Psychological Operations (WarGames)

Psychological operations (United States)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United States Psychological Operations


Active
Country United States
Allegiance Federal
Part of Active Army - U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)
Reserve Army - U.S. Army Civil Affairs Psychological Operations Command(USACAPOC)
Navy -
Air Force -
Colors Army - Bottle Green
Insignia
Identification
symbol Army - Trojan Horse, Chess Knight

The purpose of United States psychological operations (PSYOP) is to induce or reinforce attitudes and behaviors favorable to U.S. objectives. In the United States Department of Defense, Psychological Operations units exist in the Army and Air Force[citation needed]. The United States Navy also plans and executes limited PSYOP missions.[citation needed]

Unlike some countries, United States PSYOP units and soldiers of all branches of the military are prohibited by law from conducting PSYOP missions on domestic audiences.[citation needed] While PSYOP soldiers may offer non-PSYOP related support to domestic military missions , PSYOP can only target foreign audiences. Though, it is worth noting that this does not rule out PSYOP targeting foreign audiences of allied nations. Additionally, in the Information Operations Roadmap made public January 2006 but originally approved by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in October 2003, it stated "information intended for foreign audiences, including public diplomacy and PSYOP, increasingly is consumed by our domestic audience and vice-versa."[1]

Within the U.S. Psychological Operations community, PSYOPS is generally considered to be an incorrect abbreviation. The correct abbreviation is PSYOP.



Until recently, the Army's Psychological Operations elements were administratively organized alongside Civil Affairs to form the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC), forming a part of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). However, in May 2006 USCAPOC was reorganized to instead fall under the Army reserve command, and all active duty PSYOP elements were placed directly into USASOC. While reserve PSYOP forces no longer belong to USASOC, that command retains control of PSYOP doctrine. Operationally, PSYOP individuals and organizations support Army and Joint maneuver forces or interagency organizations.

Army Psychological Operations support operations ranging from strategic planning down to tactical employment.
Left: US Special Operations Command (USASOC) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI). Worn by soldiers in any active-duty PSYOP unit. Center: US Army Civil Affairs Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) SSI. Worn by soldiers in any reserve PSYOP unit. Right: US Army 1st Special Operation Command SSI (obsolete). Formerly the SSI worn by all PSYOP soldiers.
Left: US Special Operations Command (USASOC) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI). Worn by soldiers in any active-duty PSYOP unit. Center: US Army Civil Affairs Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) SSI. Worn by soldiers in any reserve PSYOP unit. Right: US Army 1st Special Operation Command SSI (obsolete). Formerly the SSI worn by all PSYOP soldiers.

PSYOP Support Elements generally support Corps sized elements. Tactical Psychological Operations Companies typically support Division sized elements, with Tactical Control through G-3. Brigades are typically supported by a Tactical PSYOP Detachment. The PSYOP Commander maintains Operational Control of PSYOP elements, advises the Commander and General Staff on the psychological battlespace.

The smallest organizational PSYOP element is the Tactical PSYOP Team (TPT). A TPT generally consists of a PSYOP team chief (Staff Sergeant or Sergeant), an assistant team chief (Sergeant or Specialist), and an additional soldier to serve as a gunner and to operate the speaker system (Specialist). A team is equipped with a Humvee fitted with a loud speaker, and often works with a local translator indigenous to the host or occupied country.

Generally, each maneuver battalion-sized element in a theater of war or operational area has at least one TPT attached to it. While in the Army women are allowed to hold the psychological operations occupational specialty, they are not allowed to serve on TPTs in a war zone due to a PSYOP team's high chance of contact with the enemy (with exceptions sometimes being made).
U.S. Army PSYOP branch insignia and regimental crest.
U.S. Army PSYOP branch insignia and regimental crest.

PSYOP soldiers are required to complete nine weeks of Basic Combat Training. After basic training (BCT), the active duty-component PSYOP Soldier is then required to attend Airborne training. All enlisted PSYOP Soldiers report to Fort Bragg to complete the 16-week Psychological Operation Advanced Individual Training (AIT) course. Sometime after initial training, PSYOP Soldiers will spend up to a year (or perhaps more for specific languages) in foreign language qualification training. Certain reserve soldiers serving in units designated as Airborne are also required to attend Airborne training, while language training and Airborne qualification for PSYOP Soldiers assigned to non-Airborne units is awarded on a merit and need basis.


Army Units

There are only three known Psychological Operations Groups in the Army: the 2d, 4th, and 7th. 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) is the only active duty PSYOP element in the United States Army, constituting 26 percent of all U.S. Army Psychological Operations units. The remaining 74 percent is split between the 2nd and 7th Psychological Operations Groups in the Army Reserve.


[edit] 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne)
Distinguished Unit Insignia (DUI) for the 4th POG (A)
Distinguished Unit Insignia (DUI) for the 4th POG (A)

The 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) (4th PSYOP Group (A) or 4th POG) is based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home of the United States Army Special Operations Command. 4th POG was constituted 7 November 1967 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Psychological Operations Group. Activated 1 December 1967 in Vietnam. Inactivated 2 October 1971 at Fort Lewis, Washington. Activated 13 September 1972 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Campaign participation credits include:

Vietnam: Counteroffensive, Phase III; Tet Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase IV; Counteroffensive, Phase V; Counteroffensive, Phase VI; Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Counteroffensive, Phase VII; Consolidation I

Armed Forces Expeditions: Grenada

Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

4th POG currently consists of a Headquarters Company, four Strategic PSYOP Battalions (or POBs), one Tactical PSYOP Battalion, and one PSYOP Dissemination Battalion. The four Strategic PSYOP Battalions are regionally oriented and support the Regional Combatant Commands in the planning and production of PSYOP programs:




Global War on Terrorism

U.S. Psychological Operations have been widespread during the Global War on Terrorism.

[edit] Afghanistan Burning Bodies Incident

An incident involving U.S. PSYOP soldiers occurred when enemy bodies were burned in Afghanistan and filmed by freelance journalist Stephen Dupont. Dupont reported that the PSYOP soldiers claimed the bodies were to be burned due to hygiene concerns [2]. The decision by a Tactical PSYOP Team with the 173rd Airborne to burn the bodies in public to try and lure enemy fighters to attack led to the soldiers and their commander being reprimanded and reassigned [3].

During the War on Terror U.S. PSYOP teams often broadcast abrasive messages over loudspeakers to try tempting enemy fighters into a direct confrontation where the Americans have the upper hand. Other times, they use their loudspeaker to convince enemy soldiers to surrender. In the Afghanistan incident, a PSYOP sergeant broadcast the following message to the Taliban:

Attention, Taliban, you are all cowardly dogs. You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burned. You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be.

Another soldier stated:

You attack and run away like women. You call yourself Talibs but you are a disgrace to the Muslim religion and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are.

However, according to the Army Times, the SBS broadcast did not include audio of the soldiers broadcasting the message. [4]

U. S. authorities were to investigate the incident which may have contravened the Geneva convention. [5]

The PSYOP soldiers that were responsible for these acts were trying harass the enemy, a common practice used by PSYOP teams in the past and widely-publicized during its employment in the 2004 battle for Fallujah.