Download or read book Russian Strategic Communications and Implications for NATO written by Jason T. Bridges and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Recent events in Eastern Europe have raised serious concerns over the security situation on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) eastern flank. Russia’s activities which shaped and enabled a successful annexation of Crimea with barely a shot being fired in 2014 were actually quite remarkable and forced NATO, and certainly non-NATO members in the region, to take notice. Russian influence activities should be regarded as a primary threat to the peace, security, and stability of Eastern European nations as these activities seek to manipulate information in a manner that distorts facts and confuses audiences, which then leads to decisions and actions taken that are often not rational; NATO’s strategic communication (StratCom) should be seen as a comprehensive tool for meeting this security challenge and shaping a future security environment. Enhanced capabilities within the areas of social sciences to define and assess target audiences and promulgate messaging through media outlets, as well as enhanced development of the StratCom Center of Excellence (StratCom CoE) are critical to NATO’s StratCom campaign as it seeks to leverage soft power on the European continent and further afield. This paper asks what are the implications for NATO’s StratCom given Russia’s current actions with regards to influence activities in former Soviet Republics? Influence activities that make use of social sciences to identify and assess target audiences for multiple media outlet messaging is a facet of the hybrid tactics Russia uses to shape environments, and must be given high importance for NATO’s success in the battle of the narratives. If NATO wants to “keep the moral high ground” through a strategic communication policy that is open and transparent, then additional personnel with extensive backgrounds in psychology, sociology, and anthropology are important elements. In the battle for the narratives, it is far more important to understand how people think, versus what they think. In understanding the how, we can influence the what"--Abstract.