Unifying Physical and Psychological Impact During Operations

Summary

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The collective impact of words, images, and implied messages (inherent in the chosen action) has to be carefully weighed. Since action is the strongest form of communications, the most potent voice to carry the basic message should lead off.

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Unifying Physical and Psychological Impact During Operations

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE is to expand on some key ideas raised, but not fully developed, in my November/December 2008 Military Review article entitled "Re-Thinking IO: Complex Operations in the Information Age." That piece makes the argument that the core competencies of information operations (10) are far less integrated and effectively employed than they should be. Psychological operations (PSYOP) and military deception (MILDEC) are two vitally important elements that are especially ineffective today because of the way we organize ourselves to use them.

Logic and experience suggest it will be more important to pursue three ever-present, but practical, mission needs than to pursue the grander, doctrinal, but over-ambitious task of achieving "information superiority" to "influence, disrupt, corrupt," and so on. These needs are:

* Win the psychological contest with current and potential adversaries.

* Keep the trust and confidence of home and allied populations while gaining the confidence and support of the local one.

* Win the operational and strategic, cognitive and technical "informationage applications" contest with current or potential adversaries.

It will be necessary to integrate core capabilities for meeting these needs into a combined arms pursuit of multiple objectives (rather than, as aforementioned, pursuing one separate IO LLO). As my earlier article notes:

Effective application already also requires expertise in very different disciplines. It will become even more important to reorganize IO capabilities into groupings for staff oversight that share common functional purposes, causal logic, and art- and science-based competencies. Leaving the collection of IO tools under the oversight of one staff officer has become an untenable option, and proper preparation and educatio...

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