PSYOP NEWS - MAY 2024

PSYOP REGIMENTAL EVENTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

2024 PSYOP Call for Distinguished and Honorary Members of the Regiment Nominations - Reminder

Reminder - Nomination packets must be submitted no later than 31 MAY 2024

 

The United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) and the Psychological Operations (PO) Proponent are actively seeking nominations for consideration during the upcoming Regimental Honors Board in order to recognize those individuals who have significantly contributed to the welfare and advancement of the PO Regiment and greater Military Information Support Operations (MISO) / Influence community as an active or reserve component Soldier, Department of the Army Civilian and/or civilians in a private capacity. Selected nominees will be inducted in April 2025.

 

USAJFKSWCS and the PO Proponent are currently seeking nominations for the following honors:

 

- Distinguished Members of the PO Regiment (DMOR): Nominees must be a qualified member of the Regiment (equivalent qualification prior to establishment of the Regiment), must be retired or separated for a minimum of four years and in good standing within the Regiment, Service and Community.

 

- Honorary Members of the PO Regiment (HMOR): Nominees may be actively serving, retired, or separated, military or civilian personnel who are non-members of the regiment to include sister-service personnel who have significantly contributed to the success of Regiment and in good standing within the Regiment, Service and Community.

 

Nomination criteria, process, and packet requirements can be found in USAJFKSWCS Policy 01-20 dated 8 January 2020 on the PRA website at:

http://www.psyopregimentalassociation.org/regimental-honors-references.html

 

Nomination Packets must contain at a minimum:

-Nomination Letter: no longer than 3 pages - the nomination letter should be clear and concise, highlighting the nominee's significant contributions to the Psychological Operations Regiment, operationally or within the generating force, and continued service to the Regiment and community post retirement or separation. Must include contact information for both the nominator and nominee or next of kin for posthumous nominations (mailing address, phone number and email address).

-Biography: no longer than 2 pages - encompassing military/civilian career highlights, honors, awards and decorations. This is separate document from the Nomination Letter.

-Professional Color Photo (optional)

- Ceremony Presentation Narrative: a statement highlighting why the nominee is being inducted as a DMOR or HMOR, it should be limited to 350 - 500 words and will be read during the annual induction ceremony.

 

Nomination packets must be submitted no later than 31 MAY 2024 to the PO Regimental Honors Program Manager (PRHPM).

 

Nomination packets or questions can be submitted to the PRHPM Mr. Jeff Kennedy at jeffrey.l.kennedy.civ@socom.mil / jeffrey.l.kennedy.civ@mail.mil or 910-396-4349.

 

Please disseminate this Call for Nominations through formal and informal channels, and personal networks to support widest reach.

 

Thanks.

 

V/R

Jeffrey L. Kennedy

Deputy Personnel Chief

Human Resources Specialist

PO Branch Proponent – Personnel Div

U.S. Army Special Operations Center of Excellence and John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Airborne)

Office: 910-396-4349 (DSN: 236)

Cell: 952-239-9998

Home: 910-491-6983

jeffrey.l.kennedy.civ@socom.mil

jeffrey.l.kennedy.civ@army.mil

jeffrey.l.kennedy.civ@socom.smil.mil

psyop.cmdt.personnel@socom.mil (shared)

Group: The Loudspeaker |milBook Home (milsuite.mil)

 

“More fiction is written in Excel than in Word”

7th POG Military Ball

Please join me in attending the 7th POG’s Military Ball on 22 June 24 in Palo Alto, CA. Here is an announcement from 1LT Nicholas C. Comeau of the Group Staff:

We are thrilled to announce and invite you to join us in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the 14th Psychological Operations Battalion at our 7th Psychological Operations Group Ball! This milestone event will feature a memorable evening of festivities, including an award ceremony where the prestigious McClure Award will be presented to deserving recipients. We are honored to have renowned guest speaker Jessie Graff join us, promising an inspiring address. More surprises and special guests may also be in store for this remarkable occasion.

 

To secure your tickets or make a donation to support this event, please use the URL below. Your participation and contributions will ensure the success of this commemorative celebration. More information including date/time/location can be found at https://7POGBall.rsvpify.com.

The 7th POG looks forward to welcoming you to this momentous gathering of the PSYOP Community.

If you have any questions on the Ball, you can email me at dietz.pova@gmail.com and I will pass them along.

