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HISTORY OF PSYOPS AIYJ PSTC Template designed by Maj McQueen
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AIM To provide PSYOPS personnel with an understanding of the history of PSYOPS Intro Review: Name the three Aims of PSYOPS 50 mins Why are we here – To gain an understanding of the historical background of PSYOPS. Where is this applicable – You will use this as a PSYOPS in an HQ.
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REFERENCES “A Brief History of Psychological Operations” by Major E. Rouse (U.S. Army) Confirmation: End of lesson confirmation & observation during practice
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MAIN TEACHING POINTS History of PSYOPS:
Origins of PSYOPS and propaganda; Its use in major conflicts as well as advances made; Mistakes that have occurred; and The evolution of Canadian PSYOPS and where we stand today. To go through the entire history of PSYOPS would require much more time then the 50mins we are given here. In fact we could design entire courses around each conflict and analyse in great detail the PSYOPS that were done, the propaganda used, the methods used to convey those messages to the selected audiences, and the actual success each campaign had. Unfortunately, this is not the place for that. However, what we will accomplish in the next 50 mins, are the following things: Describe the origins of PSYOPS and propaganda; Highlight particular instances of its use in major conflicts as well as the advances made; Look at a few mistakes that have occurred; and Look at the evolution of Canadian PSYOPS and where we stand today.
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SUN TZU “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 Tzu – The Art of War It is almost mandatory in any military presentation about PSYOPS to begin with the quote from Sun Tzu. The history of mankind, however, is plagued by examples of wars and battles where the enemy was not subdued without a fight. In a sense, Sun Tzu was talking about deterrence. But when nations go to war because deterrence has failed, or because they wanted to in pursuit of their national interests, they have to use any and every weapon at their disposal in order to win – and this includes psychological weapons targeting the full range of human perception that results in changes of behaviour on the battlefield and beyond.
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THE ‘P’ WORD “Congregatio de Propaganda Fide”
Negative connotation associated with activities of WWI Many individuals consider "PSYOPS" a sinister word. One of the more-or-less logical reasons given for this is its close association with the term "propaganda". The word "propaganda“ originates from the Latin name Congregatio de Propaganda Fide ("Congregation for the Spreading of the Faith"). This committee of Cardinals, founded by Pope Gregory XV in 1622, was charged with overseeing the spread of Catholicism by missionaries sent to non-Christian countries. It wasn’t until WWI, that it lost its original religious connotation and the term evolved to be mainly associated with politics. At that point, it acquired its unsavoury image of meaning lies and the unethical twisting of the truth.
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TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT Propaganda, however it is defined, is inherently deceitful and thus morally reprehensible. Propaganda (prä-pə-’gan-də), noun: a systematic form of persuasion which attempts to influence the emotions, attitudes, opinions, and actions of specified target audiences for ideological, political or commercial purposes through the controlled transmission of one-sided messages (which may or may not be factual) via mass and direct media channels – Richard Allan Nelson, Ph.D., Manship School of Mass Communication, LSU, 1996. In the context of this course the latter view is taken and thus propaganda is seen as a process of persuasion which can be used for good as well as ill.
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ANCIENT TIMES ” For I myself believe that there was at that time no race of mankind, no city, no single individual, to which the name of Alexander had not reached.” - Arrian of Nicomedia, Greek historian, 86 – 146 AD. Although not always accredited as the first practitioner of psychological warfare, Alexander the Great undoubtedly showed himself to be effective in swaying the mindsets of the populaces that were expropriated in his campaigns. In order to keep the new Macedonian states from revolting against their leader, Alexander the Great would leave a number of his men behind in each city to introduce Greek culture, control it and oppress dissident views as well as interbreed. Since this method of persuasion did indeed influence loyalist and separatist opinions alike, it directly altered the psyches of the occupied people to conform. To an extent, the same can be said to be happening in Tibet today, were Tibetans form a minority in their own country, and China is trying greatly to influence the culture. Some politicians have gone so far as to say that China is committing cultural genocide.
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ANCIENT TIMES Genghis Khan popular techniques: - Appeal to Fear
- Deception Genghis Khan, leader of the Mongols in the 13th century AD, united his people to eventually conquer more territory than any other leader in human history. Defeating the will of the enemy was his top priority. Before attacking a settlement, the Mongol generals demanded submission to the Khan, and threatened the initial villages with complete destruction if they refused to surrender. After winning the battle, the Mongol generals fulfilled their threats and massacred the survivors. Consequently, tales of the encroaching horde spread to the next villages and created an aura of insecurity that undermined the possibility of future resistance. Subsequent nations were much more likely to surrender to the Mongols without fighting. Often, this more than the Mongol's tactical prowess secured quick Mongol victories. Genghis Khan also employed tactics that made his numbers seem greater than they actually were. During night operations he ordered each soldier to light three torches at dusk in order to deceive and intimidate enemy scouts and give the illusion of an overwhelming army. He also sometimes had objects tied to the tails of his horses, so that when riding on an open and dry field, would raise a cloud of dust that gave the enemy the impression of great numbers. The Mongols also employed other gruesome terror tactics to weaken the will to resist. In one infamous incident during the Indian campaign, the Mongol leader Tamerlane built a pyramid of 90,000 human heads in front of the walls of Delhi, to convince them to surrender. Other tactics included firing severed human heads from catapults into enemy lines and over city walls to frighten enemy soldiers and citizens, and spread diseases in the close confines of a besieged city. The results were not only psychological…In 1347, the Mongols under Janibeg catapulted corpses infected with plague into the trading city of Kaffa in Crimea. The dismayed Genoese traders withdrew, bringing the plague back with them to Italy and beginning the European phase of the Black Death.
