DAVE ACOSTA
The Colonel Who Wrote the Book on Deception
Critical Cognitive Infrastructure
Colonel, US Army Reserve; Professor of Practice, Naval Postgraduate School
PhD Student in International Studies, Old Dominion University, researching cognitive warfare and cognitive security
Author of "The Makara of Hizballah: Deception in the 2006 Summer War"
Board Member, Information Professionals Association; Conference Director, APEX 2026
Deployed to Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo; commanded the 303rd Information Operations Battalion
Friday
3:40 PM
Mind Shifts: The Challenge of Cognitive Security
The world is slipping into chaos. Trust is being shattered. Disinformation is rampant. The foundations that once held norms, societies, and institutions together are being eroded by malign and subversive efforts waged against truth. People are increasingly confused, disoriented, and unsure of who or what to believe.
In an era of gray-zone competition among great powers, the human mind has become both a target and a battlefield. Cognitive warfare, foreign influence, artificial intelligence, and the subversion of truth increasingly seek to shape not only what people know, but how individuals, societies, and institutions perceive reality, make decisions, and exercise agency.
This presentation examines these challenges from a holistic security perspective and asks a fundamental question: Are our existing security frameworks adequate for an age in which cognition itself is under attack? Drawing upon international relations, human security, cognitive warfare, and contemporary influence activities, this presentation explores the emerging concept of cognitive security and its importance in protecting individuals, societies, states, and the international order from manipulation and subversion.
Finally, the presentation looks at how the Information Professionals Association (IPA) is approaching this challenge by fostering interdisciplinary education, research, and professional collaboration, including through events such as our upcoming APEX 2026, inaugural educational forum. We endeavor to bring together educators, researchers, practitioners, government, industry, and civil society in collaboration to advance cognitive security and confront one of the defining security challenges of our age.
David Acosta is a U.S. Army Reserve information operations officer, educator, and researcher whose work focuses on operations in the information environment, cognitive warfare, strategic influence, and military deception. He currently serves as a Professor of Practice in Technical Operations in the Information Environment at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is also a Ph.D. student in International Studies at Old Dominion University, where his research examines cognitive warfare, cognitive security, and the adequacy of existing security frameworks for addressing threats to human cognition and decision-making. David previously served tours in Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo, as well as on the Joint Staff and Army Staff. He is also the producer of the Ghost Post, a weekly information operations newsletter. He is a Board Member of the Information Professionals Association and the Conference Director for APEX 2026, an educational forum dedicated to advancing research, education, and professional collaboration in cognitive security. He lives in Norfolk, Virginia.