NATO Allies have a plan to win, before war starts

More than three dozen NATO information operations specialists recently met to expand their knowledge and capabilities together with the U.S. Marine Corps June 11 – 19, 2026.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa hosted the annual Information Warfare Exercise in Stuttgart, Germany, which included participants from Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Additional participants included, U.S. European Command, II Marine Expeditionary Forces Information Group, and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. The exercise was developed with support from the Marine Corps Information Operations Center who is responsible for conducting various IWX iterations throughout the globe. The exercise included a two-day IO exchange of briefs followed by a week of operational planning and wargame.

The theme of the exercise was focused on understanding emerging hybrid threats that have become increasingly sophisticated with the global proliferation of sensors, data, computing power, artificial intelligence, and increased connectivity. The exercise was designed to improve understanding among allies regarding IO capabilities, authorities, permissions and coordination requirements, as well as a practical understanding of how these factors can be integrated to generate combined effects.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, Commander, MARFOREUR/AF expressed that emboldened adversaries have made the High North increasingly important to U.S. homeland defense. Speaking to participants he emphasized that “our goal [is] to develop exploitable advantages and desired effects as a Joint and Combined Force.”

Information Warfighting Exercise 26 was an opportunity to do just that.

“Countering, and when necessary, defeating the enemy in this battlespace will depend heavily upon information superiority and control of networks,” explained U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Melissa Giannetto, an information operations officer at MARFOREUR/AF. “To compete, counter adversaries in the information environment and fight effectively in this rapidly changing arena, our concepts, capabilities, formations, training and doctrine must continue to evolve, adapting and leveraging the way information connects and converges for effect.

Giannetto explained that much of the exercise was aimed at refining cognitive warfare concepts and improving the synchronization of information activities that will enhance NATO’s capacity to compete in the information environment during peace and conflict.

“Cognitive warfare does not only affect the warfighter but affects cognitive and societal resilience of the civilian populations and governments during peace time and conflict,” Giannetto said. “IWX participants must consider civil-military cooperation as a means to address the challenges of hybrid threats and boost civilian resilience against disinformation.”

During IWX 26, participants discussed and developed a combined plan to effectively generate, preserve, deny and project information to gain competitive and combat power advantages during the initial phases of conflict in an exercise scenario. Planning focused on the development and wargaming of information effects that set conditions for the effective arrival and integration of NATO forces to a combat theater. The second half of the exercise then focused on testing these plans in a wargame arena, challenging the teams’ ability to integrate lethal and non-lethal effects in support of combined naval, air, and ground maneuver.

Participants expressed that they are now better postured to conduct multi-domain operations and maximize effects in the targeting process.

Norwegian Army Lt. Col Magne Rambø, Information Operations Planner with the Norwegian Army Staff said he felt IWX provided a highly practical introduction to information operations and demonstrated the value of developing a common planning language among Allies.

“The greatest value was gaining a clearer understanding of how intelligence, electronic warfare, cyber, space and communication capabilities must be orchestrated as part of one coherent plan,” Rambø said. “I left IWX with a stronger methodology, a valuable professional network, and a much better foundation for contributing to information operations in the Norwegian Army.”

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Adam Fuller, MARFOREUR/AF Operations in the Information Environment branch head emphasized the importance of this IWX by noting that, “we operate in an environment where technology and tactics adapt in real time. Because of this, the sharing of knowledge and building trust with our allies is more critical than ever. The lessons learned [and] relationships developed will serve to ensure we are postured to prevail in competition, that our allies are increasingly self-reliant, and that we are able protect the NATO Alliance and U.S. homeland through a network of integrated, combat-credible partnerships.”