A new type of conflict is unfolding. State actors are waging a quiet war not for territory, but for the control of perception itself. Ordinary people unknowingly become agents of chaos in this sophisticated form of psychological warfare. Malicious states manipulate, exploit, and weaponize civilians, turning them into assets in a global campaign of cognitive subversion. A novel intelligence discipline is required to understand and counter this threat, one that moves beyond traditional methods to confront the weaponization of the human mind.
The strategy behind this subversion has a name-
PEOPINT, or People Intelligence. First developed as a covert Russian strategy, its methods are now copied across the globe. PEOPINT differs fundamentally from traditional Human Intelligence- HUMINT. An analyst must understand the difference to grasp why PEOPINT is far more dangerous. Hostile powers build extensive, unwitting spy networks by manipulating media narratives, collective memory, and mass behavior. The new training from Treadstone 71 pulls back the curtain on this shadowy practice, revealing its mechanisms and its impact.
The engine of PEOPINT is NARINT, or Narrative Intelligence. Cognitive warfare is waged through narrative-based subversion. Adversaries embed influence operations within seemingly legitimate organizations like NGOs, think tanks, and even academic institutions. These fronts provide a veneer of credibility while serving as conduits for psychological targeting and narrative control. Hostile narratives are carefully crafted to exploit existing social fractures, erode trust in institutions, and steer public opinion toward a state actor’s strategic goals. The result is a population influenced and directed by a hidden hand, a potent force in modern hybrid warfare.
Understanding these concepts in theory is not enough. Effective defense demands knowledge of their real-world application. The training delves into actual case studies of embedded influence operations across Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States. Students will learn concrete detection tactics and countermeasures for identifying this new form of subversion. The course delivers high-impact insight unseen in traditional intelligence courses, equipping professionals with the tools to analyze, anticipate, and ultimately disrupt these dangerous psychological campaigns. For anyone working in intelligence, cybersecurity, journalism, or policy, mastering this subject matter is no longer optional- it is a core requirement for navigating the complexities of the modern threat environment.
