Psychological Operations
Psychological operations are warfare strategies that convey selected information and indicators to targeted audiences to influence their emotions and behaviors. These techniques are increasingly becoming essential to contemporary warfare. The utilization of psychological operations is likely to increase in the foreseeable future as propaganda and other forms of information wars progressively take the center stage in today’s wars. The analysis indicates that, if well appropriated, psychological operations can boost the efficacy of a country’s strategic, operational, and tactical plans by reducing an adversary’s morale as well as the will to fight.
Definition and Importance
Psychological operations refer to strategies that implement propaganda and other information war tactics to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors of opposition groups. These operations are essential because they help combatant groups to convey selected information to targeted publics to impact adversaries’ emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately their behaviors (Robinson, Helmus, Cohen, Nader, Radin, Magnuson, & Migacheva, 2018). They are, ordinarily, used in support of special operations, conventional warfare, as well as counterinsurgency operations. If well implemented, therefore, these tactics disenchant the enemy, effectively reducing their capability and will to fight.
Evolution and Use
Psychological operations techniques have evolved over time from the use of word of mouth to today’s complex cyberwars. The ancient Cyrus the Great, for example, planted rumors of an impending large invasion to inspire fear and later conquer Babylon (Robinson et al., 2018). During the American Revolution, the tactic evolved from the use of the simple word of mouth to include the printing and distribution of pamphlets and leaflets to strengthen the British-American colonists’ will to fight (Robinson et al., 2018). Today, military institutions and insurgent groups are using radios, elaborate websites, and social media platforms to influence their publics. Advancements in modern telecommunication capabilities have, therefore, revolutionized psychological operations, opening up a wide range of possibilities.
The use of propaganda in warfare has grown significantly over the past century. One of its successful utilization is in Iraq when the U.S Army dropped thousands leaflets urging the Iraqi citizens not to fight for Saddam Hussein (Paul, Clarke, Schwille, Hlavka, Brown, Davenport, Porche, & Harding, 2018). ISIS and Hezbollah have also gained recognition in the past few years for their successful deployment of these tactics to bolster support on the ground (Clarke, 2017). While it has been used successfully by both the terrorists and military institutions around the world, there are instances where these techniques have been ineffective. An example of an unsuccessful attempt is when the U.S. forces used psychological warfare during the Vietnam War (Paul et al., 2018). Language barrier as well as the significant control the Viet Cong had over the residents made it difficult for the U.S. forces to influence the morale of its adversary. The technique ultimately backfired and even sparked an anti-war rhetoric at home. Psychological operations are, therefore, incredibly effective in influencing targeted audiences if well designed and implemented.
Psychological operations entail the use of propaganda and other information war techniques to influence an adversary’s psyche. These tactics are important because they can help a group to gain significant psychological advantage over an enemy. Psychological operations strategies have changed with time to mirror the advancements in communication techniques. Today, combatant groups are using their incredible cyber capabilities to influence their target audiences. Given the growing prominence of propaganda in contemporary warfare, psychological operations are likely to become a regular and mainstream part of military strategy in the foreseeable future. Additionally, given the proliferation of technological devices, improved internet penetration, and the growing youthful population around the world, the bulk of the psychological operations interventions are likely to be implemented online in the future. If well designed, psychological operations will contribute more to the outcomes of conflicts than they are right now.