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‘The battle is in the mind’— OSSM, AFP conducts forum on cognitive warfare

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BGEN JOEL M PALOMA PA (3rd from left), Chief of the Office for Strategic Studies and Strategy Management (OSSSM), with the esteemed speakers and reactors in the OSSSM forum. Pictured from L-R: Mr. Georgi Engelbrecht (Senior Analyst from the International Crisis Group), Atty. Neil Simon S. Silva (Legal Officer from the University of the Philippines Law Center), BGEN PALOMA PA, Prof. Renato C. De Castro (Distinguished Full Professor from the De La Salle University), Prof. Victor Andres Manhit (President of the Stratbase ADR Institute), and COL JO-AR A HERRERA (MNSA) PA (Chief of the Psychological Operations Division, OJ7).

February 20, 2025 (CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City) — The Office for Strategic Studies and Strategy Management (OSSSM), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), spearheaded a Policy and Strategic Studies Forum entitled “Forging the Future: Enhancing AFP Resilience and Strategic Integration in Cognitive Warfare” at the Honor Hall, National Defense College of the Philippines, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Professor Victor Andres C. Manhit, President of the Stratbase ADR Institute, was invited as a guest speaker at the forum. He discussed how social media has been a major source of information but also played a key role in the rapid spread of misinformation and fake news. At the end of his talk, he highlighted the essential role of the cyber troops within the AFP in framing and shaping the narrative to combat misinformation and malign influence in the digital space.

*COL HERRERA presenting the conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between the cognitive, affective, physical, and behavioral factors of the Filipinos with regard to the WPS issue.*

COL JO-AR A HERRERA PA (MNSA), Chief of the Psychological Operations Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations (OJ7), was one of the distinguished reactors at the event. As a forerunner of the AFP Communication Plan “MULAT,” he presented a cognitive-behavioral framework to illustrate how people may think, feel, and act with regard to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue. He concluded his presentation with recommendations on how to develop cognitive resilience amidst the ongoing cognitive warfare.