New reporting from Julian E. Barnes at The New York Times underscores a reality Alethea tracks every day: when geopolitical conflict unfolds, the information battlefield ignites as quickly as the physical one.
Following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela, Alethea identified and analyzed a coordinated influence campaign designed to undermine confidence in American defense capabilities. The campaign pushed a narrative urging countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia to stop purchasing U.S. military equipment, reframing the operation not as a demonstration of strength, but as evidence of American unreliability.
Alethea’s analysis revealed how state-aligned media narratives were rapidly amplified across a broader network of aligned websites and digital channels. This swift propagation is a hallmark of modern influence operations, where speed, repetition, and cross-platform reinforcement are used to muddy facts and shape perception before official narratives can take hold.
As Alethea CEO Lisa Kaplan explained in the reporting, these campaigns reflect a long-standing strategic playbook: when outcomes on the battlefield are unfavorable, adversaries shift to the information space. By sowing doubt about U.S. defense suppliers, influence actors aim to weaken alliances, disrupt procurement decisions, and erode trust at a global scale.
This case illustrates the core challenge Alethea was built to address. Influence operations are no longer isolated or reactive phenomena. They are persistent, adaptive, and often designed to be disruptive rather than overtly persuasive. Left unmonitored, they can shape public discourse, policy debates, and commercial outcomes long before organizations realize they are under attack.
Alethea’s AI-powered narrative risk intelligence platform is designed to surface these campaigns early. By combining advanced machine learning with expert analyst tradecraft, Alethea detects emerging narratives, maps amplification networks, and provides context around intent and potential impact. This enables decision-makers to move from reactive crisis response to proactive risk management.
The New York Times reporting highlights why early detection matters. Influence operations targeting defense credibility affect more than just governments. They influence markets, partnerships, and public trust across industries. In an era where information spreads faster than verification, organizations need clear, timely insight into which narratives matter, who is driving them, and how they are evolving.
At Alethea, our mission is to help organizations navigate this complex environment with clarity and confidence. By identifying coordinated information campaigns as they emerge, we empower leaders to protect their people, operations, and reputations before narrative threats escalate into real-world consequences.
In today’s information landscape, strategic advantage depends not just on strength or speed, but on understanding the narratives shaping perception in real time. That is the intelligence gap Alethea exists to close.