Saturday, August 10, 2024

PSYOP NEWS - JULY 2024

 

PSYOP REGIMENTAL EVENTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS



BG Andrée Carter Assumed Command of USACPOC on 13 July 24


BG Carter is a career PSYOP soldier and outstanding leader. You can find her official biography at: https://www.usar.army.mil/Leadership/Article-View/Article/2994495/brigadier-general-andre-g-carter/


BG Carter’s Vision for the Command:

Inspire the next generation of leaders to build combat-ready, professional, disciplined, and focused units of action; and drive the collective impact of CAO, PSYOP and IO on building warfighter advantage in the influence domain.


PSYOP NEWS - JULY 2024


July 27 US to revamp its command in Japan amid renaissance in defense ties

n 2013, after years of political turmoil and crisis, Japan’s then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his country’s return to the world stage.

“Japan is back,” Abe said, speaking at a think tank in Washington.

In the ensuing decade, the country has been following through on that pledge. They’re on track to double defense spending by 2027, buying missiles capable of firing into enemy territory and giving more freedom to its long-restrained Self Defense Forces.

Those efforts will reach another milestone, with the U.S. announcing a plan to revamp its command in Japan to a new three-star billet, moving from a leader that mostly supervised forces to one that can plan large operations with the Japanese military.

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/07/27/us-to-revamp-its-command-in-japan-amid-renaissance-in-defense-ties/


July 25 IDF soldier’s TikTok video of hostage bodies sparks spread of rumors across Israel

An IDF soldier filmed himself with the bodies of hostages found near Khan Yunis and posted the video on the social media platform TikTok on Wednesday.

As a result, the IDF announced that it plans to pursue severe disciplinary actions against the soldier. These actions led to the unorganized release of information and the spread of a wave of rumors that flooded throughout the country for hours.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-811847?vgo_ee=JsLTvAc1v5cy6%2BCbxY1EG2unSx0nvrcDGIZt%2FG7R%3A22j%2F8ESlpgaMw65fMgJwhYuAda9uZX7x


23 July Special Forces Assessment and Selection: Everything You Need to Know


Before Green Berets eat snakes and carry out guerrilla warfare around the world, they must all pass the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Assessment and Selection, or SFAS. It’s the first part of the Special Forces pipeline. Unlike late training, the goal of SFAS is not to teach students new skills or equipment but to stress their ability to perform at a high level, both physically and mentally. 


https://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/special-forces-assessment-selection-green-beret/





21 July “Israel’s most significant achievement’: Psychological impact of Deif assassiantion - analysis

Psychological war operates by different rules, focusing on emotions and damaging morale. Israel's strike on Hamas leader Mohammed Deif is a significant achievement in this psychological war.


If the attempted assassination of Mohammed Deif, the head of the military wing of Hamas, is confirmed, it will be Israel's greatest psychological achievement amid the current war. It is true that from a military perspective Operation Arnon and the rescue of Ori Megidish were very complex and significant operations, but the elimination of Deif is a different sort of victory for Israel.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-810219?vgo_ee=gZuWx5MK3Ehm%2BcDxWGlr7zCppvNX5mARRVOXwFfj%3AldP72BE%2BDqFxSe3S4lsz1cdoblai6XZ%2B



21 July ‘Dismantling Hamas from within’: IDF uncovers trove of Hamas secrets


The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have uncovered a treasure trove of Hamas intelligence, consisting of stacks of documents, files, and computers, including guidelines on what to do if someone is suspected of being part of the LGBTQ community and a phrasebook of Hebrew words to help terrorists communicate in Hebrew, which included phrases such as "Take off your clothes."

Among the findings were operational tables, equipment lists, classified maps, and instructions on what to do if captured, leading to the conclusion that Hamas's military wing has transformed into a professional army right under the nose of Israeli intelligence.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-811143?vgo_ee=ztbeGDB1RNRFSLNphPHm7q91GDt96%2FlooochtSMV%3Al4ekN2nxcHLH7CrnwwSAYPYJAJw6yf42



12 July 24 China’s newest military base abroad is up and running, and there are more on the horizon

BANGKOK — With the months-long presence of Chinese warships at Cambodia’s Ream naval base and a major bilateral military exercise there in May, China’s newest overseas military facility appears to be up and running, confirming years of suspicions about China’s presence in the Southeast Asian country.

