Capability Platform

The Capability Platform is a tool that helps you and your organisation to develop your psychological defence capabilities. It consists of three elements – Prevent, Manage and Develop. Together, they provide a comprehensive understanding of how to strengthen preparedness and ability to act when faced with malign information influence

1. Prevent

Prepare and reduce vulnerability to malign information influence. Learn to identify risks, prepare communication and create a coordinated internal approach.

2. Manage

Act effectively when malign information influence is taking place. Detect, analyse and manage the situation through coordination and strategic communication.

3. Develop

Make use of the knowledge that the organisation has gathered, and develop it. Hold training and exercises to reinforce the organisation.

Introduction to the Capability Platform

Malign information influence is a security threat whereby foreign powers exploit society’s vulnerabilities with disinformation and propaganda. Public-sector actors have an important role to play in strengthening resilience. The Capabilities Portal helps your organisation to assess and develop its psychological defence capabilities.

This is the Capability Platform

Each element contains knowledge-enhancing materials in different stages. The stages include relevant texts, links and moving content, helping you to gain an understanding and build capabilities in different areas. Some stages may be more relevant for a communicator, for example, while a manager or chief security officer needs to be familiar with them to understand the big picture and make informed decisions.

The Capability Platform’s three elements and underlying stages are presented in the order in which we recommend you to use the materials. Each element builds on the other and contributes to a cohesive strategy for dealing with malign information influence and reinforcing psychological defence. The links symbolise the connections between the different elements and ensure that everything you need is in place.

Whatever your role in the organisation, this provides you with support and a solid foundation for countering and managing malign information influence – both in daily work and in crisis situations.

Self-assessment with the Capability Platform

At the beginning of each element, you will find a self-assessment tool – the Capability Check. There, you will find questions to help you reflect on the organisation’s current capabilities in each element.

By considering these issues, you will gain a better understanding of strengths, areas for improvement and the initiatives that may be needed to bolster preparedness. The self-assessment serves as practical support for identifying development needs and creating a more resilient organisation.

For whom are the support materials intended?

These support materials are aimed at communicators, contingency planning officers, chief security officers and managers/directors in public-sector operations. Depending on your role, different stages may be of greater or lesser relevance to you. However, to attain effective and coordinated management of malign information influence, accounts need to be taken of all elements.

Communicators may have a particular focus on how malign information influence occurs in information flows, while management and chief security officers need to understand the big picture to make strategic decisions. Contingency planning officers play a key role in ensuring that the organisation has the right structures and measures in place.

The support materials provide each target group with tools and knowledge tailored to their responsibilities, while creating a common foundation for the entire organisation’s effort to reinforce psychological defence.

Questions and answers

Here you will find a summary of frequently asked questions and answers about the Capability Platform. If you think something is missing, please let us know.