PSYOP REGIMENTAL EVENTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS
7th PSYOP Group Military Ball and Change of Command
The 7th PSYOP Group Ball was held on 22 June 2024 at the Cabana Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto, California. The Ball was hosted by outgoing 7th POG CDR, COL D. Scotty Lene.
The Ball was well attended by guests from throughout the PSYOP Community including the other active and reserve PSYOP Groups as well as personnel from the new PSYWAR School and PSYOP Doctrine Department at Fort Liberty, NC.
The guest Speaker was Ms. Jessie Graff, stunt woman and Ninja Warrior.
(See: https://www.instagram.com/jessiegraffpwr/?hl=en)
The Ball also commemorated the 80th Anniversary of the 14th Psychological Operations BN.
History Highlights of the 14th PSYOP BN
Constituted 24 December 1943 in the Army of the U.S. as the 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company.
Activated 19 December 1943 at Camp Ritchie, Maryland
Inactivated 25 November in Luxembourg
Redesignated 19 November 1954 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 14th Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Battalion
Activated 20 January 1955 at Fort Shafter, HI
Reorganized and redesignated 15 March 1961 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 14th Psychological Warfare Battalion.
Reorganized and redesignated 20 October 1965 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 14th Psychological Operations Battalion.
Inactivated 30 June 1974 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Redesignated 30 October 1975 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 14th Psychological Operations Battalion; concurrently withdrawn from the Regular Army, alloted to the Army Reserve, and activated at Mountain View, CA
Source: https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/psyop/014psbn.htm
COL D. Scotty Lene turned over the 7th Group’s Command to COL Gregory B. Baugh at the Change of Command for the 7th POG was held at Moffett Federal Airfield, CA at 1000 on 23 June officiated by BG Brian Horton, Commanding General, 351st Civil Affairs Command.
Watch the official change of command at: https://youtu.be/QKUU9BV76Hg
PSYOP NEWS - JUNE 2024
20 June 24
Un chief warns of ‘cyber mercenaries’ amid spike in weaponising digital tools
At a Security Council high-level debate on evolving threats in cyberspace, convened by the Republic of Korea, Council President for June, Mr. Guterres underscored the transformative power of digital technologies.
“Breakthroughs in digital technologies are happening at warp speed; digital advances are revolutionising economies and societies,” he said.
“They are bringing people together, providing citizens with access to government services and institutions and supercharging economies, trade and financial inclusion.”
However, he cautioned that the seamless and instant connectivity that fuels these benefits also makes people, institutions and countries vulnerable.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1151266
19 June 24
Chinese military’s rifle-toting robot dogs raise concerns in Congress
Congress is worried that robot dogs with machine guns will be bounding onto the battlefield in the near future.
During last week’s debate over the annual defense authorization bill, House lawmakers inserted language in the massive military policy measure to require a new assessment from the Defense Department on “the threat of rifle-toting robot dogs used by China” in potential future conflicts.
The issue has gained public attention in recent weeks after Chinese military officials showed off armed robotic quadrupeds during recent military drills with Cambodia.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/06/19/chinese-militarys-rifle-toting-robot-dogs-raise-concerns-in-congress/
18 June 24
Four lessons on sea denial from the Black and Red seas
In the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 2024, six Ukrainian sea drones destroyed the Russian missile ship Ivanovets in the Black Sea. The day prior, 2,000 miles away in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy destroyer Carney successfully shot down three Iranian drones and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Houthi forces.
Two events, disparate in geopolitical context, present evidence that land-based maritime forces play a decisive role in naval operations. It does not take an act of imagination to see how the U.S. Marine Corps, the world’s foremost land-based maritime force, operating with a suite of high-end anti-ship weapons and uncrewed systems, would prove instrumental in a sea-denial campaign.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2024/06/18/four-lessons-on-sea-denial-from-the-black-and-red-seas/
13 June 24
65 countries affected by Houthi attacks in Red Sea, including Iran: US Intelligence
BEIRUT — Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi group in the Red Sea have affected the interests of 65 countries and 29 major energy and shipping firms, according to a new report issued by the US Defense Intelligence Agency today.