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WAR OF 1812 FORT DETROIT Major General BROCK Major General HULL Chief
The British Forces under Major General and Shawnee Chief Tecumseh marched on Fort Detroit with a combined force of 1200 soldiers and Militia (mostly militia). Maj General Hull, defending Fort Detroit, had a well garrisoned force of 2500 men. MGen Hull is a man of experience from the American Revolutionary War. With the decision to take Detroit made (against the advice of his subordinates) MGen Brock met with Chief Tecumesh and devised the plan for the taking of the well defended fort while being under strength. MGen Brock knew, based on captured dispatches, that the moral of the defending soldiers was very low. They had just marched with haste, into Detroit and were under subordinate commanders who were not necessarily supportive of MGen Hull. MGen Brock “fixed” his enemy in place by allowing for the capture of some dispatches, including a message, “… no more Indians be allowed to proceed from Fort Mackinac as there were already no less than 5,000 at Amherstburg and supplies were running short…”. Shortly after this, MGen Brock implored MGen Hull to surrender: “The force at my disposal authorizes me to require of you the immediate surrender of Fort Detroit. It is far from my intention to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware, that the numerous body of Indians who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond control the moment the contest commences…” Major General BROCK Major General HULL Chief TECUMSEH
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WAR OF 1812 SIEGE OF FORT DETROIT
To further augment this deception, MGen Brock accepted the suggestion to dress his militia in the cast off uniforms of the 41st Regt, providing the illusion that all his British forces were regular army. Fire discipline was lowered, and the troops were in fact ordered to produce individual fires as opposed to unit fires, further inflating the illusion of massive numbers. The British and FN forces made use of the ground and battlements to further create the illusion of increased numbers by having the soldiers march in plain sight to their positions, duck out of sight then circle back repeatedly. This process was repeated at meal times as well. During the march to the line of departure for the assault, Chief Tecumseh marched his FN warriors repeatedly through a gaps in the tree lines in front of the Fort while constantly bellowing their war cries. Concurrently, MGen Brock in circled to the rear of the Fort with three “brigades”. British naval and land guns began bombardment of the Fort producing casualties within the Fort (only a total of 6, 1 officer and 6 other ranks were killed), MGen Hull began to despair at the though of the superior force over running the Fort (his own daughter and grand child where in the Fort). He is reported to have said the Indians were "numerous beyond example," and "more greedy of violence… than the Vikings or Huns.“ (Gilbert, Bil (1989). God Gave us This Country:Tekamthi and the First American Civil War. New York: Atheneum.). MGen Hull raised a white flag, and sent out riders to ask for surrender in 3 days. MGen Brock gave him 3 hours. MGen Hull surrendered his entire force, including forces previously sent out to protect his supply lines.
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AGE OF PROPAGANDA Beginning of the 20th century:
Science vs. God’s Laws Emergence of new technologies Until the 20th century and the age of industrialised warfare – and the scale of slaughter that came with it – the conduct of propaganda was unsystematic and dependent on individuals who instinctively understood the importance of psychology. With the growth of science and the loosening of ‘God’s Laws’ as a means of understanding ‘why we are here’, the workings of the human brain became the object of growing fascination. While everyone still understood that basic human instincts – the need to breathe, eat, drink, sleep, reproduce – were still important, psychologists began to delve deeper into the workings of the human mind, including the process of being rationale or irrational. Sociologists became interested in things like crowd behaviour and individual choice. The process of persuasion also became of interest to politicians because the spread of the vote meant that people’s choices now mattered. New technologies like the telegraph, radio, cinema, and even the telephone, created an information explosion in response to widening literacy and popular politicisation. The Information Age (sometimes called ‘The Age of Propaganda’ by scholars) was upon us.
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WWI 1914 – 1918 ALLIES War Bonds Rationing Recruitment Demonization
Calls for desertion Most authorities consider World War I as the start of modern psychological operations as we know them. This was due in large part to the availability of mass communication media mentioned previously, and the innovative and expedient means to deliver the message to the target audience such as modified artillery rounds and leaflet balloons. It was only with the huge losses of 1915 and 1916 in a war that was supposed to have been over by the first Christmas that the British government began to recognise that new weapons – among them tanks, aircraft and propaganda – would be needed to break the stalemate. When sheer weight of numbers had failed to budge a few yards of mud, anything was worth trying. This slow evolution towards a more systematic deployment of propaganda on the home front as well as battlefield can be traced through several key events: While the use of recruitment posters proved initially successful in Britain, the numbers required for active service at the Front were such as to ultimately require the introduction of conscription. In 1916, conscription was introduced in Britain. British leaders quickly realized that the general population required greater explanations for the need for personal sacrifice. These explanations often relied on patriotism as well as guilt. During World War I, then United States President, Woodrow Wilson, created the Creel Commission, whose mission was to sway popular opinion in favor of entering the war, on the side of the United Kingdom. Interestingly, even though the U.S.A. joined the war relatively late - April they produced many more propaganda posters than any other single nation. In 1918 the Enemy Propaganda Department was created to deal with what we now call ‘psychological warfare’. It was headed by the Lord Northcliffe, owner of The Daily Mail and The Times, and nicknamed “The Minister for the Destruction of German Confidence”. He brought with him Slav, Croatian, Polish and Czech patriots to assist in the production of hundreds of thousands of leaflets calling upon the various minorities in the enemy armies to desert and become free. Lasswell, an American political commentator and communications expert of the early 20th century wrote "that every war must appear to be a war of defence against a menacing, murderous aggressor. There must be no ambiguity about who the public is to hate." Just as Britain did, each of the allied nations which participated in World War I used propaganda for as a means to procure men, money and resources to sustain the military campaign, as well as to demonise the enemy and thus justify their involvement to their own populace.