Perspectives

Perspectives is our major PSYOP publication. Here is an announcement about the next issues from Editor Joseph Meissner and Perspectives Adviser Dennis Bartow  

“Should President Zelensky try to negotiate?  Maybe Ukraine is already a lost cause?  Will tyrant and lawyer Putin prevail in his invasion?  What advice should Zelensky follow to continue resolutely  confronting the Russian forces?  How can PSYOP help Ukraine?  What PSYOP advice should we recommend to Ukraine and its leaders?  These are all important issues which we propose to discuss in our first  PSYOP PERSPECTIVE'S issue for 2024.  We invite all of our readers and PSYOP experts to provide your answers  and advice for the next issue of our POVA sponsored PERSPECTIVES due to be published by  15 June 2024.  All writings on these concerns must be submitted by 31 May to be considered for publication in this issue.  Please email your article (of any length--short or extensive)  to meissnerjoseph@yahoo.com.  If you have any questions about the next issue and its subject matter,  either email us at meisserjoseph@yahoo.com or telephone us  at 216 408-6501.”

PSYOP NEWS - MAY 2024

21 May 24 Space Force to restructure all missions into ‘integrated’ units to boost readiness: Lt. Gen Garrant

WASHINGTON — After seeing good results for force readiness from about nine months of experimenting with the Integrated Mission Delta (IMD) concept, the Space Force next intends to create two more units mixing acquisition and operational personnel — with the intent to eventually convert entirely to the new organizational structure, according to a senior service official.

“In the next few months, you can look for missile warning and space domain awareness as two mission areas [to be restructured], and then in the future satellite communications, for example, and then orbital warfare,” Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of Space Systems Command, told the Mitchell Institute today.

“But the intent is for all mission areas to be in this Integrated Mission Delta approach,” he added.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/space-force-to-restructure-all-missions-into-integrated-units-to-boost-readiness-lt-gen-garrant/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_BShwcXyUsgTlGW_XmEkAtDaamYjds6iV4rLTkjyPRjuV2i8Kqs5A6YXe_pfiqCjXGzarSZIL7gaFS0QGdY_nbeftaFQ&_hsmi=308135123&utm_content=308135123&utm_source=hs_email

18 May 24 Who’s Who of special operations forces: Notable veterans, civilians inducted at Fort Liberty

Twenty-one soldiers, civilians and veterans were named honorary members of the Special Forces, Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs community during induction ceremonies last month.

The inductees were honored during an April 26 ceremony that coincided with Heritage Week at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

The induction ceremony included a Congressional Gold Medal presentation from the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops “Ghost Army” and the 3133rd Signal Service Company for their service during World War II.

https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/military/2024/05/18/veterans-civilians-inducted-into-special-forces-regiment-fort-liberty/73554867007/

7 May 34 SOCOM chief sees ‘renaissance’ for special forces amid great power competition, evolving warfare

SOF WEEK 2024 — The drawdown of US forces from the Middle East and pivot to great power competition could leave one with the impression that demand for special operations forces (SOF) is falling. But top officials from US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) argued today that troops under their command play an essential role in the US’s bid to outpace Russia and China, which they described as a harbinger for something of a revival. 

“Strategic competition has been and absolutely is in SOF’s DNA. We’d offer that this era is a bit of a special ops renaissance,” SOCOM chief Gen. Bryan Fenton said at a keynote address at the SOF Week conference here in Tampa.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/socom-chief-sees-renaissance-for-special-forces-amid-great-power-competition-evolving-warfare/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9LV8sZ8D4vCi8EjyLV7kkXKXBGvKveByBPnneGwR9Yha_yzTAJ_sjA5zPG3hJaV4SV6lalrQQjlyiKsFkOzxC9StYUNg&_hsmi=306071155&utm_content=306071155&utm_source=hs_email

2 May 24

Faceless people, invisible hands: New Army video aims to lure recruits for psychological operations.

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — The video is unsettling, with haunting images of faceless people, fire and soldiers. The voiceover is a cascade of recognizable historical voices as the screen pulses cryptic messages touting the power of words, ideas and “invisible hands.”

Hints of its origin are tucked into frames as they flash by: PSYWAR. The Army’s psychological warfare soldiers are using their brand of mental combat to bring in what the service needs: recruits. And if you find the video intriguing, you may be the Army’s target audience as it works to enlist soldiers to join its Special Operations Command.

Released in the early morning hours Thursday, the video is the second provocative recruiting ad that, in itself, exemplifies the kind of work the psyop soldiers do to influence public opinion and wage the war of words overseas. Called “Ghost in the Machine 2,” it is coming out two years after the inaugural video was quietly posted on the unit’s YouTube site and generated a firestorm of online chatter.

