grey dynamics

Made in China: Corporate Espionage in the United States

April 21, 2021

Michael Ellmer

  Chinese subversion, in its various forms, is one of the largest geopolitical threats to the United States in contemporary times. Corporate espionage is a proven method used by the Chinese government in order to conduct an internal soft war against the US and its superior conventional military force and homeland defence.   Despite its connotation with the industrial and digital age, the practice of corporate espionage can be traced back centuries. According to Mara Hvistendahl at Foreign Policy, “From classical Greek…

The Harlem Hellfighters and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

April 20, 2021

Michael Ellmer

    World War I and World War II culminated with entire libraries filled with stories of heroism and achievements earned by prestigious units. The Harlem Hellfighters and 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) are two of those units, although their story to fame is not as conventional as you may think.     World War   In both World War I and World War II, units fought units in Europe with sheer kinetic energy and professional violence at a scale unseen…

The Semmelweis Reflex
: When Ideas Control Governments

April 16, 2021

Iñigo Camilleri De Castanedo

The Semmelweis Reflex is the rejection of assessments which contradict pre-existing beliefs. The bias, applied to political and military decisions, can be referred to as ideological stubbornness.     Semmelweis Reflex & Cognitive Biases   The popularity of how psychology affects politics, conflicts and ‘geopolitics’ rises as information plays a bigger role within society. Cognitive biases, the ‘pitfalls’ and natural behaviour of our brain, play a big role in our polarised society as well as in the past. Nevertheless, biases…

Tradecraft: Structured Analytic Techniques

April 15, 2021

Maria Garcia Ribera

  Structured analytic techniques question intuitive judgements by identifying a wider range of options for analysts to consider. There is no formula to get it always right, but the use of such techniques can reduce the frequency of error by analysts.   These techniques can help analysts check cognitive limitations, avoid some of the known biases and confront the problems associated with unquestioned models. Structured analytic techniques can help individual analysts to work more efficiently, especially at the start of…

Tradecraft: Steganography and Covert Communications

April 14, 2021

Michael Ellmer

      Steganography is a tradecraft method used to conceal messages in plain sight. This article surveys the concept from its historical beginnings, differences from cryptography, methodology, and a case study highlighting its use by the Al Qaeda organization.       Historical Context   Steganography is not an avant-garde tradecraft practice. Within the confines of its contemporary forms, steganographic concealing has advanced in tandem with the technological advancements of the cyber era.     As the tale goes,…

Lady Death: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, History’s Most Deadly Female Sniper

April 13, 2021

Rachele Momi

  “I am proud to wear the uniform of the legendary Red Army. It has been sacrificed by the blood of my comrades, who have fallen in combat with the Fascist. It bears the Order of Lenin, an award for military distinction. I wish you could experience a bombing raid. Honestly, you would immediately forget about the cut of your outfit.” These are the words of Lyudmila Pavlichenko during one of the many interviews questioning her outfit during her tour…