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WWI 1914 – CENTRAL POWERS “The German effort floundered largely on national arrogance, bureaucratic inflexibility, and a firm belief in the Clausewitzian precepts of military victory. In short, Imperial Germany failed to communicate.” The Art and Science of Psychological Operations, Pamphlet , HQ Department of the Army, 1976 Imperial Germany regarded leafleting as not in agreement with the Geneva and Hague conventions. This is evidenced by the fact that in October 1917, the Germans charged 2 British pilots that were shot down with "the distribution of pamphlets detrimental to German troops." They were tried, found guilty of treason, and sentenced to 10 years at hard labour. After Britain threatened severe reprisals, the two pilots were pardoned and returned to regular prisoner of war camps. It wasn’t until the last six weeks before Germany lost the war that they started using leaflets. During WWI, the Germans wrote and designed terrible propaganda. Their leaflets were mostly all text with little color and nothing to catch the eye of the enemy and invite him to pick it up. The language was not convincing and often the logic was flawed. Adolf Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, "Did we have anything you could call propaganda? I regret that I must answer in the negative. Everything that actually was done in this field was so inadequate and wrong from the very start that it certainly did no good and sometimes did actual harm."
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WWII 1939 – ALLIES Although, during the Great War, it had taken several years for the British to build up to a concerted psychological warfare effort, the next time was different. On the opening night of the war, the RAF bombers peppered Germany with paper. The leaflets reassured the German people that Britain had not declared war on them, but on the Nazi leadership. Psychological warfare was used in order to mobilize support for the war, to recruit, to incite surrender, to demoralize the enemy, and to secure funds and material resources. Over 1.5 billion leaflets were dropped by the allies between 1939 and Radio became a main tool of all the purveyors of propaganda. As well, ingenious techniques involving deception were tried and tested for the first time, including Operation Fortitude which fooled the Germans about the actual location of the D-Day Landings. The principle objective of Fortitude was to ensure that the Germans would not increase their troop presence in Normandy because of the appearance of attacks against German positions elsewhere. Equally important was to delay the movement of German reserves to the Normandy beachhead and prevent a potentially disastrous counterattack. The plan therefore aimed to convince the Germans that additional assaults were planned—specifically in Scandinavia and in the Pas de Calais.
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WWII ALLIES Between 1942 and 1945, during WWII, Walt Disney was involved in the production of propaganda for the US government. The widespread familiarity of Walt Disney's productions benefited the US government in producing pro-American war propaganda in an effort to increase support for the war. No only did the government utilise him more then any other studio chief in order to boost public morale, but it also employed him in order to produce films for the instruction and training to the sailors and soldiers. INSERT DONALD DUCK VIDEO
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WWII 1939 – AXIS The Axis Powers believed in propaganda as a vital tool in achieving their goals. Hitler was impressed by the power of Allied propaganda during WWI and believed that it had been a primary cause of the collapse of morale and revolts in the German home front and Navy in Most propaganda in Germany was produced by the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Joseph Goebbels was placed in charge of this ministry shortly after Hitler took power in The Nazis had no moral qualms about spreading propaganda which they themselves knew to the false and indeed spreading deliberately false information was part of a doctrine known as the Big Lie. Nazi propaganda had several distinct audiences and objectives: German audiences were continually reminded of the struggle of the Nazi Party and Germany against foreign enemies and internal enemies, especially Jews. Ethnic Germans in countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Soviet Union, and the Baltic states were told that blood ties to Germany were stronger than their allegiance to their new countries. Potential enemies, such as France and Great Britain, were told that Germany had no quarrel with the people of the country, but that their governments were trying to start a war with Germany. All audiences were reminded of the greatness of German cultural, scientific, and military achievements. German propaganda emphasized the prowess of German arms and the supposed humanity German soldiers had shown to the peoples of occupied territories. German propaganda sought to alienate Americans and British from each other, and both these Western nations from the Soviets. After Stalingrad, the main theme changed to Germany as the sole defender of what they called "Western European culture" against the “Bolshevist hordes“. The propaganda posters of Nazi Germany are particularly interesting due to the fact that their propaganda ministry was so fine tuned. They also had to bombard their public with their ideology as well as with "win the war" messages." The Japanese had an interesting propaganda which attacked the sexual moral standards of the Allies. There was a theme that suggested that the Americans were bedding the British soldiers' wives while they were away. According to the experts this tactic was not successful. Japanese propaganda in some cases was well constructed, especially where the colonial peoples of Asia were promised freedom from the European masters. PSYOPS was less successful in their personal and insulting attacks on the Allied forces and their military. Use of terrible grammar made the leaflets a laughing-stock to the Allied armies, a reminder that a good translator and current usage of the vernacular in propaganda text is key.
