#139 Austin Branch and Andy Whiskeyman on Phoenix Challenge London

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

Austin Branch and Andy Whiskeyman, both professors of the practice at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), discuss the recent Phoenix Challenge Conference which was held in London from Feb 27th to Mar 3rd 2023. The Conference was meant to bring together: Academia, Industry, and Government. Those three communities are vital to success in the information field.

The first two days were plenary sessions meant to orient the group and ensure common focus for the day three working groups.

The day three working groups were split into three:

1. Industry/Government: creating a forum for dialog and creating shared solutions.
2. Academia: preparation for the Academic Phoenix Challenge. Creating an environment to harness academic excellence in support of common obstacles and opportunities.
3. Government session: Integrated deterrence, Narrative, Assessment.

These were all the initial working groups designed to create the initial conditions for future success. These themes will continue throughout the year. Conference outputs will work to develop solutions, recommendations, etc. for key leaders in Government (in the information field, specifically OIOP (OSD), and for Head MSE (MoD).

Guest Bio: 

Austin Branch is Professor of the Practice at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS).

Andy Whiskeyman is Professor of the Practice at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security; Associate Professor at the College of Information and Cyberspace at National Defense University, and a non-resident fellow at Joint Special Operations University

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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