Psychological Operations or PSYOP are planned operations to convey selected information
and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and
ultimately the behavior of organizations, groups, and individuals. Used in all aspects of
war, it is a weapon whose effectiveness is limited only by the ingenuity of the commander
using it.
A proven winner in combat and peacetime, PSYOP is one of the oldest weapons in the
arsenal of man. It is an important force protector/combat multiplier and a non-lethal
weapons system.
Psychological Operations (PSYOP) or Psychological Warfare (PSYWAR) is simply learning
everything about your target enemy, their beliefs, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses,
and vulnerabilities. Once you know what motivates your target, you are ready to begin
psychological operations.
Psychological operations may be defined broadly as the planned use of communications to
influence human attitudes and behavior ... to create in target groups behavior, emotions,
and attitudes that support the attainment of national objectives. The form of
communication can be as simple as spreading information covertly by word of mouth or
through any means of multimedia.
A psychological warfare campaign is a war of the mind. Your primary weapons are sight
and sound. PSYOP can be disseminated by face-to-face
communication, audio visual means (television), audio media (radio or loudspeaker), visual media (leaflets, newspapers, books, magazines and/or
posters). The weapon is not how its sent, but the message it carries and how that message
affects the recipient.
For instance, our American flag, when it goes by in a parade do you feel a sense of
pride? How about when you hear our national anthem played? How about "God Bless the
USA", Lee Greenwood's song which became popular during Desert Storm? Music or sound
can be a major factor in motivating emotion if it is associated with the right message.
How many of you think about the pottery wheel scene with Patrick Swaytze and Demi Moore in
the movie "Ghost" when you hear the theme song "Unchained Melody"?
It has long been said that: "The pen is mightier than the
sword". That is because, if used properly, words can be an inspiration to motivate
others. Some examples:
"Remember the Alamo"
"Give me liberty or give me death"
"I regret I have but one life to give for my country"
"Ask not what your country can do for you? Ask what you can do for your country"
Now for psychological operations to be effective, you must carefully plan your propaganda. You must make sure that you know everything
about your enemy and that you are targeting his beliefs and not using your own. For
example, at the very beginning of Desert Shield, just after Iraq invaded Kuwait, President
Bush referred to Saddam Hussein as being
"just like Adolph Hitler"
For
Americans and most of Europe that was an insulting comparison. However, looking at it
through the eyes of an Iraqi soldier Adolph Hitler tried to exterminate all the Jews. Iraq
has long hated Israel. Hitler drove out the British and French forces that had long
occupied the middle east. So with the right propaganda, the comparison could be
interpreted that Saddam, like Hitler, hates Israel and wants to keep the western infidel
influence from contaminating the middle east. This would be a compliment not an insult.
On the reverse side, knowing your enemy's beliefs can work for you. For example,
remember when Saddam Hussein broadcasted live images of his "Human Shields, the woman
and children of westerners that were in Iraq when the war broke out? The Koran, the Moslem
bible, states that you can do what you with with your enemy, but that you must not harm
his family,(wife and children). Saddam's actions allowed us to show that he was a coward,
hiding behind innocent people and ignoring the Moslem laws he was so quick to say he was
defending.
How do you get to know your enemy? Intelligence reports, Area studies, in country
research, defectors, native help, and even the enemy prisoners of war all are sources of
information. As leaflets were developed during Desert Storm, they were tested on
cooperative EPWs (enemy prisoners of war. Some of the recommendations for changes to the
leaflet's illustrations made by these EPWs were: remove any trace of the color red (a
danger signal to Iraqis), show Allied soldiers with chin beards rather than clean-shaven
faces (beards convey trust and brotherhood in Iraqi culture), and add bananas to a bowl of
fruit shown being offered to surrendering Iraqis (bananas are a great delicacy in Iraq).
Also, an illustration depicting a surrendering Iraqi thinking of
his family back home confused the EPWs. "Thought bubbles" are well-known in
Western culture, but virtually unknown to Iraqis. The illustration was dropped.
In a memo written to then-Secretary of State John Foster Dulles on 24 October 1953,
former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower defined psychological warfare as anything "from
the singing of a beautiful anthem up to the most extraordinary kind of physical
sabotage."