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COLD WAR “Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.” Nikita Khruschchev, 1956. The separation of white ‘propaganda’ conducted by civilian diplomatic and strategic agencies such as the USIA, covert propaganda conducted by the intelligence agencies and overt psychological warfare at the tactical level conducted by the military had been institutionalised. The Cold War was a war of words. The United States and the Soviet Union both used propaganda extensively during the Cold War. Both sides used film, television, and radio programming to influence their own citizens, each other, and Third World nations. The US Information Agency operated the Voice of America as an official government station. Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, which were in part supported by the CIA, provided grey propaganda in news and entertainment programs to Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union respectively. The Soviet Union's official government station, Radio Moscow, broadcast white propaganda, while Radio Peace and Freedom broadcast grey propaganda. Both sides also broadcast black propaganda programs in periods of special crises. When describing life in capitalist countries, in the US in particular, propaganda focused on social issues such as poverty and anti-union action by the government. Workers in capitalist countries were portrayed as "ideologically close". Propaganda claimed rich people from the US derived their income from weapons manufacturing, and claimed that there was substantial racism or neo-fascism in the US. When describing life in Communist countries, western propaganda sought to depict an image of a citizenry held captive by governments that brainwash them. The West also created a fear of the East, by depicting an aggressive Soviet Union. Both sides disseminated propaganda leaflets during the cold war urging recipients to listen to the sender's radio broadcast.
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GULF WAR – 1991 DESERT STORM "PSYOP...was a great threat to troop morale, second only to the coalition bombing campaign.“ An Iraqi General, 1991 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 were disseminated, reaching approximately 98% of the 300,000 troops. 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 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. Other indicators of success of the PSYOP mission during the Gulf War: Extensive Iraqi concerns about Kuwait airspace penetration prior to hostilities generated by leaflet operations. In fact, the US Coalition aircraft never penetrated Kuwait/Iraqi airspace until after the beginning of hostilities; repositioning of Iraqi units based on U.S. deception leaflet operations; the Iraqi III Corps commander's 20' x 30' sand table found in Kuwait City depicting virtually all enemy (coalition) avenues of approach coming from the sea; the massive numbers of Iraqi desertions (over 44 percent of Iraqi units in the Kuwait Theater of Operations) prior to and during the war; Iraqi leaflet and information campaigns to counter coalition leaflet operations and confiscation of their soldiers' personal radios; Iraqi chain of command reports to their soldiers that coalition leaflets were contaminated by chemical agents; The Iraqi command confiscated their soldiers' personal radios. Presumably they were listening to U.S. propaganda broadcasts. Iraqi prohibitions against carrying or having a coalition leaflet and Iraqi death squads operating between the Iraqi and coalition fronts to stop and assassinate defecting Iraqi soldiers; Iraqi EPW reports of listening to coalition broadcasts for "true" programming; Iraqi "Mother of All Battles" broadcasts changing frequencies to counter coalition broadcasts, and the jamming of the "Voice of the Gulf'; Ninety-eight percent of all EPWs having seen or possessed PSYOP leaflets and taken the action the leaflets encouraged - e.g., deserting, defecting, abandoning equipment, or surrendering; Fifty-eight percent of all enemy prisoners of war reported listening to coalition broadcasts and said they trusted them as truthful. Eighty percent of those followed the instructions encouraged by the broadcast. Thirty-four percent of all enemy prisoners of war reported hearing loudspeaker broadcasts, and more than half of those followed the broadcasts' instructions. Tidal Wave of Marines This elaborately illustrated Gulf War PSYOP leaflet portrays a giant wave as a knife-wielding, war-ready, US Marine. Twelve thousand copies of the leaflet were placed in sealed bottles and dumped off the Kuwait coastline by a smuggler from the United Arab Emirates. Copies of this leaflet were also disseminated by F-16 air dropped leaflet bombs. This deception launched just days before the ground war played the Iraqi fear of an amphibious attack by the United States. As a result, this leaflet is credited with convincing the Iraqis to reorient their defenses in the wrong direction against Kuwait's coastline. In actuality, the allied attack came from the south and west along Iraq's border with Saudi Arabia.
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GULF WAR – 1991 IRAQI EFFORTS
The PSYOP themes used by Iraq to bolster their own forces during the Gulf War and also gain the support of other Arab countries included: American soldiers behave wildly, defiling the holy places of Islam, and clashing with Saudi Civilians. America created Operation DESERT SHIELD and Operation DESERT STORM as an excuse to come to the Arab region to prop up corrupt Arab rulers. America wanted war as an excuse to steal Arab oil. American soldiers were all addicted to wine, women and song and openly violate Arab morals. The morale of American soldiers was very low and they would not be able to stand the rigors of the desert. American soldiers are afraid of the well trained Iraqi Army who is well trained thanks to their 10 year war with Iran. American soldiers will break and run once they face the might of the Iraqi Army. Iraq began offensive PSYOP program developing leaflets and a radio program which started broadcasting thru it's National Radio and other relays in early August 1990 shortly after the arrival of the 82nd Airborne Division. 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 behaviour 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.
