[iwar] [fc:Psyops.troops.poised.to.wage.war.of.the.mindı]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-03 17:55:55


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Subject: [iwar] [fc:Psyops.troops.poised.to.wage.war.of.the.mindı]
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Psyops troops poised to wage Œwar of the mindı

By Andrea Stone
USA Today 

Among the U.S.  special-operations forces massing along the border of
Afghanistan are a small cadre of troops whose mission is not to capture
bodies as much as hearts and minds. 

In this new war on terrorism, specialists in psychological operations ‹
or ³psyops² ‹ will use old methods of persuasion to influence the
behavior and emotions of enemy forces and hostile civilians in
Afghanistan. 

Armed with mobile broadcast stations, leaflets and loudspeakers, these
information warriors will seek to demoralize and strike fear in the
Taliban while bucking up Afghan refugees and reassuring them that bin
Laden, not the United States, is their real enemy. 

To get the message out, the 193rd Special Operations Wing in Harrisburg,
Pa., has been deployed.  The Air National Guard unit flies six EC-130E
³Commando Solo² aircraft, which are airborne broadcast stations that can
monitor and jam electronic transmissions.  A spokesman declined to say
where they are, but they are likely at air bases in Afghanistanıs
neighbors Uzbekistan or Tajikistan. 

Analysts say it is almost certain that soldiers from the 4th
Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., which operates
Commando Soloıs radio and TV equipment, have been sent to the region. 
The groupıs 1,200 active-duty members are among 5,000 psyop soldiers in
the Army.  The remaining 76 percent are reservists who have not been
called up, military officials say. 

³The information campaign is very important both strategically and with
respect to Afghanistan,² says William Nash, a retired Army two-star
general at the Council on Foreign Relations.  ³We need to talk directly
to the Afghan people.²

Strategically, the Pentagonıs tight-lipped policy about its plans is
part of a global psyops war to deny bin Laden and his Taliban hosts any
clues as to when, where or how U.S.  forces will strike.  But on a
tactical level, the military will be eager to get its side of the story
to Afghan fighters and civilians. 

³Psyops are more critical now because itıs an information war,² says
Edward Rouse, a former Army psyops officer.  In a conflict in which no
shots have yet been fired, ³this becomes more of a war of the mind than
a war of the body.²

Advocates of psyops chafe at what they say is an unfair reputation for
spreading propaganda.  Prohibited by U.S.  law from trying to influence
Americans, psyops soldiers say they share facts with foreigners and
market democracy and the American way of life to them.  ³The very
essence of any kind of psychological operation is telling the truth,²
Nash says. 

Like all special-operations missions, psyops are veiled in secrecy.  But
psyops veterans say past wars point to the kinds of methods and messages
the Army is likely to use in Central Asia.  It will be a two-pronged
approach aimed at two audiences: civilians and Taliban fighters. 

³We will use divide-and-conquer leaflets that attempt to separate the
people from the Taliban,² says Herb Friedman, a retired Army psyops
soldier. 

Whether through radio broadcasts, leaflets or bullhorns, U.S.  forces
will try to ³make it clear this is not a war against the Afghan people,
that this is a war against bin Laden,² says James Phillips, a Middle
East and terrorism expert at the Heritage Foundation.  ³We could exploit
existing cleavages² by targeting Taliban commanders whose loyalties stem
more from bribes than ideology by promising them payoffs or a role in a
future Afghan government, he says. 

Broadcasts and written materials will be tailored and tested with
Afghan-Americans before they are used.  ³The worst thing we could do is
throw out a message that would anger them even more,² Rouse says.  He
says comparing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and Hitler backfired during
the Gulf War in 1991.  Thatıs because the enemies of Hitlerıs occupation
of Europe 60 years ago ‹ Britain, France and Jews ‹ were seen as
occupying powers in the Middle East. 

Cultural sensitivities are crucial, Friedman says.  He expects messages
to appeal to Afghansı Muslim beliefs.  ³There will be religious leaflets
taking various phrases from the Quran that speak of peace and not
killing oneıs neighbors,² he predicts.  ³There will be photographs of
dead women and children and the question ŒIs this what Allah teaches?ı ³

The largest audience may be refugees fleeing Afghanistan in advance of
an expected U.S.  strike.  Psyops soldiers will likely spread the word
that food being distributed by relief organizations to prevent
widespread famine was paid for by the United States. 

How effective is psyops in turning adversaries into allies? ³The trick
is to convince the people of Afghanistan or the Taliban that theyıre
going to lose the war,² Friedman says. 

Fiona Hill, a Central Asia analyst at the Brookings Institution, is
skeptical about using psyops in Afghanistan because most of the people
will be heading toward refugee camps, she says.  ³There will be a big
problem of establishing communication with the populations.  They arenıt
highly literate, theyıre scattered, thereıs little power and few people
have access to a radio.²

Despite such obstacles, analysts say itıs worth trying to win Afghans
over with words rather than weapons.  Rouse says, ³Psyops is a humane
weapon because it can prevent death on both sides

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