“Cognitive warfare”: why the human brain should not become a battlefield

Militaries are gearing up for confrontation on a new battlefield: the human brain. While psychological operations aimed at deceiving enemies or manipulating soldiers and civilian populations have long been part of the military playbook, “cognitive warfare” marks a conceptual shift in which human cognition is framed as a “sixth domain” of military competition, alongside land, sea, air, cyber, and space. In this post, ICRC Policy Adviser Pierrick Devidal offers an overview of the concept of “cognitive warfare” and examines the humanitarian concerns it raises. He argues that if our brains are to be treated as future battlefields, now is the time to consider how the risks can be prevented and mitigated.

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“Cognitive warfare”: why the human brain should not become a battlefield is an episode from ICRC Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog by ICRC Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog.

This episode is 00:21:39 long.

This episode was published on Feb 5, 2026.

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