the Homeland network, The Emerging Technology network, The Operations in the Information Environment (OIE) Network. He has studied at various other institutions including Naval Postgraduate School (CHDS), Louisiana State University, Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU), Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center (DLI-FLC) and Counter-Terrorism Watch among other specialized-skill school-houses. He is a certified Ant-Terrorism Officer II (ATO-II) and Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist (CAS) by DCSA and ATAB. He’s skilled and qualified in many other areas of Homeland Security Operations.
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