Used during peacetime, contingencies and declared war, these activities are not a form
of force, but are force multipliers that use nonviolent means in often violent
environments. Persuading rather than compelling physically, they rely on logic, fear,
desire or other mental factors to promote specific emotions, attitudes or behaviors. The
ultimate objective of U.S. military psychological operations is the dissemination of
truthful information to foreign audiences in support of U.S. policy and national
objectives to convince enemy, neutral, and friendly nations and forces to take action
favorable to the United States and its allies.
Now please note that I stated above that Psychological Operations as conducted by the
US Military is the dissemination of "truthful" information, not propaganda which
is categorized as "white, gray, or black". Now what is the difference between
PSYOP and propaganda? A memorandum prepared by the Chief of Army Field Forces at Fort
Monroe, Virginia in September of 1953 briefly explained the difference between
"gray" propaganda, messages broadcast with the goal of "avoiding
identification," and "black" propaganda, which involves "attribution
to a source other than the true one."
A more recent set of definitions, reportedly used by former CIA chief William Colby and
cited in at least one commercial publication, calls truthfully-attributed and non-
attributed messages "white" propaganda, whereas messages falsely attributed to a
third party are considered "gray." The term "black propaganda" is
reserved for those materials "planted by the United States but in such as way that it
seems to be the product or even an internal document of the target group." In other
words, "black propaganda" is nothing less than a form of intellectual and
political subversion.
Historically, the application of psychological operations in one form or another has
proven to be almost as essential to the successful waging of war as the use of manpower
and weaponry. However, in spite of its long history of successful employment, the
potential for using the power of persuasion through psychological operations as a force
multiplier to achieve national objectives with a minimum of destruction, has been
recognized by only the most perceptive of military leaders and statesmen. Furthermore, it
has been since World War II that PSYOP has come into its own as an effective weapon
system.
The giant strides made in the area of behavioral sciences, which can now enable us to
know and understand why people behave as they do, combined with the development and
perfection of mass media communications, have greatly multiplied the capability and value
of PSYOP as a means of achieving our own national objectives without needless bloodshed.
An analysis of recent conflicts has demonstrated the value of psychological
operations/warfare on and off the battlefield. As a result, military authorities are now
beginning to accept the fact that psychological operations is a very special combat
weapon…one that every military commander must consider employing, and defending
against, if he is to accomplish his mission with minimum losses. This recognition of the
important role of PSYOP has resulted in its integration into many training programs and
tactical exercises, as well as the consideration of PSYOP employment in all future
military operations.
United States psychological operations consist of three distinct types: Tactical PSYOP,
Strategic PSYOP and Consolidation PSYOP.
Tactical PSYOP is addressed to a specific enemy combat group, to induce them to perform
a specific action that will affect the current or short-range combat situation.
Aimed at a larger audience, Strategic PSYOP is put into effect by a carefully planned
campaign against a larger target audience than that toward which Tactical PSYOP is
directed.
Consolidation PSYOP’s mission is to assist the civil and military authorities in
consolidating their gains, by establishing and maintaining law and order, and by
re-establishing civil government in an occupied or liberated area.
All three types of psychological operations - - Tactical, Strategic and
Consolidation--- can be employed to produce the following desired effects:
- Reduce moral and combat efficiency within the enemy’s ranks.
- Promote mass dissension within and defections from enemy combat units and/or
revolutionary cadre.
- Support our own and allied forces cover and deception operations.
- Promote cooperation, unity and morale within one’s own and allied units, as well as
within resistance forces behind enemy lines.
Now Psychological Operations (PSYOP)is not a new military tactic by any means. There
are numerous examples of the use of psychological warfare throughout history. The
following are some historical examples which illustrate the attainment of each of these
four objectives.
Perhaps one
of the earliest examples of Psychological Warfare was attributed to "Alexander the
Great of Macedonia. Alexander had conquered most of the known world during his reign. With
each region he conquered he left behind soldiers to keep control of the newly conquered
area. Eventually, there came a point when Alexander realized that he had stretched his
army too thin and was now in danger of losing to a large opposing force. Alexander's only
option was to retreat and regroup forces with the armies he left behind. However, to do so
would certainly incite the opposing force to pursue him and very possibly capture or
defeat his now smaller army.
Alexander knew that if he could intimidate the opposing force they would be scared to
follow his army. Alexander instructed his armorers to make several oversized armor
breastplates and helmets that would fit "giants", men 7 to 8 feet tall. As
Alexander and his forces withdrew during the night they left behind the oversized armor.