While the extent of China’s access to Ream remains unclear, it would be China’s second overseas military base, and few who have watched those bases emerge expect it to be the last. US defense and intelligence officials and other analysts are already tracking dozens of countries that could host them in the future.

US concerns about Ream have been building for years but became serious in 2019, when Cambodia unexpectedly declined US assistance with repairs there. Since then, US media reports have described a secret deal granting China’s People’s Liberation Army exclusive access to the base, and satellite images have shown rapid and extensive construction, including the demolition of a US-funded building in late 2020.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/chinas-newest-military-base-is-up-and-running-and-us-officials-see-more-of-them-on-the-horizon/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9hovfB-sK3RWsuu5nZVam9wGldZT1sjdMlOmytVdPRa449-j2QfjCDJCaSz6pyEylWoXXQRcDN92Bjj2nycGcEk3MxFg&_hsmi=315548761&utm_content=315548761&utm_source=hs_email


18 Jul SOUTHCOM chief calls for ‘Marshall Plan’ for Western Hemisphere to counter Russia, China


WASHINGTON — The US should embark on a “Marshall Plan” for Western Hemisphere nations still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic if it wants to keep Russian, and especially Chinese, influence in check in the region, the head of US Southern Command said today.

“I will tell you that I think from COVID, the impacts on the GDP, we do not understand how severe the impacts were in this region,” said Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of SOUTHCOM, whose area of responsibility includes Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Richardson said that while “a couple of countries were okay,” for most there’s been a “severe economic downturn” that has now been exploited by transnational gangs and caused instability into which Moscow and Beijing have stepped with offers of cash or, in the case of China, Belt and Road Initiative projects.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/southcom-chief-calls-for-marshall-plan-for-western-hemisphere-to-counter-russia-china/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Q6oNltPaQNp3ZgJ5D1M8mBL5ymevUOEZ8lvanEuw5EiIvYciRWhDVATwSCRAKiDZA24-gPYEgL3LQ5LcWKO2gypOGDA&_hsmi=316992575&utm_content=316992575&utm_source=hs_email


12 July NATO chooses Jordan to house first-ever liaison office in the Middle East and North Africa

NATO CONFERENCE 2024 — NATO will establish its first ever liaison office in the Middle East region in Amman, Jordan, amid conflicts roaring in the region from the Red Sea to Gaza and Lebanon.

The decision, adopted by allies in attendance of this year’s NATO summit after being discussed last year, “marks a significant milestone in the deep strategic partnership between Jordan and the Alliance,” according to a Wednesday NATO announcement.

The liaison office will focus on reinforcing cooperation between NATO and Middle East and North Africa countries.

The decision “acknowledges Jordan’s significant role as a beacon of stability in both regional and global contexts, and as a long-time champion in fighting transnational threats, including terrorism and violent extremism,” said the statement.

While not a member of NATO itself, Jordan was the only Middle East country to help the US and allies in countering the barrage of 300 missiles and drones launched by Tehran in an unprecedented direct confrontation between Iran and Israel.

RELATED: At the NATO summit, a turbulent Middle East likely to stay in the background: Analysts

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/nato-chooses-jordan-to-house-first-ever-liaison-office-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_B9GFW_ID1MOEaGlzmAmVeAtq8xHm1CjsOSuf2STaXqJy9ospZN4OCHNLtsszRtHpnvIX0H5J7RUIHZpKuZla5cl8CDw&_hsmi=315548761&utm_content=315548761&utm_source=hs_email


11 July 24

Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Polar Partnership “Ice Pact” Alongside Finland and Canada

Today, the leaders of the United States, Canada, and Finland announced their intent to create the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, which is a trilateral arrangement to collaborate on the production of polar icebreakers and other capabilities, alongside United States’ allies and partners, labor, and industry. This collaboration is intended to strengthen the shipbuilding industry and industrial capacity of each nation – and build closer security and economic ties among our countries through information exchange and mutual workforce-development focused on building polar icebreakers, as well as other Arctic and polar capabilities.


