A comprehensive twelve-page report by US researchers has confirmed a concerning aspect of China’s weapon program – weaponizing public opinion in targeted nations.
Titled “Enumerating, Targeting, and Collapsing the Chinese Communist Party’s NeuroStrike Program,” the report reveals that China has developed a novel class of neuro-strike weapons capable of impairing the cognitive abilities of their targets and manipulating their brains.
These neuro-strike weapons can induce neurological issues, reduce awareness, and interfere with the cognitive functions of soldiers engaged in combat.
NeuroStrike, as defined by cognitive warfare expert McCreight, refers to deliberately targeting soldiers’ and civilians’ brains using unique non-kinetic technology to impair cognition, situational awareness, and normal cognitive functions.
The report emphasizes that NeuroStrike and psychological warfare are integral components of China’s asymmetric warfare strategy against the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
These tactics are not merely unconventional capabilities reserved for extreme circumstances but are standard in the Chinese Communist Party’s order of battle.
China’s weaponization of neuroscience goes beyond traditional microwave weapons, now encompassing the utilization of human-computer interfaces to exert control over entire populations and a range of weapons designed to induce cognitive damage.
These weapons can eliminate resistance by instilling fear or cognitive dissonance, thereby inducing inaction.
The report reveals that the Academy of Military Medical Sciences manufactures these weapons, specifically the PLA Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
China’s long-standing strategy of winning wars without direct confrontation aligns with Sun Tzu’s teachings.
Its “No Contact Warfare” strategy introduced in the late 1990s aims to create confusion within an adversary’s command and control system, while the “Three Warfares Strategy” developed in 2014 involves psychological, media, and legal warfare to achieve its objectives.
These tactics revolve around controlling public opinion, psychological offense and defense, engaging in legal battles, and manipulating popular will.
In the South China Sea (SCS), China applied this strategy through a seven-step process, altering ground conditions, employing international arbitration to delay settlements, dismissing arbitration rulings, claiming ownership of disputed territories, launching propaganda campaigns, utilizing media and public diplomacy, and deploying maritime forces to intrude into other countries’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) during the pandemic.
China’s operations mainly target Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, and countries disputing its claims in the nine-dash-line.
The Strategic Support Force (SSF) acts as a superstructure for various Chinese military assets in the Indo-Pacific and serves as the primary deployment platform for new NeuroStrike weapons.
In recent years, the US, France, and India have conducted studies on Chinese influence operations, indicating that they have evolved into cognitive warfare.
This warfare integrates information, cyber, and psychological domains to manipulate target populations’ perceptions and actions.
China’s operations involve extensive activities to manipulate state and local leaders in the US, aggressive influence operations in France, and subtle attempts to infiltrate Indian society.
The CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) leads global influence operations through front organizations, with other PRC government agencies also involved.