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OPERATIONS OTHER THAN WAR
If they aren’t listening, then you aren’t PSYOPING.“ - Maj Kirsty McQuade, UK Army The post Gulf War era witnessed a series of international crises – in Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti and Kosovo – which all saw PSYOPS deployed in support of these military operations other than war. PSYOPS was seen as a genuinely useful tool in support of these operations, although the products – and even the philosophy behind them – was very different from the use of ‘traditional’ psychological warfare. The ‘CNN Effect’ forced policy makers into ‘doing something. As military forces were now increasingly interacting with civilians in such operations other than war, there was a need to communicate effectively with them if, for example, a peacekeeping mission was to succeed. A range of what might really be termed ‘public information’ or ‘information support’ rather than PSYOPS in the old sense was thus required, from mine awareness campaigns to assisting food relief distribution. The lines between PSYOPS, CIMIC and public affairs/public information became more blurred in practice than those clear delineations specified in doctrinal documents.
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
FRONT - ARABIC BACK - ENGLISH 12 Dec 2002 to 18 March Psychological Objectives of pre-OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PSYOPS mission: 1: Establish a radio listenership in Southern Iraq. 2: Undermine Iraqi military forces confidence in the ability of Saddam Hussein to maintain power in Iraq. 3: Degrade Saddam Hussein’s confidence in his ability to control Iraq. 4: Deter any use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in the Iraqi theater. Radio broadcasts from Kuwait, COMMANDO SOLO and American aircraft carriers in the littoral regions of the Iraqi coast as well as mass leaflet drops prepped the battle space for the American invasion and beginning of Operation Iraqi freedom. In the early days of OIF, Coalition Forces are responsible for dropping millions of leaflets daily. Themes of these drops ranged from “Stay in your homes”, non-interference themes directed at civilians to surrender appeals directed at Iraqi forces. The major difference between OIF and the 1990s Gulf War (OPERATION DESERT STORM) was the level of “preparation of the battle-space” prior to the invasion. Gulf War 1 saw weeks of aerial and artillery bombardment along with PSYOPS messaging prior to the invasion. This preparation led to Iraqi forces being hungry, sleep deprived and demoralized. OIF saw Coalition Forces invade the same day as hostilities beginning. Prior to the capture of Saddam Hussien and the fall of the Iraqi government, there was a counter propaganda plan in place which included the summery execution of Iraqi citizens and soldiers found to be in possession of Coalition PSYOPS products. Throughout OIF, American forces deployed Loudspeakers on a variety of vehicles ISO tactical operations. HMMWV, M1A1 Abrams MBT, M113 personnel carriers, UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and MK-11 Riverine Patrol Boats. In one case, a PSYOPS Team even deployed on a captured Iraqi motorcycle and sidecar. Other assets deployed ISO PSYOPS during OIF: Aircraft Carriers - on board printing presses producing 30,000 leaflets per hour. Also air dropping leaflets using F-18 and F-14 aircraft. Carrier groups also broadcasted radio into Iraq from the coastal regions. EC-130J COMMANDO SOLO II – PSYOPS Radio and TV, as well as air drop of leaflets. Radio stations set up within and without Iraq. TV stations. Contracted radio and TV spots. Light print – leaflets, handbills, posters etc.
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Blackwater ambush: Fallujah 2004
March Blackwater contractors are ambushed and killed in Fallujah 1 Apr Gen Mark Kimmitt promises “overwhelming response” to Blackwater deaths 3 April 1st Marine Expeditionary Force receives written command from JTF ordering offensive operations against Fallujah. Night of 4 Apr a major assault is launched to re-establish security in Fallujah 5 Apr the city is surrounded by 2000 troops Took over local radio station and handed out leafletes telling civilians to “remain in their homes” and help Iraqi forces identify the perpetrators of the Blackwater killings
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Fallujah 1: OP VIGILLANT RESOLVE: 4 Apr 2004
Marine Bttn Green Bridge Cordon 2000 troops H Marine Bttn After 5 days the US paused to allow 50,000 non-combatants to leave the city 10 April ceased offensive ops to allow HA to enter the city 6 weeks later the US handed over to the Fallujah Bde
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Fallujah 2: OP Phantom Fury
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Phase 1: Preparation and Shaping
PSYOPS effort begins Apr 04 Use of leaflets, radio broadcasts to evacuate non-combatants Integration and training ROC drills LOG prep Phase 1: Preparation and Shaping Train Station LOD: Train tracks EW Jolan Neighbourhood Green Bridge H Industrial district LOE: FRAN Euphrates River Pop:285,000 25 Km² 100+ Mosques 1-2 storey, concrete with perimeter walls and/or walls on the roof Askari Neighbourhood Jehaifi Neighbourhood
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Phase 2: Enhanced shaping
Aimed at containing the city EW attack Seizure of Fallujah Hospital Securing bridges and blocking positons Askari Neighbourhood H Jehaifi Neighbourhood Industrial district Euphrates River Jolan Neighbourhood Seized
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Phase 3: Decisive Operations
Army Cav 2nd Bttn 7th Regt Marines 1st Bttn 8th Regt 12,000 US Troops Marines 3rd Bttn 5th Regt Marines 1st Bttn 3rd Regt Marines 3rd Bttn 1st Regt Train Station Army Inf 2nd Bttn 2nd Regt PSYOPS LOD: Train tracks Jolan Neighbourhood Askari Neighbourhood Green Bridge Day one H Jehaifi Neighbourhood Industrial district Euphrates River Day two
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Promote a rapid transition to normality
Phase 4: Civil Affairs PSYOPS Jolan Neighbourhood Askari Neighbourhood Jehaifi Neighbourhood Industrial district Euphrates River Reconstruction CIMIC Removal of bodies HA Route Clearance Promote a rapid transition to normality
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LIBYA 2011 OP MOBILE Support to OP MOBILE (Libya 2011)
29 Jul ’11 CP 140 AURORA aircraft broadcasting non-interference messaging Libyan forces attempt jamming of broadcast Two way conversations between A/C and audience The Canadian broadcasts are relatively benign in comparison to some of the harsher messages NATO has aimed at Gadhafi’s troops, in which women’s voices are telling them to stop “killing the children.” The Canadian messages, in English, are read hourly during patrols along the Libyan coast over AM/FM frequencies that Libyans usually monitor. “For your safety return to your family and your home,” says the message, which can be heard over unencrypted frequencies the military uses to broadcast basic information. “The Gadhafi regime forces are violating United Nations resolution 1973. On at least one occasion last week, an Arabic sounding voice challenged the broadcasts. “Who are you talking to?” the voice asked. “Anyone who will listen,” replied the other voice who had read the message. Gadhafi’s regime has tried to jam the transmissions.
