01215nas a2200181   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260000900043653002700052653001400079653002800093100002000121700001500141245005700156300001200213490000700225520080100232       2022                            d  c202210ainformation operations10anarrative10astrategic communication1 aSuzanne Waldman1 aSean Havel00aLaunching Narrative into the Information Battlefield  a111-1220 v213 a<p>It has long been understood that competition in the narrative battlefield impacts outcomes on the physical battlefield. The impact of narrative only increases in our era of gray zone narrative warfare conducted via social media. Valid norms constrain democratic militaries from developing forms of narrative competencies that autocratic states have available for use – namely, those involving fictionalization, misattribution, and other forms of deception. To compete in the narrative battlefield, democratic militaries should enhance their capability for disseminating truthful, close-to-real-time, extended stories of military activities with real-world, value-based stakes, crafted using age-old formulas of characterization and plot to appeal to wide as well as targeted audiences.</p>