Disinformation as a Weapon of War: Reflections on the Second Thought Leaders Conference

In a hot or cold war, enemies have a say in defining the nature of the conflict. Experts at the second Thought Leaders Conference argued hostile nations are waging a disinformation war against the United States right now, often targeting critical infrastructure by encouraging hostility, polarization and chaos in the general public. We reflect on the conference with Scott McHugh, program executive at the Institute for Homeland Security and host of the Thought Leaders Conference; Mike Aspland, executive director of the Institute for Homeland Security; and Garreth Tiefenbach, director of the De-Escalation Training Center. Special thanks to IHS Coordinator Shelby Payne for coordinating the conference.