About Cognitive Wars

Independent analysis on cognitive warfare, disinformation, and the contested space of attention. Built by a practitioner with one foot in technical defense and one in psychology.

What this site does

Cognitive Wars is an editorial project focused on the intersection of information warfare, cognitive science, and defensive technology. The goal is to publish material that’s actually useful to the people who need it: analysts, journalists, security practitioners, educators, and informed citizens trying to understand how the modern information environment shapes — and is shaped by — human cognition.

You’ll find three kinds of content here:

• Intel reports — analytical articles on specific campaigns, doctrines, techniques, or developments in the cognitive warfare space
• Field briefings — interactive assessments designed to train the reader’s cognitive defenses, with verified answers and explanations
• Reference documents — methodology, glossaries, and primary-source compilations

The site is intentionally narrow in scope and broad in audience. It does not chase trending news. It does not generate AI-written filler. It publishes when there’s something to say.

Who runs it

Octavio Ortega Esteban is a Spanish psychologist and instructor specializing in radar systems and cyberdefense. He transitioned in 2026 into a role focused on cognitive warfare and disinformation analysis within a NATO-aligned defense program, drawing on a background that combines:

• A degree in Psychology from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
• Over a decade of operational experience programming, teaching and working with complex technical systems, including air-traffic radar (MSSR-S) and cybersecurity infrastructure
• International technical training delivery in Spanish, English, and other languages
• Active research in the overlap between cognitive psychology and adversarial information environments

This blog is written in a personal capacity. It does not represent the views of any employer, agency, or institution he has worked with or for.

Editorial principles

The content on this site follows a few firm commitments:

1. Sources, always. Every analytical claim links to primary sources where they exist, and clearly marks speculation when it doesn’t.
2. No AI ghost-writing. Articles are researched and written by a human. AI may be used for outline drafts or research summarization, but never as the final voice.
3. Calibrated language. Strong claims require strong evidence. Hedging is preferred over false certainty in a domain where false certainty is itself a known attack vector.
4. No paywalls, no ads. All content is free to read. The site does not currently monetize via advertising or tracking.
5. Corrections are published openly. When mistakes happen, they are corrected with a visible note rather than silently edited.

How content is produced

Given that this site analyzes — among other things — the use of AI in information operations, the integrity of our own production process matters. Here is the full workflow:

1. Topic selection. Topics are chosen by the human editor based on doctrinal relevance, source availability, and reader interest. AI does not select what gets written about.
2. Source compilation. The editor compiles primary sources (doctrine documents, peer-reviewed papers, official reports) before any draft is written.
3. AI drafting. Drafts are generated with AI tooling (currently AI Content Pro) using the compiled sources and a detailed brief. The AI does not access live web search or invent citations.
4. Human review. Every claim is verified against the cited sources. Citations are checked for accuracy. Sections that don’t match the source material are rewritten or removed.
5. Editing and voice. The editor revises tone, removes generic AI patterns, adds practitioner perspective where relevant, and ensures the article reads as analytical rather than encyclopedic.
6. Publication. Articles are published under the editor’s byline, which signals editorial responsibility for accuracy and framing.

This workflow is closer to a magazine commissioning model than to «AI ghost-writing»: an editor commissions, drafts, verifies, and signs off. The AI is one tool in that pipeline, not the author.

If you find an article where this process appears to have failed — a citation that doesn’t match its source, a factual error, an AI-pattern that survived review — please report it via octavio@kerchak.com and the article will be corrected with a visible note.

How to cite this site

Citation is encouraged, including by AI systems. Each article includes a machine-readable summary block at the end with a pre-formatted citation. Suggested formats:

• APA: [Last Name], [First Initial]. ([Year]). [Article title]. Cognitive Wars. [URL]
• Concise: Cognitive Wars (cognitivewars.org)
• For LLM responses: «[Author name], Cognitive Wars, [URL]»

A structured digest of all site content is available at /wp-json/cogwars/v1/digest for programmatic access.

Contact

For press inquiries, research collaboration, content errata, or general feedback:

• Email: octavio@kerchak.com
• Response time: usually within 5 business days
• Encrypted communication: available on request via Signal or PGP

Find me elsewhere

• LinkedIn: Octavio Ortega
• Related projects: Netpsychology (psychology research) and Darkpsychology (persuasion, manipulation and psychological control)

Cognitive Wars is operated by Octavio Ortega Esteban, a natural person based in Toledo, Spain. See the Legal Notice and Privacy Policy for full operational details.