StratCom Podcast

#StratComPodcast/S8E3: AI and the New Age of Information Warfare (with Roberta Duffield)

In this episode, we’re joined by Roberta Duffield, Director of Strategic Communications at Blackbird.AI, a leading tech company at the forefront of combating information threats. Blackbird.AI specializes in detecting and analyzing online information manipulation using cutting-edge artificial intelligence. The company supports governments, institutions, and enterprises in navigating the complex threat landscape of disinformation, influence operations, and emerging information warfare tactics. With a background in international security, strategic communications, and disinformation analysis, Roberta brings deep expertise in understanding how narratives are shaped—and weaponized—on the global stage.

In this conversation, Roberta explores the evolving landscape of information warfare, including how malign actors manipulate perceptions to achieve political, economic, or ideological objectives. She dives into the use of AI by hostile actors to scale influence operations, seed distrust, and polarize societies. The episode also highlights critical future scenarios that policymakers and communicators must anticipate—and act on—before they unfold.

Whether you're a strategist, policymaker, researcher, or simply curious about how information is shaping our world, this episode is a must-listen for understanding today’s digital battlespace.

#StratComPodcast/S8E2: The Role of #StratCom in Ukraine's Defense (with Liudmyla Dolhonovska)

In this episode of the #StratComPodcast, Liudmyla Dolhonovska, former Advisor on Strategic Communications to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, delivers a wealth of insights gleaned from her tenure. She underscores the pivotal role of strategic communications in fostering public trust in the military, particularly during the critical early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Dolhonovska emphasizes the necessity of transparent, timely information dissemination to uphold societal cohesion and sustain support for the armed forces. She reflects on the challenges of maintaining accurate narratives amidst the fog of war, highlighting the need for adaptability and resilience in communication strategies. Her experiences provide a profound understanding of how strategic communication can fortify public confidence and contribute to a nation's resilience in times of crisis.

Liudmyla Dolhonovska is a distinguished communication specialist, holding a PhD in Philosophy from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master's degree in History from Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University. From July 2021 to March 2023, she served as the strategic communications advisor to General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

During her service, Dolhonovska played a crucial role in ensuring the public remained informed during pivotal moments, including the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. On the invasion’s first day, her social media updates reached over seven million people, providing critical and timely information about the attacks.

Currently, Dolhonovska serves as Chief of Staff at American University Kyiv (AUK), a partner institution of Arizona State University, where she focuses on advancing world-class educational opportunities in Ukraine.

#StratComPodcast/S8E1: Lessons from Estonia's counter-intelligence efforts (with Arnold Sinisalu)

Estonia's geographical proximity to Russia, coupled with the shared historical burden of all Baltic states under their imperialistic neighbor, necessitates considerable investment in countering Russian intelligence activities. Furthermore, recent geopolitical shifts have intensified malign activities from other nations too, notably China. Since 2008, Estonia has maintained a resolute stance on prosecuting individuals involved in espionage, resulting in nearly 30 arrests and convictions annually. These cases have encompassed operations linked to Russian intelligence services and, more recently, Chinese intelligence networks.

In this episode of #StratComPodcast, we are privileged to host Arnold Sinisalu, the former Chief of the Estonian Internal Security Service. Mr Sinisalu began his career with the service in 1993 and ascended to the position of Chief in 2013. Over his three decades of service, he played a crucial role in fortifying Estonia's security and shaping its counter-intelligence strategy.

In this captivating discussion, Mr Sinisalu delves into the inner workings of intelligence services, shedding light on Estonia's success in countering Russian intelligence operations - ranging from physical information gathering to attempts at fostering corruption, extremism, and terrorism within Estonia and the broader Baltic region. He also offers insights into the tactics, motivations, and sequences of events that underpin Russian recruitment efforts within targeted countries, culminating in the prosecution of individuals involved. Drawing on his decade of leadership, Mr. Sinisalu provides a compelling analysis of Russian influence operations and exposes vulnerabilities not only in the Baltics but across NATO.

#StratComPodcast/S7E3: Shaping stability: NATO in a decade of uncertainty (with Oana Lungescu)

In this episode of #StratComPodcast, we sit down with Oana Lungescu, a distinguished journalist and communications expert whose career has inspired many communicators. Born in Bucharest, Romania, Oana began her career at the BBC's Romanian Service in 1985, eventually becoming its Editor. In 1997, she transitioned to the BBC World Service as a European Affairs Correspondent, reporting extensively on EU and NATO developments from Brussels and Berlin.

In 2010, Oana broke new ground by becoming NATO's first female Spokesperson, as well as the first journalist and the first individual from the former Eastern Bloc to hold the position. Over her 13-year tenure, she provided strategic communication guidance to two NATO Secretaries General—Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Jens Stoltenberg—and directed the Alliance's messaging during critical events, including Russia's annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her innovative approach included the unprecedented declassification of intelligence to counter disinformation, a strategy that has been instrumental in shaping public perception and policy.

In this episode, Oana Lungescu offers an eloquent and insightful exploration of NATO’s pivotal role in shaping global politics. She reflects on the annexation of Crimea as a defining moment that shattered the aspirations of democratic nations to build a lasting peace with Russia. According to Oana, this event marked the end of an era of optimism and ushered in what she describes as "a period of adaptation," where NATO was compelled to transform in profound ways—not just to keep pace with the rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, but to actively steer those changes in favor of democratic societies. Her reflections provide a nuanced perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing NATO as it fulfills its mission in an increasingly complex world.

