Fear Factor

Weaponizing Panic in Asymmetric Conflicts

By: Josh Luberisse

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Fear Factor: Weaponizing Panic in Asymmetric Conflicts is a comprehensive, analytical guide to understanding and leveraging the strategic power of panic in modern warfare. Written with the precision of a military field manual and the rigor of a psychological operations textbook, this book dissects how irregular forces—guerrillas, insurgents, and terrorists—use fear as a weapon to destabilize superior adversaries.

Through case studies, scientific models, and proven tactics, this book provides a detailed roadmap for inducing, sustaining, and exploiting panic on the battlefield and in civilian populations. This is not theoretical. This is a practical manual on how fear can be weaponized to cripple operational efficiency, disrupt command structures, and demoralize entire societies.

Key features of this book include:

• A thorough analysis of panic as a psychological weapon in both historical and contemporary conflicts.
• Tactical methods for identifying vulnerabilities, launching fear-based attacks, and sustaining panic in military and civilian targets.
• Case studies from the Vietnam War, the Soviet-Afghan conflict, and modern insurgencies, demonstrating the real-world application of these tactics.
• Step-by-step breakdowns of disinformation campaigns, cyber warfare, and psychological operations designed to create chaos and disarray in the enemy’s ranks.
• Insights into how modern technologies—AI, cyberattacks, and autonomous systems—are transforming the battlefield by amplifying the psychological impact of panic.
• Strategies for turning individual fear into widespread organizational collapse.

With a unique focus on the psychological dimension of asymmetric warfare, Fear Factor offers commanders, intelligence analysts, and strategic planners an in-depth look at how to effectively integrate psychological operations into broader military campaigns. Drawing from cutting-edge research on cognitive load theory, stress-response models, and collective behavior, this book provides the scientific and operational rigor needed to turn panic into a force multiplier.

Fear Factor is not just an exploration of panic—it is a field-tested guide to using fear as a strategic tool to outmaneuver, disorient, and defeat larger, conventional forces. It is an essential resource for anyone engaged in the planning and execution of modern warfare.