Munitions of the Mind

“For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” Sun Tsu, The Art of War.

Evolution of Terminology

• Combat propaganda• Political Warfare• Psychological Warfare (PSYWAR)• Psychological Operations (PSYOPS)• Information Support (UK); OpInfo (Germany)

INFORMATION WARFARE/INFORMATION OPERATIONS

US Definition

“Operations planned to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups and individuals.” - Joint Pub 3-53

Forms of PSYWAR/PSYOPS

• Black (covert): purports to be from a source other than the true one (e.g. PWE radio). Usually conducted by intelligence services.

• White (overt): emanates from the source it says it is (e.g. ‘This is Radio Moscow’). Usually conducted by military or civil-military services.

• Grey: (source unknown).

Forms of PSYWAR/PSYOPS

• Black (covert): purports to be from a source other than the true one (e.g. PWE radio). Usually conducted by intelligence services.

• White (overt): emanates from the source it says it is (e.g. ‘This is Radio Moscow’). Usually conducted by military or civil-military services.

• Grey: (source unknown).

PSYOPS media

WEEKLYWEEKLYNEWSPAPERSNEWSPAPERS

RADIO RADIO BROADCASTSBROADCASTS

& AUDIO TAPES& AUDIO TAPESMOSTOVIMOSTOVI

MIRKOMIRKOHERALD OF PROGRESSHERALD OF PROGRESS

TELEVISION TELEVISION BROADCASTSBROADCASTS

& ADVERTISEMENTS& ADVERTISEMENTS

TV SFORTV SFOR

Nation Building?

Operations Other Than War

The dangers of ‘unintendedconsequences’

Trying to avoid unintendedconsequences

Bosnia

Kosovo

The new ‘P’ word – Perception Management

‘Actions to convey and/or deny selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives and objective reasoning; and to intelligence systems and leaders at all levels to influence official estimates, ultimately resulting in foreign behaviors and official actions favorable to the originator’s objectives.

In various ways perception management combines truth projection, operations security, cover and deception and psychological operations.’

-- Joint Pub 1-02

Traditional ‘Surrender or Die’ messages

Kosovo, 1999

Afghanistan, 2001-02

How to surrender

We are not ‘invaders’

PSYOPS - Commando Solo

Enduring Freedom Psyops leaflets – pre-translation

Right - back

Left - front

‘Shock and Awe’

‘Do not follow orders to destroydams or flood villages. Do notfollow orders to destroy yourcountry's oil. ... See those ordersfor what they are -- the lastdesperate gasp of a dying regime.’

Sec. Rumsfeld at DoD PressConference, 23 March 2003

Some successes

White PSYOPS, 2003

• Go home/Stay at home campaign

This also looks to have been a successful part of the campaign

Does it Work?

SOMETIMES –IT DEPENDS….