New NATO report on Russian ‘robotrolling’ shows value of small allies

A new report on Russian trolling against NATO shows the important contributions that small frontline allies are making to the alliance, Dr Waller tells Bill Gertz in the Washington Free Beacon. Gertz reports: “‘While we provide the real military might, our smaller frontline allies focus on Russian information operations and psychological ops that we often … Read more

At the Atlantic Council, discussing how to combat Russian disinformation

The Atlantic Council sponsored an innovative and badly needed #DisinfoWeek to pay serious attention to Russian disinformation and how to combat it. The event, featuring speakers and experts from North America and Europe, wound up on Friday, June 30, with an off-the-record discussion about what to do next. Dr. Waller was among the invited participants. … Read more

Our NATO Defence Strategic Communications journal is out (Vol. 2)

The second issue of NATO’s Defence Strategic Communications journal is out, and we’re already having a surprisingly good impact. Published from the fortresslike former Red Army recruitment center that’s now NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga, Latvia, the journal’s big focus is on information warfare pertaining to Russia. Dr Waller is a founding … Read more

Launching NATO’s new strategic communications journal

We just launched NATO’s new Defence Strategic Communications journal, a publication of the alliance’s new STRATCOM Centre of Excellence in Riga, Latvia. Our first editorial board meeting occurred during the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence, with the participation of civilian and military leaders from the entire NATO alliance and interested countries like Finland and … Read more

In front-line NATO states, urging them to exploit Russia’s internal weaknesses

In the face of unprovoked danger from Moscow, NATO’s front-line states should exploit Russia’s internal weaknesses to deter external aggression. Visiting Lithuania as a guest of the foreign ministry, Dr. Waller urged the country’s leaders and its growing online community to be assertive in the face of Russian subversion of their small country. Moscow has … Read more

Lithuania invites Waller to discuss Russian propaganda & subversion

As a collective defense alliance, NATO is made up of members with their own strengths and weaknesses – mostly weaknesses. However, where NATO as an organization is terribly weak – defense against hostile propaganda and subversion – there is one ally that can add value far beyond its small size. That ally is Lithuania. Dr. … Read more

Russia creates too many questions about Polish plane crash

The Russian government’s actions raise too many questions about the April 10 airplane crash that killed many of the most anti-Russian leaders of Poland. My recent conversations with informed Polish sources reveal so many irregularities with how the Russian government handled the crash that nobody should presume that the disaster was accidental until all the … Read more

Delay NATO expansion, but for the right reason

by J Michael Waller, Wall Street Journal Europe, January 10, 1994 Download PDF The former Warsaw Pact states are justifiably pursuing the right goal of full NATO membership, but for the wrong reasons. Similarly, the Clinton administration is taking the correct approach by delaying that goal, but for entirely the wrong reasons. Rather than basing his … Read more