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Douglas Turner
Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Agenda LLC
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 4:00 p.m.
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 (Central & Edith)
The Albuquerque International Association continues its ongoing lecture series with a timely discussion by Douglas Turner, a leading practitioner in strategic communications and information operations, on how states, alliances, and non-state actors compete in the cognitive domain. As geopolitical competition increasingly shifts from physical battlefields to the information environment, influence over perception, narrative, and decision-making has become a central feature of modern conflict. From gray-zone competition and hybrid warfare to democratic resilience and alliance cohesion, success is often determined not by firepower alone, but by who shapes how audiences think, feel, and act.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience advising NATO, the U.S. Department of Defense, and international partners across Europe, Latin America, and conflict-affected regions, Turner will examine how information operations are designed and executed in contested environments. The lecture will explore target audience analysis, narrative competition, influencer ecosystems, and the integration of data and real-time assessment to achieve strategic effects in the cognitive domain, focusing on lessons learned in Ukraine, the Balkans, Nepal, the Republic of Georgia and across the 32 NATO nations. In his work with Agenda, a strategic communications firm supporting democracy, defense, and international security, Mr. Turner has led strategic communications, military information support, and narrative development campaigns in more than 40 countries for NATO, the U.S. government, and international institutions. Since 2015, Turner has managed over 85 NATO task orders supporting NATO headquarters and other Alliance entities.
Preregistration is required.
$15 for AIA Members; $20 for Non-Members; Students under 30 with ID – Free.
Pay online or mail check made out to AIA by February 24th to: AIA, PO Box 92921, Albuquerque, NM 87199.
