Cognitive Warfare and Human Domain: Considerations from François du Cluzel

Abstract

This paper critically examines the evolving concept of cognitive warfare
through the works of François du Cluzel, a former French military officer and project manager at NATO’s Innovation Hub. Drawing on his key pub-lications, the study reconstructs du Cluzel’s central thesis: that emerging forms of non-kinetic conflict increasingly target the human mind as both a battlefield and a strategic objective. The paper situates his thinking within the institutional context of Allied Command Transformation and evalu-ates his conceptualization of cognitive warfare as distinct from – but over-lapping with – information, cyber and psychological warfare. Particular attention is given to his articulation of the “human domain” as a potential sixth domain of operations, the role of neuroscience and neurotechnolo-gies in modern conflict, and the strategic implications of cognitive supe-riority. Beyond assessing the internal coherence of du Cluzel’s framework, the paper interrogates the normative and political dimensions of NATO’s cognitive warfare discourse, including its possible performative function in shaping public opinion and securitizing internal dissent.