Episode 33 - COL Dave Acosta – Information Operations, Influence, and the Modern Battlespace
COL Dave Acosta – Information Operations, Influence, and the Modern Battlespace
In this episode of Tipping Spears with Hannah Becker, I sit down with COL Dave Acosta. A U.S. Army Reserve Colonel commanding the 2nd Brigade, 91st Training Division, and a Professor of Practice at the Naval Postgraduate School, Dave’s operational experience spans NATO missions in the Balkans, multiple deployments to Iraq, and senior leadership roles on the Joint Staff. His work bridges tactical operations and strategic concept development, shaping how the U.S. military understands and engages in the information environment.
In this conversation, Dave unpacks the evolution of Information Operations - from its early applications in conflict zones to its expanding role in modern security and defense. We explore how influence, deception, and perception intersect on today’s digital battlefield, and what it takes to lead in a domain where truth itself is contested. Dave also shares insights from his research, teaching, and the weekly “Ghost Post” newsletter, offering a grounded view of how technology continues to reshape national defense.
Whether you’re a student of strategy, a practitioner in the defense community, or simply curious about how wars of ideas are fought and won, this episode delivers a rare inside look at the modern information battlespace.
Guest Bio:
David Acosta is currently a Board Member of the Information Professionals Association. Dave is a Colonel in the US Army Reserve, commanding the 2nd Brigade, 91st Training Division, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and with subordinate elements in 8 locations across 6 states in the western US. He is also a Professor of Practice of Technical Operations in the Information Environment at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, California. In addition, he also publishes the Ghost Post, a weekly Information Operations (IO) media rollup, and is a PhD student studying International Studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
COL Acosta has served in IO positions from the tactical to the strategic level around the world. He has operational experience both in Kosovo and Bosnia with NATO as an IO Planner, served as a deception officer and deputy IO Chief during two tours in Iraq, supported Army planning efforts on the Army staff at the Pentagon, and commanded an Army IO battalion for 4 years. Furthermore, he served two years as the Assistant Deputy Director of Joint Warfighting Development, Joint Staff J-7, overseeing the developing and implementation of the Joint Warfighting Concept. He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the US Army War College, and presently resides in Norfolk, Virginia.
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