“It’s a recruiting video,” said the Army major who created it, speaking with The Associated Press before the release. “Someone who watches it and thinks, wow, that was effective, how was it constructed — that’s the kind of creative mindset we’re looking for.” 

https://apnews.com/article/army-psychological-warfare-recruiting-video-ghost-f216951fdaff4fa0130386a8f85c76e1?user_email=ac98ac2759633983e679cb1dfba90995157dcc8c1f47e1e5dd9a5d340921caae

And US Army Creates New Recruiting Video to Attract Future PsyOps Warriors

https://news.clearancejobs.com/2024/05/06/u-s-army-creates-new-recruiting-video-to-attract-future-psyops-warriors/?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9f3mMV2qhQNszWVu1g7FQYR5rAxG11By_JTDEzqo6x8ebonB8ntwdtFdh-d_JZFvFkZxLaiki4Ifj9ORUpdZtdoOruPw&_hsmi=305814974

1 May 24 US intelligence needs ‘professional cadre’ for OSINT to replace ‘amateur’ IC analysis: Official

PARIS — The explosion of open source information has so changed the game for intelligence collection and analysis that today a senior official called for a “professional cadre” of open source specialists to take the place of relative “amateur” analysts in the Intelligence Community who have stepped into the breach so far.

Greg Ryckman, DIA’s deputy director for Global Integration, said that in years past, open source info would be the “salt” analysts would sprinkle on top of otherwise completed intelligence products gathered with secret methods. But now, he said, the paradigm has “flipped” and it’s the technical, secret intelligence that’s become the salt on the “main course” that is open source intel.

“I think that we’re struggling as an intelligence community at this point with this volume of information that’s out there and being able to get it, make sense of it and then translate that into something the analyst can actually use. That, I think is our challenge,” he said at a webinar put on by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/us-intelligence-needs-professional-cadre-for-osint-to-replace-amateur-analysts-official/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_9P2mLkDs8Z8oEAPEGkuELcs8OImzJvLahKuZGsjagIkJVEK4-qCbiRTI_e7W9r20VqUGWD1EqjiAuwcoMhsC2wL_6jg&_hsmi=305767932&utm_content=305767932&utm_source=hs_email

25 Apr 24 OSHIT: 7 Deadly Sins of Bad Open Source Research

When news breaks and the internet is aflutter with activity and speculation, many turn to open source accounts and experts to make sense of events. This is truly a sign that open source research — using resources like satellite images to flight tracking websites and footage recorded on the ground — is seen as credible and is increasingly sought after. It’s free, publicly available and anybody can do it.

But such success comes with drawbacks. In monitoring events from Iran and Ukraine, this surge in credibility allows the term ‘OSINT’ to be easily abused, either knowingly or unknowingly, by users who don’t actually follow the best practice of open source research methods. In fact, since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, there has been a spike in verified ‘OSINT’ Twitter accounts which create additional noise and confusion with poor open source analysis.

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/04/25/oshit-seven-deadly-sins-of-bad-open-source-research/

24 Apr 24

Intel community seeks to centralize OSINT under new strategy (Links to MP3 file as well)

With social media feeds and data brokers awash in valuable intel, leaders of the top U.S. intelligence agencies have signed onto a plan to centralize open source intelligence (OSINT).

The new OSINT strategy, signed out by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and CIA Director William Burns last month, aims to make open-source an “the INT of first resort.” Those words, in the title of the strategy, are a tacit recognition that spy agencies have traditionally favored gaining intelligence from highly secretive sources — such as human intelligence, spy satellites, and electronic signals — rather than open-source data.

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/inside-ic/2024/04/intel-community-seeks-to-centralize-osint-under-new-strategy/

 

PSYOP NEWS - APRIL 2024

 

PSYOP REGIMENTAL EVENTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

1. POVA Commentary on the DOD Inspector General released report:

 ​​Evaluation of the DoD Military Information Support Operations Workforce (DODIG-2024-068)

24 April 2024

By Lawrence D. Dietz, COL (R),  US Army, President PSYOP Veterans Association

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

The 2022 National Defense Strategy indicated that “The Department will employ an integrated deterrence approach that draws on tailored combinations of conventional, cyber, space, and information capabilities, together with the unique deterrent effects of nuclear weapons” (p9) This requires the employment of US Army Psychological Operations personnel as the principal DOD influence operations work force. 

Regrettably, the DOD IG report points out that this workforce is being mismanaged and hobbled for a variety of reasons. This paper highlights key aspects of the report and is augmented with additional material and analysis.

1. What we have learned or confirmed:

1. The Military Information Support Operations (MISO) role has been downgraded in command stature and influence.

1. Active Component (AC) Psychological Operations (PSYOP) forces are subordinate to Special Forces Groups. (Are PSYOP Groups subordinate to SF Groups or rather to higher authority?)