The oversized armor was of course found by the opposing force who then believed that they
had come close to engaging in a battle with giants. A battle that they surely would have
lost. The oversized armor coupled with the stories they had heard from travelers of the
savagery of Alexander's army caused enough doubt and fear that they elected not to pursue
Alexander's army.
Sun Tsu, recognized as one of the greatest
military tacticians of all times, strongly advocated the use of psychological warfare as a
force multiplier. Sun Tsu wrote that:
To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a
regiment, a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred
victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without
fighting is the supreme excellence. Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to
attack the enemy's strategy. Next best is to disrupt his alliances by diplomacy. The next
best is to attack his army. And the worst policy is to attack cities.
Sun Tzu understood that given the opportunity, an adversary will surrender to a
superior commander prior to conflict. In order to have a chance to be that superior
leader, PSYOP must be coordinated and included in initial planning and implemented prior
to conflict. If hostilities begin, proper PSYOP implementation can end the conflict
earlier than otherwise expected. PSYOP is a force multiplier and resource saver.
Mongol leader
Genghis Khan was widely known for leading hordes of savage horsemen across Russia and into
Europe. While not totally unfounded, the Mongols' image of total, barbaric domination was
greatly enhanced by Khan's use of PSYOP, deception, operational security (OPSEC), and
targeting his adversaries' decision-making process. "Agents of influence" were
sent in advance of his armies to do face-to-face PSYOP, telling of brutality and large
numbers in the Mongol army. Khan also used deception to create the illusion of invincible
numbers by using rapid troop maneuver, making his army look larger than it really was. He
had a network of horsemen called "arrow riders" to communicate quickly with his
commanders, and he targeted enemy messengers to prevent enemy commanders from
communicating with each other. All these actions caused a weakness in their enemy's
psyche, and the Mongols were feared wherever they went.
World War II
Psychological
operations were used extensively by all sides during World War II. Adolf Hitler rose to
power by exploiting the dissatisfaction of supporters of the traditional left and right
wing parties, by dwelling on the failure of these parties to solve the problems created by
the conditions imposed on Germany under the Treaty of Versailles. He then presented
National Socialism as the one movement capable of uniting conservative nationalists with
international socialists, the professional classes with the working classes in the service
of the nation. The speeches he delivered urged national pride
and unity and placed the blame for all of Germany's problems on others. His oratory
techniques and use of propaganda gave him a truly hypnotic grip over the German masses.
After taking over as dictator, the Germans continued to use propaganda both to unite
Germany and to intimidate their enemies.
Radio broadcasts became a major means of passing propaganda to the enemy. Japan used
the notorious "Tokyo
Rose" to broadcast music, propaganda, and words of discouragement to our allied
forces. The Germans used Mildred Gillar, better remembered as "Axis Sally". The
Americans used deception and psychological operations to convince the German high command
that the D-Day invasion was not going to be launched at Normandy but at Calais.
However the best and most innovative use of psychological warfare must be attributed to
a radio broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). During the period May
through September 1940, when the German invasion of England seemed imminent, a regular BBC
radio program, easily heard and often listened to by the Germans, began a series of
English language lessons for the would-be invaders. These broadcasts of course were
presented in flawless German. The British announcer stated the purpose of these broadcasts
like this:
"…..and so it will be best if you learn a few useful phrases in English
before visiting us. For your first lesson, we take ‘DIE KANALUEBERFAHRT’. The
channel crossing."
"Now, just repeat after me: ‘DAS BOOT SINKT.’ The boat is sinking.
The boat is sinking"
"DAS WASSER IST KALT. The water is cold. SER KALT. Very cold"
"Now I will give you a verb that should be very useful. Again, please repeat
after me. ICH BRENNE. I am burning. Du Brennst. You are burning. ER BRENNT. He is burning.
WIR BRENNEN. We burn. IHR BRENNT. You are burning. SIR BRENNEN. They are burning."
This was rather crude material: but it proved effective. The phrases about burning in
the English Channel seemed to confirm the intensive rumors already being spread by British
agents on the continent that the British had perfected an apparatus with which they were
going to set fires in the Channel and on the English beaches whenever Hitler launched his
invasion. Although not true, the rumors were so well planned and cleverly spread that to
this day, many Germans believe them. Documents found after the war confirmed that the
German High Command believed that the British had a workable plan to set fire to the
English Channel.
