On 9 September 2026, I had the pleasure of presenting our contribution to the new policy study Sovereignty in the Information Environment at its launch at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence in Vienna.
Commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV), the multidisciplinary study examines how states can protect their sovereignty in an information environment shaped by digital transformation, hybrid threats and cognitive warfare. Bringing together philosophy, legal studies, political science and psychology, it addresses questions ranging from digital sovereignty and the legal implications of cognitive warfare to civil liberties, strategic communication and societal resilience.
My chapter, co-authored with James Pamment, is entitled “Governance of the Information Environment: Concrete Measures for Cognitive Security and Cognitive Warfare – The Role of a Ministry of Defence”.
The chapter examines how a Ministry of Defence in a small state can organise, develop capabilities and coordinate with partners to detect, withstand and counter hybrid threats and cognitive warfare. We argue that the Ministry of Defence should not seek to control the information environment. Instead, it can serve as an important analytical, coordinating and enabling actor within a wider whole-of-government and whole-of-society system.
To translate this argument into practice, the chapter introduces several frameworks and tools. These include the Ministry of Defence Hourglass models for connecting monitoring and analysis with tailored dissemination, action and feedback, as well as the “Could–Should–Carry Out” framework for assessing potential measures in terms of feasibility, legality, ethics, authorisation and oversight.
A central conclusion is that legitimacy is not simply a constraint on cognitive security policy; it is itself a strategic asset. Democratic states must be able to defend their information environments without undermining the rights, trust and democratic values they seek to protect.
Many thanks to the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence and the report’s editors, Daniel Hikes-Wurm and Milena Sagawa-Krasny, for bringing together this timely study and for organising an excellent launch event.