3-Day Instructor-Led Programme
A practitioner programme covering the detection, analysis, and countering of state-sponsored cognitive warfare, coordinated influence operations, and synthetic media campaigns targeting organisations and institutions. Develop the skills to monitor for targeted disinformation, detect deepfake social engineering in real time, design rapid-response counter-narrative workflows, and build a cognitive warfare resilience programme.
Duration
3 Days
Price
$3,695
Cognitive warfare has become as strategically significant as technical cyber operations for many organisations. Close to half of all global elections between 2023 and 2024 were influenced by AI-driven disinformation campaigns. Nation-states are deploying synthetic media, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, and psychological operations not only to shift public opinion at scale, but to manipulate specific decision-makers, erode institutional trust, and undermine organisational cohesion from within.
Over three mentor-led days, participants examine the operational doctrine behind cognitive warfare from Russia, China, and Iran, develop deepfake detection skills using multimodal forensic analysis tools, build OSINT monitoring capabilities for early warning of disinformation campaigns, design rapid-response counter-narrative workflows, and learn to protect decision-makers and staff from sophisticated manipulation targeting.
The programme concludes with a timed counter-disinformation capstone: participants detect an active synthetic media campaign, verify its origins using OSINT techniques, develop a counter-narrative response, and brief a simulated executive team within a defined response window. This course is aligned with NATO cognitive warfare doctrine, NCSC disinformation guidance, and UK government strategic communications best practice.
Deepfake detection practical using multimodal forensic tools, OSINT monitoring platform exercises, social media campaign network graph analysis, and a timed counter-disinformation capstone exercise.
Practitioner-led analysis of Russian information operations playbooks, Chinese strategic narrative management, and Iranian hacktivist amplification networks, with live 2025-2026 campaign examples throughout.
Cognitive warfare doctrine knowledge, deepfake detection skills, OSINT monitoring capability, rapid-response counter-narrative design, and executive briefing under active disinformation pressure.
Identify and counter influence operations targeting your organisation or sector using OSINT monitoring methodologies.
Detect deepfake audio and video using multimodal forensic analysis and specialist detection tooling.
Design a cognitive warfare resilience programme tailored to your organisation's communications threat profile.
Monitor dark web and social media platforms for early indicators of targeted disinformation campaigns.
Produce a counter-narrative strategy for an active influence operation within a defined response window.
Protect specific organisational decision-makers from synthetic media manipulation and psychological operations.
Brief executive stakeholders on a live disinformation campaign with response recommendations under pressure.
Professional experience in communications, government, security, intelligence analysis, or policy roles.
Basic familiarity with social media platforms and digital communications in a professional organisational context.
No prior knowledge of cognitive warfare doctrine or disinformation operations is required.
Step-by-step learning journey from basics to professional practice
Master these in-demand skills through hands-on practice
A clear view of the roles this programme supports, what typically comes next, and where learners progress over time
Choose the learning format that works best for you and your team
Instructor-Led Training
Join live instructor-led sessions from anywhere. Interactive, engaging, and flexible.
Price per person
Group enrolments and early planning options available.
All prices are exclusive of VAT where applicable. Group enrolments and custom packages available on request.
Not everyone learns best in a group. If you want focused guidance, faster clarity, and confidence you can use on the job, our 1-to-1 Fast-Track Training gives you private, mentor-led support tailored to your experience and goals.
"Many learners choose 1-to-1 when they want understanding, not memorisation."
Everything you need to know about the certification exams
You will receive an Xcademia certificate of completion based on participation and successful completion of labs and scenario simulations.
Credential
On successful completion of Cognitive Warfare and Information Operations Defence, learners receive an Xcademia Certificate of Completion. This standalone certificate is issued directly by Xcademia and is aligned with globally recognised frameworks and best practices.
Everything you need to know about this course
Communications teams, government press offices, intelligence analysts, social media managers, and policy leads who need to understand, detect, and counter cognitive warfare and state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.
Take the next step in your professional development