Cover and deception operations are complex and intricate affairs, invariably involving
many talents, techniques and resources. Perhaps the most ambitious and spectacular cover
and deception operation of modern times was the effort of the Allies to convince the
German high command that the upcoming Allied invasion of Europe would occur across the
beaches near the Pas de Calais, rather than the narrow sand strips and cliffs of Normandy
nearly 100 hundred miles away.
Through
imaginative employment of psychological operations the Allies created the fictitious
"Army Group Patton," which was poised to strike across the English Channel at
the Germans 15th Panzer Army defending the Pas de Calais. This ruse convinced
the German strategists and planners that the Allied assault would be spearheaded at the
Pas de Calais by an army under the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, whom
many considered our best combat command. As a result, the heaviest concentration of German
combat power in France was positioned at the Pas de Calais, waiting for Patton.
Even after the Allied invasion came at Normandy, Hitler would not allow for the
deployment of the 15th Panzer Army from the Pas de Calais. Hitler was still
convinced that the Normandy invasion was only a prelude to the real invasion. The 15th
Panzer Army waited in vain at the Pas de Calais for nearly seven weeks for Army Group
Patton, an invasion that was never to come. General of the Army Omar Bradley later
referred to this operation as "the biggest hoax of the war". As for the German
Army, they never fully recovered from the reversals set in motion by their delay in
releasing the 15th Panzer Army.
The next example concerns the fourth objective of psychological operations, that is,
its use to promote cooperation, unity and morale within friendly units and people as well
as within resistance forces behind enemy lines.
During World War II, the very survival of the Soviet Union was due in large part to
Stalin;s ability to appeal to and mobilize the emotional patriotism of the Russian people.
With his regime reeling under the blows of the German blitz in 1941, Stalin sensed that
the ideological abstractions and Communist platitudes, which the Party had driven into the
minds of its captive domestic audience since its take over in 1918, were relatively barren
and did not have the emotional and spiritual impact necessary to fortify the Russian
people for their struggle against Hitler’s armies. Therefore, in one of the most
dramatic policy turn-abouts in modern history, Stalin systematically set about identifying
his Communist regime with "Holy Russia" (and "Mother Russia") its
ancient heritage and its accompanying symbolism.
The two Russian institutions with the deepest roots in the past, the Army and the
Church, were cultivated by Stalin’s propagandists as never before in Soviet history.
The historic accomplishments of Russian armies were glorified. The church hierarchy and
class distinctions were returned to pre-revolution standards. Even the official newspaper,
"PRAVDA," dropped its Marxist motto, "WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE,"
and substituted the openly nationalistic slogan, "DEATH TO THE GERMAN INVADER."
The ensuing struggle became and is still officially known in Soviet history as "The
Great Patriotic War".
Thus we see how even Josef Stalin, one of the most hard-headed dictators of the 20th
Century, realized that his conventional military weapons alone, were not enough to meet
the challenge of the German armies. In retrospect, we can see that his choice of utilizing
psychological operations to augment his conventional military forces, would prove to play
a major role in maintaining the survival of his communist regime for so many years.
Korea
Having learned the effectiveness of radio broadcasts and leaflets during World War II,
the U.S. Army Far East Command's small Special Projects Branch of the Headquarters G-2
(Intelligence) Division, began radio broadcasts and leaflet drops over the Republic of
South Korea immediately after North Korea's invasion across the 38th Parallel in June
1950. Later during the fall of that year, the 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company arrived
in South Korea. This unit would serve as the 8th Army's tactical psychological warfare
unit to the end of the war in 1952.
The 1st Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company used both vehicle and aircraft mounted
loudspeakers to get their verbal messages across. However, as in previous U.S. wars,
leaflets were still the major medium. Korean War leaflets themes center around the
"happy POW." "good soldier-bad leaders," "surrender and you will
be well-treated," "we can crush you," and nostalgia for home, family and
women.
Vietnam
Psychological Operations were used by both sides. Many G.I.'s may remember the
notorious "Hanoi Hannah", who like "Tokyo
Rose" of WW II broadcasted a daily radio program where she played music, coupled with
the North's view of the news and messages of discouragement to our troops.
The Americans countered with their own radio broadcasts, and leaflet
programs.
In Vietnam, the United States conducted air attacks against military and
military-related strategic targets partly for psychological effect. The principal
psychological objective of these attacks was to persuade enemy leaders to negotiate an
early end to the conflicts on terms acceptable to the United States.