The Yemen-based group publicly has said it is targeting Israel-linked ships in response to Jerusalem’s strikes in Gaza, but the report says “many of their attacks […] have been against civilian ships with either tenuous or no known Israeli affiliations or port calls.” The report says dozens of countries have been caught in the crossfire, including the United States, Britain, Turkey, Russia, China, Qatar and the Houthis main purported benefactor, Iran.
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/06/65-countries-affected-by-houthi-attacks-in-red-sea-including-iran-defense-intelligence/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_kt0v3D8JOHN7QxOiLSrWJQ0plfKBlKKQPJH73E0Sx4xwNAP5EBIQIwfcRHbSz_xpGVvgEt-v5DkFc_o6gW4wzx_IdxA&_hsmi=311535913&utm_content=311535913&utm_source=hs_email
13 June 24
Why a unit in Israel’s IDF purported used a medieval trebuchet against Hezbollah
A short six-second video showing soldiers using what appeared to be a type of medieval trebuchet in northern Israel went viral online today, prompting questions about what the centuries-old contraption was meant to be doing while Israel is embroiled in large-scale combat operations in Gaza and trading strikes with Hezbollah at the Lebanese border.
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/06/why-a-unit-in-israels-idf-purportedly-used-a-medieval-trebuchet-against-hezbollah/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9zqebul2-zoUgolxFvb01MO4Eoumzc-Xd-b_6JMzy2WCEiEUrkWTRUldfED4heXm5aiE2t66d__Avwt8d4NRZusnZNEg&_hsmi=311535913&utm_content=311535913&utm_source=hs_email
10 June 24
Another battlefield: Telegram asa digital front in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In the more than two years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, no platform has expanded its role in helping the outside world to understand the Russian perspective on the war more than Telegram. Launched by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov in 2013, the messaging platform rapidly grew in popularity, eventually gaining primacy in Russian social media discourse. Its influence was solidified in the first months of the war, as the Kremlin cracked down on Western social media platforms while continuing to tolerate Telegram and utilize it for its own purposes. This has propelled Telegram into one of the last remaining windows for observing and understanding Russian thinking about the war, from the general public to the Kremlin itself.
https://dfrlab.org/2024/06/10/another-battlefield-russian-telegram/
10 June 24
The US and Poland Sign Mou to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulationn
Today, U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Global Engagement Center James P. Rubin and Polish Foreign Minister’s Plenipotentiary for Countering International Disinformation Tomasz Chłoń signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Poland on countering foreign state information manipulation.
This MOU signifies the sense of urgency both the United States and Poland place on increasing efforts to jointly counter foreign disinformation and propaganda by strengthening government and societal resiliency to its effects. Through this MOU, the United States and Poland intend to enhance information sharing on the threat posed by foreign information manipulation, expand capacity for counter-disinformation programming, and align government policies along the five key action areas established in the U.S. Department of State’s Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation.
https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-and-poland-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-to-counter-foreign-state-information-manipulation/
10 June 2024
U.S. Government PSYOP Needs to be Zeroed Out and Restarted Under Constitutional Principles
Special Operation Forces Week in Tampa is the premier gathering event for all things related to Special Operations. On May 9, 2024, at the most recent event in Tampa, there was a session on “Operations in the Information Environment (OIE) Symposium”. This title is simply another name for Psychological Operations (PSYOP).
Having been to the PSYOP Course at Ft. Bragg (now Ft. Liberty) in 1984, this panel caught my attention. The name, functional areas, doctrine and tactics have evolved a bit since PSYOP was first introduced in the 1950s to fight Soviet Communism that was on a post-World War II rampage to topple the Western System. The Doolittle Report, the founding strategy and document for the CIA roles and missions, emphasized the need for methodologies and capabilities to tell the American story and defeat the aggressive Soviet propaganda efforts. PSYOP was key to the early CIA and the nascent American military special operations community. It was quite effective in those early and heady days of a battle for survival against Communism.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/u-s-government-psyop-needs-be-zeroed-re/
5 June 24
Evolve or Die: Army Special Operations Integration As A Catalyst for Necessary Change
One of the most fundamental truths is that for any entity to thrive, it must be well suited to its surroundings. Should its environment change, an organism’s continued survival and reproduction is dependent on its ability to adapt in stride with these changes. Many species rewrite the rules of engagement to survive within a rapidly changing world, while the ones that don’t risk extinction. Facing the consequences of human overfishing and habitat degradation, orcas, for example, have ingeniously adapted their hunting techniques to the new environment. They now target great white sharks using swarm tactics and an uncanny knowledge of shark biology to stun their peer competitors. They have also developed other new tactics like sending waves onto icebergs, washing sea lions off the ice and into the ocean for an easier meal. In a critical period of crashing food populations in dynamic ecosystems, these maritime geniuses teach us an important lesson—you don’t assert your spot in the food chain by resisting necessary change.