https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/11/biden-harris-administration-announces-new-polar-partnership-ice-pact-alongside-finland-and-canada/


10 July 24 NATO updates AI strategy for the age of ChatGPT


NATO SUMMIT 2024 — Three years ago, when NATO leaders met in Brussels and issued the alliance’s first strategy for artificial intelligence, Russian President Vladimir Putin hadn’t yet tried to blitzkrieg Kyiv and OpenAI’s ChatGPT hadn’t yet taken the internet by storm. Today, in a very different world, as NATO leaders met in Washington to discuss the threat from Moscow, they’ve also issued a revised AI strategy that puts the new phenomenon of generative AI as a top priority.

The full document has not yet been released, and the official summary made available today includes few details. One nuance worth noting, however, is how relatively optimistic the alliance seems to be about genAI.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/nato-updates-ai-strategy-for-the-age-of-chatgpt/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Nc6bqD0IovrVEPBloNG25asL_fW5BDTDxMgCGWaHmji5XRSVoqI_HO3nRgVHaRuZ08ydlT7q0d5aaH6oj2p0lqTO0KQ&_hsmi=315279714&utm_content=315279714&utm_source=hs_email


10 July 24 Navy should hit back harder against Houthi online disinformation


Last month, Capt. Christopher “Chowdah” Hill, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, invited journalists to inspect the flight deck of his carrier while it was underway in the Red Sea.

The journalists reported seeing nothing wrong on the flight deck, which was precisely the point of Hill’s invitation. Ike and its crew remained on station, with no hole in the deck.

Two weeks earlier, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement announced that the rebels had struck the Eisenhower with a barrage of missiles to punish the United States for its support of Israel in its war against Hamas.

On X (formerly Twitter), Houthi supporters shared a video allegedly showing a large crater at the forward end of the Eisenhower’s flight deck. Other accounts posted a different image of a fiery blast aboard the ship.

https://www.navytimes.com/opinion/2024/07/10/navy-should-hit-back-harder-against-houthi-online-disinformation/


10 July 24 Quieting Discord: A new frontier in military leaks and extremeism


During a five-month period from 2022 to 2023, Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira sent 40,000 messages on the online chat platform Discord, some of which contained classified national security secrets.

An FBI investigation revealed that Teixeira, a 22-year-old who ran a server on Discord called “Thug Shaker Central,” spent much of his life online, talking primarily with other young men via message, video calls and voice chats. He chatted about guns and military gear, threatened his school, made racist and antisemitic jokes, traded conspiracy theories, discussed antigovernment sentiments, and in a bid to show off, shared some of the military’s most closely guarded secrets about the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/07/10/quieting-discord-a-new-frontier-in-military-leaks-and-extremism/


10 July 24 After a Decade, the Marine Corpos Releases New Deception Doctrine.

For the first time in more than a decade, the Marine Corps has published official doctrine on how it employs deception -- a tactic used by militaries throughout history to deliberately deceive the enemy through decoys, demonstrations, ruses and manipulation of information.

The doctrine, titled simply "Deception," was published late last month and supersedes a manual from 12 years ago, according to service officials. The need for a cohesive policy on deception was identified in the 2023 update to the service's Force Design campaign, a reorganization effort meant to prepare for a potential future fight in the Pacific against China.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/07/10/after-decade-marine-corps-releases-new-deception-doctrine.html


9 July 2024 Estonia won’t ‘fall into’ Russia’s ‘trap’ by overreacting to hybrid attacks: Defense minister

NATO SUMMIT 2024 — Russia is using hybrid attacks across NATO in an effort to distract each country from how to best support Ukraine, according to Estonia’s defense minister, and it is therefore an “obligation” not to “fall into that trap” and overreact.

Hybrid attacks are “a constant situation for us,” Hanno Pevkur said today, listing cyberattacks, as well as the vandalism of a minister’s car and that of a journalist as just a few of the incidents the Estonian government has blamed on Russia. “So this is something which is in the playbook of Russia.”