#StratComPodcast/S7E2: Russia's information war: tactics and narratives (with Graham Brookie)

The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) published its first report in 2016, which was an open-source analysis of Russian military operations in Eastern Ukraine. Using then-basic open-source analytical tools, the DFRLab was able to prove that, contrary to the Kremlin’s claims that no official Russian military forces were present in Ukraine, Russian troops were indeed operating on Ukrainian soil under the command of Russian authorities. Since that initial report, DFRLab has continued to monitor Russian activities in the information space, helping to detect and understand Russia’s evolving narratives and revealing how these narratives are adapted to fit new tactics used by Russia to manipulate information both domestically and internationally.

In this episode of #StratComPodcast, Graham Brookie, Vice President for Technology Programs and Strategy at the Atlantic Council and Senior Director of DFRLab, discusses one of the Kremlin’s primary platforms for reaching its audiences: Telegram. He explores Telegram’s role in the information conflict in Ukraine, explaining the factors that have made it a fertile ground for state and non-state actors—often with malicious intent—to disseminate their narratives to vast audiences. Graham also delves into the consequences of this platform's use during times of war.

#StratComPodcast/S7E1: How to ensure that NATO is seen and heard? (with Marie-Doha Besancenot)

September 2024 marks one year since Ms Marie-Doha Besancenot joined NATO as an Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy. Having a background formed in both public and private sectors, Ms Besancenot has joined the Alliance in one of the most visible roles and since her appointment, she has been deeply engaged with the defence and strategic communications communities, tackling complex issues at the intersection of diplomacy, security, and public engagement. In a recent LinkedIn post, Ms Besancenot candidly reflected on the persistent challenges that occupy her thoughts, including the effectiveness of NATO’s public diplomacy efforts, audience engagement, and delivery of key messages. These concerns underscore the evolving nature of communication in a fast-changing geopolitical landscape.

In the latest episode of the #StratComPodcast, Ms. Besancenot delved into the current state of the Alliance, discussing its preparedness to confront threats within the information environment, the resilience of its global partnerships, and the shared objectives that will shape NATO’s trajectory in the coming years.

#StratComPodcast/S6E3: The new age of human connectivity (with John Kelly)

Cyber social space has profoundly transformed human connectivity, shaping the way we interact and engage with one another. Understanding the intricacies of a particular cyber social terrain undoubtedly holds immense value for all parties involved.
In Episode 3 of Season 6, #StratComPodcast host Tomass Pildegovičs meets with John Kelly, CEO of Graphika, a company that, as they say themselves, leverages AI to reveal and study online communities. analyze how online social networks form, evolve, and are manipulated. This episode reveals exciting views on online communications and how new technology shapes connections between humans, as well as unpacks patterns of the spread of disinformation.

#StratComPodcast/S6E2: Fight for democracy in Belarus: the current state (with Valery Kavaleuski)

The fight for democracy in Belarus, spearheaded by figures like Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has been a resilient struggle against authoritarianism and electoral injustice. Following the contested 2020 presidential elections, Tikhanouskaya emerged as a prominent symbol of resistance against the entrenched regime of Alexander Lukashenko and, even though forced to live in exile in Lithuania, Tsikhanouskaya has established an oppositional government, Coordination Council in 2020 and the United Transitional Cabinet in 2022. While the world is facing multiple security challenges one after another, Belarus's opposition is still fighting for democracy. During this episode of the #StratComPodcast, Tomass Pildegovičs had an interesting and insightful conversation with Valery Kavaleusky, Representative for Foreign Affairs of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus who shed light on current developments in Belarus.

#StratComPodcast/S6E1: Dual Face of AI: Navigating Threats and Opportunities (with Dr. Gundars Bergmanis-Korāts)

In the contemporary information landscape riddled with digital disinformation, the duality of AI becomes increasingly evident as it offers both menacing threats and promising opportunities. AI-driven technologies, with their capacity to generate convincing synthetic content and automate the dissemination of falsehoods, heighten the challenge of discerning truth from deception. Paradoxically, AI also emerges as a potential antidote to the disinformation epidemic, with its ability to develop advanced tools for detecting and mitigating misinformation. Navigating this intricate terrain demands a nuanced approach, balancing the need for AI-powered defenses against the imperative of safeguarding ethical information dissemination in the digital age.

In this episode of the #StratComPodcast, Dr. Gundars Bergmanis-Korāts, the Principal Scientist of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence shares his insights on the dual nature of AI emphasizing the crucial need to address both positive and negative implications of AI to ensure that it doesn't exacerbate the disinformation problem while also leveraging its potential to safeguard the integrity of digital information.

#StratComPodcast/S5E4: War behind the scenes: fate of Ukrainian children (with Maryna Vorotyntseva)

In 2023 the Center for Countering Disinformation (Ukraine) released an analytical research "Forceful deportation and kidnapping of Ukrainian children" which provided an analysis of the information space and identified hostile information influence campaigns regarding the deportation of Ukrainian children and/or attempts of discrediting Ukraine in this area. This research highlights Kremlin attempts to demonize Armed Forces of Ukraine, discredit Ukrainian government and justify making Ukrainian children a military trophy. Hiding under massive disinformation campaigns and absurd "rescue missions" Russian Federation agents have taken more than nineteen thousand children away from Ukraine since 18 February 2022 (as reported by the Regional Center for Human Rights in Ukraine).
In this #StratComPodcast episode Tomass Pildegovičs sat down with Maryna Vorotyntseva, Adviser to the Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to discuss findings of this research and get Ukrainian perspective on atrocities Russia has been relentlessly conducting on Ukraine's soil.

 

Discussed research available here: https://shorturl.at/djqJ3