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EXAMPLE: TANK LIBYA
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PSYOPS MISTAKES Know your TA’s culture.
During WWII the Japanese forces had a well-earned reputation for fighting to the death. On island after island thousands died in "Banzai" charges or committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner. Under their rules of Bushido, if they surrendered they were disgraced and lost from their family and ancestors forever. Ignoring this cultural belief, the United States printed propaganda leaflets for the Japanese that said "I Surrender." They did not work. The Japanese troops continued to fight to the death. The Americans were not sure why leaflets that seemed to be so well written and illustrated had such poor results. After Filipino scouts were sent into the field to study the problem, the American PSYOP specialists constructed a leaflet with the words "I Cease Resistance." The change was minor, but to the Japanese the new wording meant a world of difference. One could cease resistance, pretend to be unconscious, or run out of ammunition and allow himself to be taken while never surrendering.
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PSYOPS MISTAKES Learn how to spell.
Good use of the enemy's language is key in propaganda. A misspelled word means disaster as the leaflet becomes not a destroyer of morale, but instead the butt of jokes, and with it the producer become a laughing stock with no credibility. A good example is German leaflet AW-25. This small crudely printed black and white leaflet depicts a beautiful woman on the telephone and the text, "Will you ever hear her sweat voice again?" The back depicts dead Allied soldiers and the text, "Life is short - Death is quicker!" The leaflet was dropped by the Germans on Allied troops around the Normandy beachhead in It was surely meant to make the soldier think of his beloved wife at home, but instead the word "sweat" in place of "sweet" made the leaflet valueless.
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psyops mistakes Make sure you identify things correctly.
De 1963 à 1967, l’armée britannique a combattu les terroristes communistes à Aden. Pendant cette période, elle a réalisé de nombreux tracts de propagande, dont une grande partie proposait de l’argent contre des armes. Le tract à gauche illustré d’une roquette contient le texte suivant en arabe : Voici une grenade à main. Si vous en trouvez une, prévenez les services de sécurité, et vous recevrez 25 dinars. Sur le tract au-dessus se trouve une grenade à main britannique « Mills 36 » accompagnée du texte erroné suivant en arabe : Voici une munition de bazooka. Si vous en apercevez une, prévenez les services de sécurité. Vous recevrez 50 dinars. Il est possible que l’auteur de cette erreur soit la personne qui a rédigé le texte, mais il est plus probable que l’imprimeur, ne sachant pas lire l’arabe, ait simplement inversé le texte de chaque tract. Make sure you identify things correctly.
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Psyops mistakes Coordinate and confirm all assets.
Dans la guerre psychologique moderne, l’une des armes favorites est l’aéronef muni de haut-parleurs. L’avantage de ce dispositif est que l’aéronef peut survoler l’ennemi, généralement sans craindre le tir de la plupart des armes légères, et diffuser un message OPSPSY impossible à censurer par les dirigeants ou les commissaires politiques adverses. En 1968, l’officier des OPSPSY de la 1st Australian Task Force et son état-major coordonnaient tous les aspects de la guerre psychologique associée à leur opération d’infanterie planifiée. Une mission de diffusion aérienne par haut-parleurs a été programmée après le début de l’opération et, à cette fin, un aéronef OPSPSY américain a été demandé et confirmé. L’officier des OPSPSY a dû ensuite se rendre par affaires à Vung Tau pour quelques jours. On a retardé l’opération d’une journée et déplacé toutes les mesures de coordination afin de tenir compte du nouveau calendrier. La seule activité qu’on a oublié d’annuler était la venue de l’aéronef OPSPSY américain de Bien Hoa. Le jour initialement prévu du début de l’opération, l’aéronef en question a survolé la zone d’opérations en diffusant le message sur l’opération en cours, menaçant les viêt-congs d’une mort prochaine et les appelant à se rendre. La véritable opération commençait le lendemain selon le nouveau calendrier, mais les viêt-congs avaient déjà quitté la zone. L’aéronef les avait prévenus de l’attaque par haut-parleur. Naturellement, l’armée étant ce qu’elle est, l’officier des OPSPSY (qui ne se trouvait même pas dans la ZO) a reçu le blâme, mais c’est en fait l’officier des opérations qui avait échoué dans son rôle de coordonnateur. Coordinate and confirm all assets.