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/estonia-wont-fall-into-russias-trap-by-overreacting-to-hybrid-attacks-defense-minister/?utm_campaign=Networks%20%26%20Digital%20Warfare&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bxDM4iVMvvxO_1M9VQSZ5DNmaZs7MqYaoYslXMdwzz07NyqfoK90NqILmAzJ6-Cecs6yBNXO7vkPDIok_E9iHL7VR2w&_hsmi=315964447&utm_content=315964447&utm_source=hs_email



6 Jul 24 Ukraine ‘uses dummy models of military targets’ to trick Russian forces

Ukraine's air force has claimed it tricked Russian forces into hitting dummy versions of warplanes and air defence systems.

Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said mock-ups were put in place at an airfield near the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and a district of the Black Sea port of Odesa.

He shared a video filmed by a Russian reconnaissance drone, which he said showed Russian Iskander missiles attacking the mock-ups.

Russia's defence ministry had shared similar footage on Thursday on its Telegram channel and said it had used Iskender missiles to destroy a Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jet at the Dovhyntseve airfield.

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-uses-dummy-models-of-military-targets-to-trick-russian-forces-13174427


1 July 24 National Guard Soldiers Training with ‘pocket-sized drones’

New York National Guard soldiers tested new “pocket-sized” drones that the Army hopes to one day field to every squad across the service. Similiar systems are already deployed with some active duty units including the 82nd Airborne, but the New York troops were the first Guard unit to train with the Black Hornet 3 drone, which can fly about 25 minutes and requires no equipment beyond what a soldier can carry on their combat gear. Soldiers of the 27th Infantry Brigade got a hands-on training with the drones at Fort Drum, NY.


https://taskandpurpose.com/news/national-guard-pocket-sized-drones/


2 July 24 ‘About survival’: Inside a Finnish shoothouse, prep for a Russian invasion

SANTAHAMINA, Finland — A light metallic rattle comes from one end of the warehouse, a grenade bouncing on the concrete floor after it was tossed inside through an open doorway. There’s a loud bang, and then camouflaged troops pour into the first room, rifles up and at the ready, one after the other.

An enemy combatant is immediately taken into custody as the soldiers peel off to do different jobs. The warehouse is divided into several rooms, with one long hallway running down its whole length in the middle. A machine gunner takes a prone position at the beginning of the hallway, providing cover and trading occasional, deafening fire with the armed opposition who pop in and out of view at the far end of the corridor.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/about-survival-inside-a-finnish-shoot-house-prep-for-a-russian-invasion/?utm_campaign=Breaking%20Defense%20Land&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8VrOVgicPGoqJkgfw7IT_12B2Ii-sY-stZzytGCJHZmGf7YAalsBcDFOsX4c1tlcTh9EC1MO5lrNaLc2tNTZlDczj9kw&_hsmi=314281421&utm_content=314281421&utm_source=hs_email


27 June 24 China ‘actively’ targeting US industrial base, warns CYBERCOM Chief

TECHNET CYBER 2024 — US Cyber Command officials this week painted a grim picture of what Chinese cyber attacks could do to the US defense industrial base, including destroying critical infrastructure, intellectual property theft and supply chain disruption. 

“The defense industrial base is being actively targeted by our adversaries and competitors, particularly by the People’s Republic of China. They are acting with increasing agility and sophistication, which we must continue to outpace,” Commander of CYBERCOM, Gen. Timothy Haugh said Tuesday during his keynote address at the TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore.

“The People’s Republic of China’s efforts to steal intellectual property, gain critical infrastructure footholds and disrupt supply chains pose significant risk to DoD’s ability to defend the nation.” 

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/06/china-actively-targeting-us-industrial-base-warns-cybercom-chief/?utm_campaign=Networks%20%26%20Digital%20Warfare&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_mmKOd-6R0pgBZhK_HpuwiePGCtF_5wKUD8VT0CKTLREXCeLmnXqo5K7rGe55B7U4zp40py-zf7HGNbqqlruZqyKjp4A&_hsmi=314119649&utm_content=314119649&utm_source=hs_email





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