https://mwi.westpoint.edu/evolve-or-die-army-special-operations-integration-as-a-catalyst-for-necessary-change/
3 June 24
Russia Is Targeting Germany With Fake Information as Europe Votes
A European Commission spokesperson says Russia is focusing on Germany more than any other EU country—and estimates the Kremlin is spending €1 billion on disinformation campaigns.
https://www.wired.com/story/european-union-elections-russia-germany-disinformation-campaigns/#:~:text=11%3A55%20AM-,Russia%20Is%20Targeting%20Germany%20With%20Fake%20Information%20as%20Europe%20Votes,1%20billion%20on%20disinformation%20campaigns
2 June 24
How Russia is trying to disrupt the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Russia is ramping up malign disinformation campaigns against France, French President Emmanuel Macron, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. While Russia has a decades-long history of targeting the Olympic Games, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed old tactics blending with artificial intelligence (AI) in malign activity that may intensify as the 2024 Paris Opening Ceremony approaches. These operations have two principal aims:
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2024/06/02/russia-cyber-bots-disinformation-2024-paris-olympics/
31 May 24 In a first, OpenAI removes influence operations tied to Russia, China and Israel
Online influence operations based in Russia, China, Iran, and Israel are using artificial intelligence in their efforts to manipulate the public, according to a new report from OpenAI.
Bad actors have used OpenAI’s tools, which include ChatGPT, to generate social media comments in multiple languages, make up names and bios for fake accounts, create cartoons and other images, and debug code.
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/g-s1-1670/openai-influence-operations-china-russia-israel
29 May 24
Once a Sheriff’s Deputy in Florida, Now a Source of Disinformation From Russia
A dozen years ago, John Mark Dougan, a former deputy sheriff in Palm Beach County, Fla., sent voters an email posing as a county commissioner, urging them to oppose the re-election of the county’s sheriff.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/business/mark-dougan-russia-disinformation.html?smid=url-share
29 May 2024
Army Reserve Soldiers train to influence the fight
JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany –
Psychological Operations Soldiers from the the U.S. Army Reserve conducted training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) near Hohenfels, Germany during Combined Resolve 24-2.
"Today we are in Uebungsdorf meeting with city officials, like the mayor and police chief, describing the current situation with refugees fleeing from the Donovian invasion," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Austin Walpole, noncommissioned officer-in-charge with the 325th Psychological Operations Detachment, an Army Reserve unit based in Nashville.
The exercise simulates an invasion of Germany by the fictional country of Donovia, including realistic second order effects of war like an influx of refugees, portrayed by local actors.
https://www.usar.army.mil/News/News-Display/Article/3789585/army-reserve-soldiers-train-to-influence-the-fight/
29 MAY 24
How the kremlin uses comics to glorify its war in Ukraine
War-themed comic books are being used by the Kremlin to sell its vision of the war in Ukraine to the youth.
During the first months following the start of invasion of Ukraine, a poll by the Russian state pollster suggested that young Russians were the least supportive of the war.
It now seems the Kremlin is taking steps to ensure that changes.
In April, the Russian defence and education ministries started distributing tens of thousands of comic books that praise the invasion of Ukraine in schools across Russia and Ukraine’s Russia-occupied territories.
According to the project’s official website, the goal is ultimately to supply these comics to every school under Russian control.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn00vnzv617o
28 May NSA Research Director on Duality of AI, Quantum Challenges
The U.S. government is continuing to invest in the advancement and implementation of critical and emerging technologies – such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum sciences – because they are key to both enabling economic prosperity and defending national security.