These air attacks failed to deter the communists from protracting the fighting for over
eight years in Vietnam. In addition to the humanitarian and other constraints the United
States imposed on its air operations, various conditions and attitudes in the enemy camp
diluted the coercive effects of the U.S. strategic attacks. These included the enemy
government's:
- access to support and sanctuary from external powers, which allowed the enemy to
continue fighting even when its indigenous war-related production facilities had been
destroyed.
- strong commitment to the objectives or cause that gave rise to the conflict with the
United States.
- readiness to absorb enormous human and materiel losses.
- ability to maintain domestic support for the war effort and/or sufficient internal
security to suppress any potential opposition.
- perception that the likely benefits from continued conflict would exceed the costs
resulting from the U.S. bombing.
After having already made what it considered to be its maximum feasible concessions in
the Vietnam peace talks, the United States resorted to escalation or threatened escalation
to bring the negotiations to closure.
Severe U.S. escalation or threatened escalation was required to extract comparatively
modest concessions from both enemies. In Vietnam, Washington had to employ massive B-52 and fighter-bomber strikes on Hanoi and Haiphong to force the
communists to complete a peace agreement, the key provisions of which they had already
accepted.
The communists agreed to terms only after their military forces on the battlefield had
been stalemated. Prior to the settlements, the communist forces in Vietnam had mounted
major offensives, the defeat of which left them no prospects for immediate further
military gains.
Operation Just Cause - Panama
At H-Hour, 1-508th Abn had the mission of securing Ft. Amador, an installation shared
by the U.S. and Panama Defense Force (PDF). Because of the need for OPSEC, American
dependents could not be evacuated in advance of the attack. This complication, and the
requirement to minimize enemy casualties and physical damage, made PSYOP loudspeaker
teams, from the 1st Bn, 4th PSYOP Gp, a key asset. The battalion sealed off the PDF
portion of Ft. Amador and ensured that all noncombatants were safe. After daylight, the
task force set about systematically securing the area. When initial appeals failed to
persuade the PDF to surrender, the commander modified the broadcasts. The holdouts were
warned that resistance was hopeless in the face of overwhelming firepower and a series of
demonstrations took place, escalating from small arms to 105mm howitzer rounds. Subsequent
broadcasts convinced the PDF to give up. The entire process allowed Ft. Amador to be
secured with few casualties and minimal damage.
The Gulf War
The Gulf War brought a whole new meaning to the use of multimedia in psychological
operations. Radio and TV broadcasts, leaflets, and loudspeakers used the themes of Arab
brotherhood, allied air power, and Iraqi isolation to induce large numbers of enemy
soldiers to desert. One of the most effective tactics involved the dropping of leaflets on
a particular unit, informing it that it would be bombed within twenty-four hours and had
to surrender to avoid destruction. Over a seven-week period, 29 million leaflets of more
than 100 different leaflets were disseminated, reaching approximately 98% of the 300,000
troops. Click here for some examples of Gulf War leaflets.
The 4th PSYOP Group began broadcasting the "VOICE OF THE GULF" radio network
on 19 January 1991. It operated continuously through 1 April 1991 with more than 210 hours
of live broadcasting and 330 hours of prerecorded programs. A total of 2072 news items
were aired along with 189 PSYOP messages. The VOICE OF THE GULF network consisted of a 50
KW AM transmitter located at Abu Ali, Saudi Arabia broadcasting on AM 1134; a 10KW AM
transmitter located at Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia broadcasting on AM 1179; a 1KW FM
transmitter located at Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia broadcasting on FM 87.5 and two Volant Solo EC-130 aircraft of the 193rd
Special Operations Group broadcasting on AM 690 and FM 88.5 and 87.9.
Of course like some of the other big wars, Iraq chose to use a woman, "Baghdad
Betty", to conduct propaganda broadcasts to deter and disillusion their enemy.
Unfortunately for Iraq, they forgot that a truly effective psychological warfare program
must have the input of highly-qualified clinical psychologists "who specialize in the
unconscious dynamics of human behavior and motivation'' and who are knowledgeable about
the "values and customs of different cultures.'' Such expertise is essential to the
"selection of a culturally appropriate and effectively persuasive concept and
value-based theme" that is the heart of any PSYOP. In one of her first broadcast
Baghdad Betty warned the American soldiers listening that while they were in the desert of
Saudi Arabia, their wives and girlfriends were sleeping with Tom Cruise, Tom Selleck and
Bart Simpson. Now it was ridiculous enough to infer that our wives and girlfriends would
be seduced by two movie stars but by their failure to do thorough research on the American
culture, Betty lost any chance of credibility by telling our servicemen that a cartoon
character was seducing our women back home.
