By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Communist-run China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is rolling out brain-influencing weapons and advanced psychological warfare in “a major shift in military strategy,” according to a new report obtained by Worthy News. [Download]
The document “Warfare in the Cognitive Age: NeuroStrike and the PLA’s Advanced Psychological Weapons and Tactics” was authored by The CCP Biothreats Initiative (CCP BTI), an influential research group.
China’s “NeuroStrike program signifies a major shift in military strategy, moving from conventional kinetic warfare to techniques that directly affect cognitive functions,” the report warned.
Information about the program was obtained from PLA officers Wang Dan and Zhang Xu, though it wasn’t immediately clear what had been their motivation to share these plans, Worthy News learned.
Citing recent studies by China‘s army, the report suggested that China is augmenting “hard power” weapons with new tactics to help win wars without conventional weapons.
The report cites a 2022 Chinese army report identifying the “five battles of cognition” for advanced psychological warfare operations. The operations will seek to shape future battlefields beyond physical conflicts.
BRAIN TECHNOLOGY
The new arms include biological weapons to induce sleep or sleep-related disturbances in enemy troops to impair cognition and alertness, according to researchers.
Others involve devices directly connecting the brain and external technology to influence cognitive processes and decision-making.
China’s military also seeks brain-controlled weapons to enable precise targeting and manipulation of cognitive functions in enemy troops or leaders, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Additionally, the Chinese army is developing arms controlled directly by a soldier’s thoughts and will seek cognitive manipulation and control of enemies, the report said.
Military devices for cognitive war include anti-sleep glasses and wearable devices that promote wakefulness and alertness.
Electronic arms include “soft-kill radio waves” that use electromagnetic energy for nonlethal attacks, inducing drowsiness or cognitive impairment in adversaries, the report said.
AI USED
“In summary, the PLA’s integration of cutting-edge technologies such as [artificial intelligence] AI, [brain-computer interfaces], and biological weapons into its military arsenal brings significant psychological dimensions to warfare, extending beyond their physical effects,” the report added.
China’s NeuroStrike program “further elaborates on the expanding role of psychological warfare in military operations,” the research group CCP BTI stressed.
It underscores the PLA’s focus on this dimension of warfare, according to investigators. “This program integrates advances in neuroscience and technology to develop weapons capable of impairing cognition, reducing situational awareness, and causing long-term neurological degradation.”
However, the strategic implications of the NeuroStrike program “include a fundamental change in the nature of military engagement.”
It raises “ethical, legal, and strategic concerns,” the report by research group CCP BTI noticed.
The CCP BTI advises the government and private company leaders in the United States and allies “with an emphasis on programs associated with the Chinese Communist Party” (CCP) and its affiliated entities.”
Those “entities” include the PLA, the Ministry of State Security, and the CCP’s “United Front,” which are groups and key individuals influenced or controlled by the Party.
NEW TRAINING
“Military training and preparedness must adapt to address the challenges of technological and psychological warfare,” the CCP BTI wrote in the report.
It recommended that the United States and its allies urgently develop “legal frameworks and ethical standards to respond effectively to NeuroStrike and psychological warfare threats.”
It was also crucial to “Enhance military training programs to integrate physical, technical, and psychological preparedness.”
The report also advised to “Invest in research and development for defensive technologies and strengthen psychological support systems” within the military.
The report was written by four experts with military and intelligence experience at the initiative: L.J. Eads, Ryan Clarke, Xiaoxu Sean Lin, and Robert McCreight, who first coined the term neurostrike to describe an element of brain warfare.
“The CCP’s vision for NeuroStrike encompasses a holistic approach, part of a broader asymmetric warfare strategy aimed at establishing a strategic edge over adversaries,” the authors established; China was “particularly” targeting “the United States and perceived rivals in the Indo-Pacific region, such as Taiwan, Japan, Australia, or India,” the report said.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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