If you have been following this blog at all you may have noticed a rather steep decline in posts over the last 5 months or so. Truth be told, like all of us, quite a few things have been competing for my time and I have not been able to put in what it takes around here to produce quality content. Be it kids, work, or projects at the house, I have simply not had much time to dedicate to writing. Honestly, when I was producing more content, it was at the expense of other responsibilities and projects around the house that required some catching up the last few months. All of this has led me to a bit of soul searching to try and regather what I think my purpose is here at The Cognitive Warrior Project. To do that, I figured I would share some of my thoughts on what we are trying to accomplish (a little self-reflection and motivation) and what I see for the future of this site. Unfortunately, it appears my ambition had exceeded my ability and I feel like I need to redefine what ‘we’ are trying to do here at The Cognitive Warrior Project. To best do that, I think we need to go back to the beginning for perspective to define the project.
What is The Cognitive Warrior Project?
For those of you that do not know, I am contractor whose primary job is working in the Marine Special Operations Assessment and Selection program. I have dedicated more than ten years to this and believe that our work at assessment and selection directly impacts the future of the Corps and it’s place in Special Operations. I have sought to help shape the fighting force in a way that makes it more competent and educated by providing access to information that pushes boundaries. All in an effort to expose our candidates and staff to concepts and ideas they may have never considered. At the same time, attempting to find the most capable individuals for Special Operations assignments. It is from this perspective that when I was introduced to the initial Cognitive Raider Symposium in the summer of 2019, which itself was a byproduct of the MARSOF 2030 Vision, that the Cognitive Warrior Project was born.
(Obligatory, disclaimer: The Cognitive Warrior Project is a private media site, and it is not affiliated in any way with Special Operation Forces the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. None of U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, DoD or Space Force have endorsed, supported, directed, or participated in the creation of the content at this site, or in the creation of the site itself. It’s just a media site that happens to cover the U.S Military, DoD and other National Intelligence Assets.)
As I watched the Cognitive Raider roll-out, I could not help but think to achieve the MARSOF 2030 goal of a more “capable and intellectual special operations operator,” it would require near daily engagement with various texts and information which were both diverse and easily digestible. This is not said as a criticism of what they are doing; on the contrary, I believe they are putting together fantastic content, but an acknowledgement that more will need to be done to meet that mission. Originally, I wrote this on The Cognitive Warrior Site as our Mission Statement:
The Cognitive Warrior Project is dedicated to the continuing education for war fighters by embracing the adaptation required for tomorrow’s battlefield. We seek to promote discussions that bridge the gap between policy maker and practitioner. The Cognitive Warrior Project’s Mission is not limited to making a better war fighter alone, but a more educated public ready to support our troops beyond slogans and stickers.
In an attempt to achieve this lofty goal, I described why I created this site as such:
The Cognitive Warrior Project exists to aid in developing a more mentally agile war fighter in accordance with the MARSOF 2030 vision. We seek to broaden the base of knowledge in hybrid and information warfare as a tool while leveraging small footprint solutions to various world problems. To accomplish these goals, Special Operations Warriors need to be well versed in trans-regional and multi-domain actions. The increased complexity of the operating environment is going to require continuous study and a broader familiarity with world events which can only be accomplished by exposure to current trends and an in depth understanding of issues beyond tactics. The concept of the Cognitive Warrior Project is to develop an individual, who can not only physically outperform the enemy, but possess the mental agility to outsmart them as well.
The Cognitive Warrior Project seeks to aggregate world events, current trends and open-source intelligence in a format which is easily consumed and accessed at any time. We will also include original content, exposé s and book reviews where the concepts and ideas of the book can be discussed to further develop understanding. There are many sources of great and valuable information out there, but the volume of information is overwhelming. We seek to condense available information into a more consumable format with links to the sources for further understanding. We believe this Project could aid in meeting the 2030 vision of a Cognitive Warrior. We know there are many sources available and are proud you have chosen The Cognitive Warrior Project as one of your sources for information.
After a little over a year, do I still believe in our mission and how have I actually done? Well, the results have been a bit mixed. There is no question I am still a believer…. but, as it turns out, writing is hard. Much harder and more time consuming than I ever imagined it would be. I have continually sought to simplify our content in an attempt to put information in front of you without having to neglect my work, parental and husband type duties and I have not done as well as I thought I could.
Am I really the Lead Writer and Editor of The Cognitive Warrior Project?
Well technically, this is 100% true! The prestigious title of lead writer and editor of The Cognitive Warrior Project belongs to me and me alone, but you should also be aware that I work for myself and lead no one. You can make your own judgements on my editing abilities.
The Cognitive Warrior Project is a non-profit, not in the 501c3 organization way, but in the, we actually generate no income way. This site costs me a little over $12 a month with a few additional associated subscriptions to media sites that I use for content to run. In truth, I lead no one other than myself with this project (with a little part-time help from friends). I do however, care deeply about the future of our force and only want to see it further develop and continue to be the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen! This is not a plea for donations or anything else, but more of an admission to what this site really is. I tried the ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ concept to portray legitimacy but that simply is not the case. This is just one dude’s blog.
What does the future look like for The Cognitive Warrior Project?
For now, the site will not change much (although I am open to suggestions) and the content will primarily be updates on the sidebar in the ‘What Others are Saying’ section where I link to content by others…sort of a Drudge Report for the military. It takes almost an hour to sift through the headlines to consolidate the content which is about all the time I can dedicate to this project. In the meantime, I will continue to try and create new content when I have opportunities to do so. In addition, I may put out periodic calls for others who wish to publish an article or two, but do not want to go through the rigors of publishing on other more established sites. My standards are not that high…
In many ways, publicly acknowledging our own limitations is tough and a little embarrassing, but ultimately necessary if this project will ever go beyond anything more than its current form. I would love The Cognitive Warrior Project to become a full-time job, but I don’t really see it happening in the near future. This whole experience has been a bit humbling as my ambition has defiantly exceeded my ability. I believe the majority of the articles we have managed to produce are worth your time and contribute to our overall discussion with the goal of meeting the 2030 Vision. However, the time it requires to produce them is just not there for me. Does this post really mean much in grand scope of the interwebz or will it change what this site is attempting to accomplish anyway? Not really. But I do want to put this out so there is no misunderstanding of what The Cognitive Warrior Project really is…just a blog from some random former action guy!