What is the Cognitive Warfare Tradecraft Reference?
The Cognitive Warfare Tradecraft Reference (CWTR) is Pillar 3 of the T71 Standard from Treadstone 71 LLC. Version 1.0, released October 5, 2026, names 62 maneuvers in nine families and 107 techniques, backed by 253 graded exemplars and a 321-row DISARM crosswalk. Every entry names the observation that breaks it. A quarterly Tradecraft Report carries every change. The Tier 0 Free Edition is free. The next report publishes January 15, 2027.
The T71 Standard // Pillar 3
Name the maneuver. Grade the evidence.
Intrusion analysts cite a technique identifier and a colleague on another continent knows the meaning. Defenders of the information space never had that. The Cognitive Warfare Tradecraft Reference fixes the names first, then grades the evidence behind every one.
Version 1.0 is live. Released October 5, 2026, with the first quarterly Tradecraft Report. The Tier 0 edition costs nothing.
Bottom Line
What the Reference is, in one screen.
The Reference gives analysts one stable name, one permanent identifier, and one stated test for each influence maneuver an adversary runs. Evidence carries a grade. Adversary claims sit apart from the verified record.
- Who
- Treadstone 71 LLC, a pure-play intelligence consultancy founded in 2002.
- What
- Version 1.0: nine families, 62 maneuvers, 107 techniques, 253 graded exemplars, and a 321-row DISARM crosswalk pinned to DISARM version 1.6.1.
- So what
- Two vendor reports about one operation no longer read as two operations. A defender cites CW-M0002 and the comparison ends there.
- Why now
- Russia opened its campaign against the November 3, 2026 US midterms in September. Propaganda offices now build whole programs inside AI models. Defenders need a shared vocabulary before the next campaign.
- Impacts so far
- The first Tradecraft Report logs developments for Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and a deliberate blank for China. Four maneuvers publish as Provisional on a single graded exemplar.
- Outlook
- The second report lands January 15, 2027, with second graded cases for the four Provisional maneuvers. The third lands April 15, 2027 and completes the 38-actor matrix.
Version 1.0 in Numbers
Get the Free Editions
Read the method. Argue with the names.
Critics who engage the taxonomy in public sharpen it. Each file below is free to share and cite with attribution to Treadstone 71.
Tier 0 Free Edition
All 62 maneuver names and definitions, the full method, and one complete sample entry. Free to share and cite with attribution.
Public Summary, First Tradecraft Report
The inaugural 2026-Q4 issue in brief: Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, and the Manjanegh case of the quarter.
Launch Deck
The Reference in 12 slides: the vocabulary gap, the numbers, the evidence, the DISARM mapping, and the editions.
Commercial reuse: Reproduction for commercial use, resale, or modified versions requires written permission from Treadstone 71. Contact
Structure
Nine families, 62 maneuvers
A family states why the operator acts. A maneuver names the repeatable pattern. A technique shows how the pattern runs in practice. Family membership is metadata, so a maneuver that moves families keeps its number.
Counts sum to 62 maneuvers and 107 techniques. Anchors for the first release: Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean doctrine, plus patterns many actors share.
Method
What every entry carries
Permanent identifiers
A citation written today resolves next year. Reports, tickets, and training material stay valid across versions.
Graded evidence
Each exemplar carries an ASA Evidence Standard grade. Source reliability and information credibility never average.
A falsifier on every entry
The entry names the observation that breaks it. The quarterly report states which falsifiers fired and which held.
Claims kept apart
Adversary claims sit in their own field. Verified record and adversary claim never share a sentence.
Mapped to DISARM
321 crosswalk rows, 56 logged gaps where DISARM holds no literal node. Treadstone 71 analyst judgment sets each fit grade.
The evidence in the record
| Grade | Exemplars | What sits there |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 27 | Reliable source, confirmed by a second independent source |
| A2 | 83 | Reliable source, probably true, including convictions and sanctions designations |
| B1 and B2 | 117 | Usually reliable source, including single-source indictments and platform takedown reports |
| B3 and C3 | 26 | Weaker cases, kept and marked in the entry |
Review status: Internal review is complete. No outside party reviews the numbers before release. Grades follow the ASA Evidence Standard, Public Edition 1.2.
First Tradecraft Report
2026-Q4, inaugural issue
Collection window through September 21, 2026. The Adversary Index composites in force: China 89, Russia 85, North Korea 79, Iran 77. The Q3 refresh moved Iran one point, from 76. The table keeps the verified record apart from attribution.