However, in an exclusive interview with MeriTalk, Gil Herrera, director of research at the National Security Agency (NSA), explained that because there is a duality to emerging technologies the complexity that they pose requires a balanced approach for development and deployment across the Federal government and beyond.
https://www.meritalk.com/articles/meritalk-interview-nsa-research-director-on-duality-of-ai-quantum-challenges/
24 May 24 The Role of Intelligence Agencies in Countering Russian Hybrid Threats in CEE (23 minute video) Institute of World Politics
Ms. Nathalie Vogel gives a lecture entitled The Role of Intelligence Agencies in Countering Russian Hybrid Threats in Central and Eastern Europe. This lecture is part of the 13th Annual Spring Symposium of the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies in honor of Lady Blanka Rosenstiel on the topic of "Crisis in the Intermarium: War in Ukraine and its Implications." Ms. Vogel is a Senior Research Fellow at The Institute of World Politics’ Center for Intermarium Studies, as well as a Senior Fellow at Prague-based European Values Center for Security Policy since 2016. Her research interests include the monitoring of hostile Chinese and Russian influence and disinformation campaigns in the German language info-space, the development of teaching modules in information warfare, and the briefing of allied governments, international organizations, and NGOs. She is also in charge of internal security, including the investigation of cyber incidents. Since 2019, Nathalie has been conducting successful advocacy campaigns against prominent cases of Russian lawfare involving abusive red notices and arrest warrants. Previously, she taught international relations at the University of Bonn, Germany. She has served as a project officer and consultant for youth and civil society at the NATO Office in Moscow where she conducted the information operation “NATO-Russia Rally” in 2006.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD_7c7Rw9Ec
24 May Marines say no more ‘death by PowerPoint’ as Corps overhauls education
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Marines and those who teach them will see more direct, problem-solving approaches to how they learn and far less “death by PowerPoint” as the Corps overhauls its education methods.
Decades of lecturers “foot stomping” material for Marines to learn, recall and regurgitate on a test before forgetting most of what they heard is being replaced by “outcomes-based” learning, a method that’s been in use in other fields but only recently brought into military training.
“Instead of teaching them what to think, we’re teaching them how to think,” said Col. Karl Arbogast, director of the policy and standards division at training and education command.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2024/05/24/marines-say-no-more-death-by-powerpoint-as-corps-overhauls-education/
23 May US Intelligence Agencies’ Embrace of Generative AI is at Once Wary and Urgent
Long before generative AI’s boom, a Silicon Valley firm contracted to collect and analyze non-classified data on illicit Chinese fentanyl trafficking made a compelling case for its embrace by U.S. intelligence agencies.
The operation’s results far exceeded human-only analysis, finding twice as many companies and 400% more people engaged in illegal or suspicious commerce in the deadly opioid.
Excited U.S. intelligence officials touted the results publicly — the AI made connections based mostly on internet and dark-web data — and shared them with Beijing authorities, urging a crackdown.
https://www.securityweek.com/us-intelligence-agencies-embrace-of-generative-ai-is-at-once-wary-and-urgent/
21 May 24 Poland forms Russian influence commission as spy fears grown
WARSAW, May 21 (Reuters) - Poland's prime minister announced on Tuesday the re-establishment of a commission to look into undue Russian influence, as Warsaw grapples with what it says is an intense campaign by Moscow to destabilise the country.
While Poland has long said that its position as a key distribution hub for supplies to Ukraine makes it a major target for Moscow's spies, the defection of a judge to Russian ally Belarus this month put Poland on high alert.
"I issued an order on the establishment of a commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian influence on the internal security and interests of the Republic of Poland in the years 2004-2024," Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/poland-arrests-nine-charges-russian-ordered-sabotage-2024-05-21/
Other Items of PSYOP Interest
https://ioffc.info/
5 June 24
Posted on FaceBook by Andrew Chaney:
Please check out this website supporting a new book, 'Information Operations. Facts. Fakes' by Steve Tatham - former Commanding Officer of the UK’s Psychological Operations Group.
Conspiracists, is now up and running at https://ioffc.info/
It is designed to be a source of reference not just for the book (and all the book's footnotes can be explored here) but also for wider IO publications.
Book is available at https://lnkd.in/eDgzQY6p or via the website