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OFFERS PEACE AND PROSPERITY”
psyops mistakes Certains tracts distribués reproduisaient l’image d’une colombe, symbole de la paix. Nombre d’Afghans qui ne savaient pas lire et pour qui ce symbole n’était pas familier croyaient qu’il s’agissait d’une sorte de poulet et que le tract était un coupon leur donnant droit à une volaille ou à un repas offert gratuitement par le Partenariat des nations. TRANSLATION: “A UNITED AFGHANISTAN AFGHANISTAN OFFERS PEACE AND PROSPERITY” Pre test
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CANADIAN PSYOPS HISTORY
Mar 2002: Mandate given by the DCDS to CLS. Nov 2003: LFRR Master Implementation Plan signed by the CLS. Jan 2004: X reservists assigned to project. Apr 2004: Part-time PSYOPS trg started for 45 pers in SQFT. - PSTC designated COE. PSYOPS have long been conducted by Canadian Forces overseas, but not in any formal structure since the Second World War. In Bosnia, Haiti, Afghanistan and other theatres of operation, CF personnel have been deployed as small groups or individuals within existing multinational formations as PSYOPS or Information Operations (IO) enablers. In November 2003, the then Army Commander and former CDS, General (Ret’d) Hillier, signed the order to develop the Army's PSYOPS capability as part of Land Force Reserve Restructure. The capability was formally stood up in Montreal in April 2004.
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CANADIAN PSYOPS HISTORY CONT’D
Jul 2004: UK MPOC in Montreal Production skills training. Apr 2005: Dissociation of D PSYOPS from SQFT PSYOPS Coy. Jul 2005: First Canadian TPT and Analyst courses are given. Aug 2005: TPT deploys to Kandahar In order to develop the training program for Canadian PSYOPS, the CF and the British Army arranged to have their course brought to Canada. Personnel from the 15th UK PSYOPS Gp taught a two-week Military Psychological Operations (MPOC) course in Montreal, during the month of July The first Canadian-run PSYOPS courses were run in Jul 2005, and shortly thereafter, the first TPT deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in Aug 2005.
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CANADIAN PSYOPS HISTORY CONT’D
PSYOPS has engaged in support operations since initial deployment: PSYOPS supported OP MEDUSA in Aug of ’06 RANA FM begins broadcast in Kandahar City Dec ’06 RANA FM expansion throughout province in ’07 PSYOPS support to OP TOLO throughout ’09 RANA FM Shut down - closure of OP ATHENA ‘11 One of the first major contributions of PSYOPS to operations in Afghanistan was OP MEDUSA. SHAPING LEAFLET DROP During Phase 1, PSYOPS focused its assets to support the intelligence collection: our main effort was to force the Enemy into activating its command and control nodes and arms caches so that the sensors in place (Observation Post, UAV, surveillance radar, EW) could detect communications and identify accurately the location of enemy target to enable their destruction in the beginning of Phase 2. Due to the observed behaviour of the enemy during previous PSYOPS leaflet drops in support of Op MOUNTAIN THRUST (conducted under Operation Enduring Freedom in spring 06), we knew that the enemy reacted to our appeals for surrender and request for civilians to move to a safe area by expecting and imminent ground attack and thus calling their chain of command and arming themselves from their caches. So when the sensors were in position, RC(S) PSYOPS conducted three separate leaflet drop operation on suspected enemy objectives which the enemy reacted in accordance to its pattern, this enable the intelligence collectors to for a much better picture of the enemy disposition and key nodes and leaders, as well as the conduct of ground observation to confirm the absence of civilian life in proximity to enemy targets (a required element for their destruction). These leaflet drops served many purposes: Primarily, they made the enemy mass by providing a feint and enabled easier targetingtern; the messages themselves additionally demonstrated the Alliance’s dedication to minimizing human costs (civilian, friendly and even enemy) to the local audience and to the international audience (when reported as an operation by the public affairs) The leaflet drops also served a deception purpose, since they were spread over three days and three objective and created a pattern of leaflet drop quickly followed by recce probes, on D Day we were able to trick the enemy in preparing for an assault on the northern objective, when in fact the assault was aimed at the southern one. Measures of Effectiveness: High, the enemy did mass and activate its C2. --- Dec ’06 begins the longest (in recent memory) PSYOPS operation. Broadcasting live and recorded messaging and “edutainment” in Kandahar City and locals up until Jun of RANA FM’s broadcast format followed a radio wheel that was heavily populated with music popular with the local national target audience (males 15-25), during the “commercial breaks” RANA FM engaged in PSYOPS messaging following Canadian Forces and Coalition Forces (ISAF) mandates. RANA FM broadcast live 5 days a week for 12 hours a day with the evening broadcasts being recordings of the day’s broadcast. RANA FM engaged in “2 way” messaging, engaging it’s target audience in on air conversations through text message and on-air discussions. The discussions were not live, they were recorded and delayed long enough for translation to occur prior to the discussion being played on air (during breaks in music). RANA FM expansion took place throughout 2007, where RANA FM broadcast foot print was expanded to cover most of Kandahar Province by 2008. Operation Tolo (“sunrise” in Dari) is a nation wide operation, targeting specific population centres (outside of the major cities) for security, reconstruction and development. The intent of Op Tolo was to establish self sustaining security through reconstruction and development in the areas, which would lead to an “ink blot” effect on local area security. PSYOPS support to ISAF’s massive initiative known as Operation Tolo was embedded from the start. ISAF and Canadian TFK Comd elicited heavy PSYOPS participation in the operation from the initial planning stage through to the execution stage. From targeting to messaging, PSYOPS augmented and amplified the initiative of this “model village” program designed to create the very necessary ink blots of security on the map of Afghanistan. Canadian contribution to Operation Tolo was on-going (with a small pause in 2010) through to the end of Op Athena in Jun 2011.