During Desert Storm the 4th PSYOP Group fielded 71 Tactical loudspeaker teams. These
teams provided support to USARCENT (both XVIII Airborne Corps and VII Corps), USMARCENT
and USSOCCENT. Loudspeaker teams broadcast surrender appeals, harassment and deception
tapes. Most loudspeaker teams had Saudi Arabian, Egyptian or Kuwaiti linguists attached to
execute live broadcasts as the situation dictated. Loudspeaker teams were also
innovatively employed for prisoner control at the EPW camps with broadcasts designed to
accomplish prisoner pacification and underscore Military Police authority.
One of the best examples of the successful use of loudspeakers occurred during the Gulf
War. The allied coalition effectively isolated, both physically and psychologically, a
large element of Iraqi forces on Faylaka Island. Rather then reduce the island by direct
assault, a tactical PSYOP team from the 9th PSYOP Battalion, aboard a UH-1N helicopter,
flew aerial loudspeaker missions around the island with cobra gunships providing escort.
The message told the adversary below to surrender the next day in formation at the radio
tower. The next day 1,405 Iraqis, including a general officer, waited in formation at the
radio tower to surrender to the Marine forces without a single shot having been fired.
How successful was the US PSYOP campaign in Desert Storm? The International Red Cross
reported that nearly 87,000 Iraqi soldiers turned themselves over to coalition forces,
most of them clutching the leaflets or hiding them in their clothing. All incidents of
surrender were bloodless. Perhaps the best testimony to the effectiveness of PSYOP was
given by an Iraqi General when he stated that:
"PSYOP...was a great threat to troop morale, second only to the coalition
bombing campaign."
Thus, psychological operations are coming of age. We saw from historical examples, how
Tactical, Strategic and Consolidation PSYOP can cover the short-range, long-range and
recuperative phases of warfare, to reduce enemy morale and combat effectiveness; to
promote dissension within and defections from enemy ranks; to support cover and deception
operations; and to promote unity, cooperation and morale within our own military and those
of our allies, and to provide meaningful domestic assistance to less fortunate groups and
communities.
Why then , you may ask, has the value of psychological operations taken so long to
receive general recognition, and why is it full potential yet to be realized?
Part of the answer to this question was covered earlier in our presentation, when it
was discussed that although psychological operations has been utilized by various military
leaders over the centuries, it has only been recently with the major advances in
behavioral sciences and mass communications that PSYOP has come into its own as an
effective weapon system of great potential.
Another part of the answer to this question lies in the attitude of people towards
psychological operations. To some, it produces images of government controlled
communications/mass media, telling the people only what the government wants them to hear.
To others, it raises the horrid specter of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda
Minister, practicing the technique of the "big lie" which has incorrectly become
synonymous with "propaganda". Still to others, the mere mention of
"psychological" operations or warfare invokes visions of "mind
control" through some mysterious means of brainwashing.
It should be clear that modern psychological operations, or PSYOP, is none of those
things. On the contrary PSYOP is not unlike the public advertising that we are all exposed
to wherever we go, every day, through all kinds of mass media. However the negative
connotation that some people attach to the word psychological" prevents many people
from recognizing the simple truth. Everyone knows that if you do not have a good product
to sell, people will not continue buying it, no matter how much you advertise. The same
applies to the points of view advertised through the use of psychological operations. Thus
we have no reason to fear PSYOP, but we do have ample reason to respect it for what it can
do.
By the application of sound PSYOP techniques, through face-to-face communication and
mass media communications, we have demonstrated , time and time again, that we can appeal
to the intelligence, reason, and emotions of our target audience to get them to think and
act as we desire. If these people are shooting at us, we can persuade them to lay down
their arms. If they fear us, we can convince them that they have nothing to fear. If they
are belligerent and uncooperative, we can show them the value of unity and cooperation.
Lastly and most important, the utilization of PSYOP can prevent needless bloodshed,
destruction and misery. That is why we say, with conviction, that psychological
operations, or PSYOP, is truly a humane weapon.
Today, Psychological Operations are a vital part of the broad range of U.S. political,
military, economic and ideological activities used by the U.S. government to secure
national objectives. The mission of providing Psychological Operations for the U.S.
Military today rests with the U.S. Army's Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations
Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