| Actor | Verified record | Attribution and source class | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | Voice-cloned videos of Hollywood actors spread from September 10, 2026 under CNN branding the network disowned. Actors in the clips told AFP the words were not theirs. Reach stays thin so far. | Researchers, not governments, tie the wave to Matryoshka (Antibot4navalny collective; press report). | Matryoshka volume and target count will likely (55 to <85 percent) rise through November 3. |
| Iran | On September 15, 2026 the UK NCSC, the FBI, and the Netherlands' AIVD exposed CHOSEN BRICK, Windows spyware aimed at dissidents, activists, and journalists. Operators built rapport on WhatsApp and Telegram before sending the file. | Government advisory, primary source. The FBI names Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security. | Stolen victim data will highly likely (85 to <95 percent) keep surfacing on pro-Iranian leak sites. |
| North Korea | A seven-agency advisory of September 18, 2026 counts at least 30,000 devices infected by the WaterPlum fake-interview campaign in more than 100 countries. Japanese police dismantled the country's first domestic laptop farm. | Government advisory, primary source. Japan's National Police Agency and the FBI assess that WaterPlum and some North Korean IT workers operate under the 313 General Bureau. The word "some" stays. | The two programs will likely (55 to <85 percent) keep drawing on a shared personnel pool through 2027. |
| China | No China-anchored cognitive-warfare development in the window met the primary-source bar. | None. | An empty row is a finding, not an omission. |
Case of the quarter: the Manjanegh content factory
In Mashhad, the Islamic Propaganda Office of Khorasan Razavi ran a program its staff named Manjanegh, the Persian word for catapult. An AI company's September 2026 disclosure documents the office repackaging the public reporting of Iran's security services under personas with no visible tie to those services, then paying for placement across more than 100 Iranian channels. A ban removes a seat and leaves the program standing. The pattern will highly likely (85 to <95 percent) outlive the account bans that exposed it.
Sources: UK NCSC release of September 15, 2026 on CHOSEN BRICK. Joint WaterPlum advisory of September 18, 2026, published by the FBI. The AI company's disclosure of September 2026. AFP reporting of September 14 and 15, 2026 on the Matryoshka wave. Read the public summary →
Editions
Four editions, one Reference
| Edition | What it holds | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 0 · Free | All 62 maneuver names and definitions, the full method, one complete sample entry. | Download above |
| Tier 1 · Analyst | Every maneuver at full fifteen-field depth, all 107 techniques, and the full quarterly Tradecraft Report. | Subscriber access |
| Tier 2 · Institutional | Everything in Tier 1, plus the AI-Enabled Influence Production Register, the full DISARM crosswalk with logged gaps, and the 38-actor matrix across the January and April 2027 reports. | Subscriber access |
| Tier 3 · Executive Desk | Everything in Tier 2, plus named-analyst review, a pre-release briefing on each Tradecraft Report, falsifier watch, and counter-playbooks from January 2027. The first facilitated counter-deception exercise runs with the April 15, 2027 report. | Subscriber access |
Paid tiers run $25,000 to $250,000 a year. Current Treadstone 71 subscribers receive the Reference at their existing tier and price. Treadstone 71 grants each subscriber access directly.
Release Calendar
What arrives, and when
| Date | Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| October 5, 2026 | Version 1.0 and the first Tradecraft Report. DISARM crosswalk pinned to version 1.6.1, rechecked September 30, 2026. | Released |
| January 15, 2027 | Second Tradecraft Report. First clusters of the 38-actor matrix. Counter-playbooks begin with the Big Four. Second graded cases for the four Provisional maneuvers. | Scheduled |
| April 15, 2027 | Third Tradecraft Report. Actor matrix complete across all 38 ranked actors. First facilitated counter-deception exercise for Tier 3. | Scheduled |
Dated commitments only. Each date above appears in writing in the edition a subscriber receives. A missed date gets a public correction.
Common Questions
What readers ask about the Reference
What is the Cognitive Warfare Tradecraft Reference?
Pillar 3 of the T71 Standard. Version 1.0, released October 5, 2026, names 62 maneuvers in nine families and 107 techniques beneath them. Each maneuver carries a permanent identifier, a two-sentence definition, graded exemplars, ranked indicators, a falsifier, and a DISARM crosswalk.
What does Provisional mean?
A maneuver without two graded cases publishes only as Provisional, and the entry says so. Four maneuvers carry the mark today: CW-M0026 Fabricated-Poll Injection, CW-M0028 Inevitability Framing, CW-M0030 False-Moderation Positioning, and CW-M0035 Wedge-Issue Baiting. Second cases are scheduled for the Tradecraft Report of January 15, 2027.
How does the Reference grade evidence?
Every exemplar carries a grade under the ASA Evidence Standard, Public Edition 1.2. Source reliability and information credibility get separate marks and never average. Of 253 graded exemplars, 110 carry an A source grade. Weaker cases stay in and carry their marks. Internal review is complete. No outside party reviews the numbers before release.
What is free?
The Tier 0 Free Edition: all 62 maneuver names and definitions, the full method, and one complete sample entry. The public summary of the first Tradecraft Report and the launch deck are free PDFs on the same page.
How do paying subscribers receive the paid editions?
Treadstone 71 grants each subscriber access directly. Current Treadstone 71 subscribers receive the Reference at their existing tier and price. Paid tiers run $25,000 to $250,000 a year. Request access or a briefing through the contact form.
Start with the free edition
Read the names. Then decide with a full entry in hand.
Download Tier 0 today. Ask for a 30-minute walkthrough of one full entry matched to the actors that target your organization. Current subscribers request access to their editions below.
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See all six pillars → · Pillar 1: The Adversary Index → · Train on the Reference: CW-CWTR-301 → · CW-CWTR-302, vetted seats →
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The T71 Standard™, The Adversary Index™, TAI™, Cognitive Warfare Tradecraft Reference™, Cognitive Warfare Tradecraft Report™, Public Attribution Series™, Decision Advantage Standard™, Cognitive Warfare Operating System™, Embedded Cognitive Warfare Officer™, and STEMPLES Plus™ are trademarks of Treadstone 71 LLC.
