CL: CONFIDENTIAL
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius
Intel of Note
Psychological Operations
Your mind is the most valuable tool in your arsenal, don't let others use it for their benefit
Information that is presented to an individual or group of individuals will always come with a natural bias towards the presenter’s particular worldview. Normally this bias is detectable and sometimes even put on display by the origin of the message. However, when these biases are actively suppressed in order to conceal the intent of the message or the identity of its sender this conveyance of information can stray into the realm of Psychological Operations or PSYOPs.
What are PSYOPs?
The Joint Chiefs of Staff define Psychological Warfare as the employment of "any weapon to influence the mind of the enemy." The Department of Defense defines them as "The planned use of propaganda and other psychological actions having the primary purpose of influencing the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of hostile foreign groups in such a way as to support the achievement of national objectives."
With these two definitions, we can deduce that PSYOPs are operations that are designed to influence the "hearts and minds" of other humans towards the objectives of the influencer. This influence is facilitated by either overt or covert means.
Advertisements and the way companies tailor them to target specific audiences can be viewed as a form of psychological warfare in that most ads have been developed to invoke specific responses in the mind of the one being advertised in order to get that individual to buy whatever is being advertised. This can be observed in the real world by listening to the difference between a McDonald's ad on a Pop station vs one on a Rap station.
Countering PSYOPs
PSYOPs are increasingly being utilized outside of warfare where they were originally developed. In the ever-expanding, contested & connected information space, adversaries from anywhere on the planet can engage in information warfare against a target who is located in their town or in another continent. It is crucial to understand how modern PSYOPs are conducted in order to effectively guard against them.
3 types of Propaganda
White - White Propaganda does not hide its intentions or the source.
Grey - Grey Propaganda utilizes selective omission and emphasis of key points of information based upon a previously held bias. This type of propaganda is most truthful in that it contains no information that can easily be proven incorrect. No sources are identified.
Black - Black Propaganda is actively trying to deceive the recipient of the information. The source is actively concealed.
Valuable Skills
The U.S. Army considers the following skills when selecting soldiers for their PSYOP Units, why do you think they require these specific skills?
Critical Thinking
Adaptability
Mental Resilience
Commando Solo - PSYOPs in action
An example of modern PSYOPs can be found in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, specifically the 193rd Special Operations Wing that flies missions on behalf of Air Force Special Operations Command or AFSOC. The 193rd operates the EC-130J, a heavily modified version of the C-130 cargo plane. The EC-130J, known as the Commando Solo, is essentially a flying radio and TV station with the capability to override the signals emitting from stations on the ground. According to the USAF, there are 3 EC-130Js currently being used by the Air National Guard. These aircraft and their predecessors have been utilized in both relief and combat operations.
Here are two different Twitter threads (featuring yours truly) showing EC-130J registration 98-1932 (AE0257) conducting operations out of Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) just a few weeks ago.
Tool of the Month
Going forward each month one of the newsletters will be featuring a useful tool in lieu of intel. This will potentially be accompanied by a longer-than-usual post within the Intel of Note section.
Obsidian
As previously stated in a past briefing knowledge work is a growing segment of the job market with a definition so broad almost any employee of any company can be considered a knowledge worker. Because of this individuals will need effective tools and systems to manage that knowledge. The software chosen for the role of a Personal Knowledge Management or PKM tool is Obsidian. Anything said about Obsidian will not do the software justice, for that reason, it is best to download it if you feel that it could be of use to your operations and to just explore it and the community that surrounds it.
Emerging Trends
Warp Bubbles - Researchers funded by DARPA have "accidentally" made a warp bubble. This is most likely a form of controlled dissemination as we approach the "Space Age," similar in nature to what's going on in the realm of UAPs.