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OP MEDUSA OVERALL CONCEPT OF OPS
Comd RC(S) decided to use a 4 phase operation to remove the threat from PASHMUL and therefore set the conditions for increased stability in the regional capital. Firstly, in phase 1, RC(S) planned to shape the battle space by gaining detailed intelligence with regard to the disposition of key C2 elements, weapons caches, and civilian patterns of life to enable their disruption in phase 2, using precision strikes by Close Air Support (CAS), Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) and direct action by special forces elements, which would enable the ground manoeuvre forces to clear the area, in phase 3, thus securing important route and allowing the return of displaced persons and the conduct of follow-on non-kinetic activities to gain the trust and support of the local populations and therefore deny this area to the Taliban. SHAPING LEAFLET DROP During Phase 1, PSYOPS focused its assets to support the intelligence collection: our main effort was to force the Enemy into activating its command and control nodes and arms caches so that the sensors in place (Observation Post, UAV, surveillance radar, EW) could detect communications and identify accurately the location of enemy target to enable their destruction in the beginning of Phase 2. Due to the observed behaviour of the enemy during previous PSYOPS leaflet drops in support of Op MOUNTAIN THRUST (conducted under Operation Enduring Freedom in spring 06), we knew that the enemy reacted to our appeals for surrender and request for civilians to move to a safe area by expecting and imminent ground attack and thus calling their chain of command and arming themselves from their caches. So when the sensors were in position, RC(S) PSYOPS conducted three separate leaflet drop operation on suspected enemy objectives which the enemy reacted in accordance to its pattern, this enable the intelligence collectors to for a much better picture of the enemy disposition and key nodes and leaders, as well as the conduct of ground observation to confirm the absence of civilian life in proximity to enemy targets (a required element for their destruction). These leaflet drops served many purposes: Primarily, they made the enemy mass by providing a feint and enabled easier targetingtern; the messages themselves additionally demonstrated the Alliance’s dedication to minimizing human costs (civilian, friendly and even enemy) to the local audience and to the international audience (when reported as an operation by the public affairs) The leaflet drops also served a deception purpose, since they were spread over three days and three objective and created a pattern of leaflet drop quickly followed by recce probes, on D Day we were able to trick the enemy in preparing for an assault on the northern objective, when in fact the assault was aimed at the southern one. Measures of Effectiveness: High, the enemy did mass and activate its C2. TACTICAL LOUDPSEAKER During Phase 2 and 3, whilst the engagement by manoeuvre forces on the ground began the TPT was used for flank protection by setting up an improvised checkpoint on Hwy 1 to isolate the objective from civilian presence. However, when the assault was slowed down because the crossing of the ARGHANDAB required engineering assets not available, the TPT moved to a loudspeaker broadcasting location on the high feature SOUTH of the Objective and was able to harass the enemy with loud heavy rock music and pre-recorded sound effects (helicopter, artillery, firefights), denying him the possibility to rest and reconstitute during the delay imposed by the pause in battle, during which they were also appealed to surrender, once again maximizing the Alliance’s dedication to minimizing the loss of life and demonstrating plainly the the Taliban were on the loosing side. The use of music and sound effect was synchronized with fires and CAS to maintain a constant state of panic on the objective, gradually weakening the enemy and de-sensitizing him to the sound environment. When came the time to launch the assault across the river the sound from the loudspeaker, now considered part of the normal environment by the Enemy, was used to mask the movement of the vehicles without raising the enemy’s suspicion. Thus the manoeuvre forces were able to manoeuvre unheard to a flanking position and managed to surprise the enemy. Measures of Effectiveness: High, enemy was surprised by the assault and offered little resistance to the flanking manoeuvre. FACE-TO-FACE AND MASS MEDIA EXPLOITATION During Phase 4, after the enemy forces had been rooted out of the area, PSYOPS assets such as host nation radio messaging and loudspeaker broadcasts were used to delay the return of the battle displaced person to the area until it had been fully cleared by counter-IED specialist, given that an extremely large number of devices had been place by the Enemy, possibly to damage the Alliance’s victory by causing mass civilian casualties in a area declared clear. Tactical teams conducted a large number of face to face engagement to explain to the returning people what had happened and to ensure they knew how to detect and report IEDs. Concurrently the teams were able to start infusing trust into the local population and the start the gradual shifting of their allegiance in favour of the Government of Afghanistan. A team of Sada-e Azadi (ISAF controlled media), provided on the ground reporting to capture all the material assistance and reconstruction service provided in the wake of the operation and allowed for it to be promoted on radio, newspaper and TV, to demonstrate ISAF resolve, will and capabilities as well as its desire to help the people of Afghanistan reach a better future. Measures of Effectiveness: Medium, limited assets mean that only few people can be properly influenced.
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questions PSTC Template designed by Maj McQueen
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