Disaster response experts sharpened logical fallacies identification skills in an immersive simulation as part of the 20th NATO Emergency Management Exercise “BULGARIA 2025”

As part of the major NATO emergency management exercise "BULGARIA 2025," held at GATE Institute on September 9, 2025, a specialized training session designed and implemented by the Intelligent Governance unit at GATE Institute challenged disaster response experts to navigate the complexities of misinformation in a crisis scenario. The exercise, developed as part of the event's program, focused on identifying and countering logical fallacies – a key component of modern hybrid threats.

During the event, approximately 40 disaster response specialists participated in an intensive 40-minute simulation. Divided into four teams, the experts were immersed in a game-based scenario designed to test their ability to detect manipulative communication techniques under pressure. The training utilized a "Logical Fallacies Cheat-Sheet" to help participants recognize tactics such as the strawman, false dichotomy, and appeal to fear, which are commonly employed in disinformation campaigns during emergencies.

The simulation was a key component of the broader "BULGARIA 2025" exercise, which took place from September 7-13 and involved around 1,200 participants from over 40 countries. The large-scale event, co-organized by Bulgarian national authorities and NATO bodies, aimed to strengthen civil-military cooperation and test responses to natural disasters, industrial incidents, and complex hybrid threats.

The exercise was hosted at the GATE Institute which serves as a NATO test center and demonstrated various crisis management innovations during the event. This training module underscored the growing importance of equipping first responders and civil protection experts with the cognitive tools to maintain clear, factual communication and build resilience against the corrosive effects of misinformation in a crisis environment.