Low cyber troop capacity involves small teams that may be active during elections or referenda,
but which then stop activity until the next election cycle. These teams tend to experiment with
only a few strategies or tools for social media manipulation, such as using bots to amplify
disinformation. Low capacity teams include: Azerbaijan, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Cambodia,
Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Poland, South
Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Thailand.
Medium cyber troop capacity involves teams that have a much more consistent form and
strategy, involving full-time staff members who are employed year-round to control the
information space. These medium-capacity teams often coordinate with multiple actor types,
and experiment with a wide variety of tools and strategies for social media manipulation.
Medium capacity teams include: Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Malaysia, Mexico, Iran, North Korea,
Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela, and
Vietnam.
High cyber troop capacity involves large numbers of staff, and large budgetary expenditure on
psychological operations or information warfare. There might also be significant funds spent on
research and development, as well as evidence of a multitude of techniques being used. These
teams do not only operate during elections but involve full-time staff dedicated to shaping the
information space. High capacity teams include: China, Israel, Russia, UAE, and the United
States.
17