Need India-Israel Cognitive Warfare Ecosystem

September 2, 2026

India and Israel should expand cooperation beyond traditional defence and institutional partnership to build an ecosystem of innovation, research and industry around Cognitive Warfare. It argued that artificial intelligence is transforming technology and augmenting the cognitive capabilities of users, reshaping how information, narratives and influence operate in modern conflicts. To tackle conflicts in this new cognitive environment a new ecosystem is necessary–one that brings together governments, industry, academia, startups, and independent research. The past few years have been marked by conflict, uncertainty, and rapid geopolitical change for both Israel and India, and countries experienced rising instances of Information Warfare, Narrative Warfare, Psychological Operations (PsyOps), and Cognitive Warfare. These wars will be fought as much in digital and cognitive spaces as on physical battlefields and they target public perception, strategic communication, and governmental decision-making. The real challenge lies in embracing the Spirit of Acceptance – the willingness to rethink established assumptions, redesign strategies, and build new frameworks that reflect the realities of an AI-driven cognitive environment. Such a spirit can accelerate cooperation beyond traditional security collaboration towards building a new ecosystem of research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business around Cognitive Warfare. Cognitive Warfare Agency (CWA) an independent research initiative to study the evolving intersection of AI, Cognitive Warfare, and strategic communication. CWA aims to advance India–Israel cooperation in cognitive warfare through developing research, frameworks, and collaborative initiatives that help governments, institutions, businesses, and international partners prepare for an increasingly cognitive future. Both countries urged to grab the unique opportunity to develop strategies for Cognitive Warfare as a security imperative, and as an emerging domain of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business.