2. Reserve Component (RC) PSYOP forces are subordinate to Civil Affairs Commands.

2. It appears that the SF community is exploiting MISO slots and resources to serve the Special Forces. 

For example, it has been observed that PSYOP Colonel (O-6) slots have been awarded to SF-18 (or CMF-18?), Special Forces officers with little regard to PSYOP training and experience.

3. Recruiting has been unnecessarily hobbled by limiting the direct accession of personnel into PSYOP.

4. The Army does not have enough MSIO Personnel to meet DOD’s growing demand: PSYOP Groups are only at 60% strength.

5. AC PSYOP will only support Special Operations while RC PSYOP will support the conventional Army.

2. What Needs To Be Done

1. USASOC must conduct a MISO Workforce Capabilities based Assessment as recommended by the IG.

2. The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel andReadiness needs to monitor and conduct annual reviews of the Information Operations Career Force recruitment, training, and promotions, including MISO forces,n accordance with DOD policy and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Services.

3. Consideration should be given to unification of the Active and Reserve PSYOP units into a new appropriate Army lead organization for coordinating all non-kinetic battlefield systems used in influence/information operations.

II Extracts from the Report

(U) Findings

(U)The Army has not recruited, trained, or retained the military workforce needed to meet the DOD’s growing MISO demand, especially in the reserve component.

Specifically, in FY 2023, the Army Reserve’s PSYOP groups operated with only 25 percent of the captains required to complete their missions. Army officer career management policy prevents the PSYOP branch from admitting officers directly upon commissioning, making it more difficult for the Army to attract officer candidates with the skills PSYOP commanders say they need.The inability to assign newly commissioned officers into the PSYOP branch, combined with possibly taking years to fully train reserve PSYOP officers, contributes to10 of 32 manned reserve PSYOP detachments not having PSYOP-qualified commanders.

(U)Also, the Army lacks an active component conventional (non-special operations )MISO workforce, relying on the Army Reserve to  fill the global, full-time requirements for conventional MISO. Meanwhile, the active component special operations PSYOP groups, also operating well below their authorized strength, have been worked beyond the Army’s standards of one month deployed to  two months at home.

(U)This has occurred, in part, because the Army has not conducted a comprehensive analysis of its MISO capabilities in over 20 years. Additionally, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness has not monitored and reported on the growth and sustainment of the DOD’s overall Information Operations work force as required by DOD policy.

(U)As a result, Army PSYOP, theDOD’s primary MISO workforce, has remained sized, structured, and staffed at levels that cannot meet the DOD’s growing demand for both conventional and special operations MISO at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. The resulting operational tempo required of this under-resourced force risks burn out of these specialized Soldiers, which only serves to worsen the underlying conditions.

(U) Recommendations

21. To address these conditions, we recommend that:

• (U) The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness monitor and conduct annual reviews of the Information Operations Career Force recruitment, training, and promotions, including MISO forces, in accordance with DOoD policy and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Services.

• (U)The Commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command conduct a Capabilities-Based Assessment of the total Army MISO workforce.1

Other Key points and elements:

(U)This report contains recommendations that are considered unresolved because the senior official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness and the Commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command either did not agree with, or did not fully address, the recommendations presented in the report. ( p7)

(U)DOD Instruction 7650.03 requires that recommendations be resolved promptly. Therefore, please provide us within 30 days your response concerning specific actions in process or alternative corrective actions proposed on the recommendations. (p7)

Management Comments

OASD Readiness p 31

USASOC CG

P 33

Commander, 2nd PSYOP Group

P 35 and 36

Commander, 7th PSYOP Group

2. Elected Official Contact Guidance

Elected Official Contact Guidance

Fellow POVA Members,

The POVA Board has serious concerns about recent actions with regard to the PSYOP Force. We have agreed that our membership needs to raise our voices on these important issues. Many critical decisions affecting PSYOP as a combat multiplier as well as our nation's security are made by our less informed elected representatives in Congress. Making your voice heard is essential!

Finding Your Representatives:

• You can find your elected representatives by entering your address here.

This is a screenshot of my elected officials. Notice that there is a “Contact” link. If you click on that link it will take you to the rep’s website where you can enter an email.

Contacting Your Representatives:

The Senate and House have Armed Services Committees. Each of those committees have subcommittees that do the actual work. It is especially important to learn If your elected representative is on one of these subcommittees. As a constituent of someone on the committee, your voice will be stronger than those living outside the elected’s domain. 

Senate Armed Services Committee:

We are interested in the Subcommittee on “Emerging Threats and Capabilities”

Majority Members

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chair 

• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH 

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) 

• Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) 

• Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) 

• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) 

Minority Members

• Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA),Ranking Member 

• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) 

• Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) 

• Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) 

• Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) 

House Armed Services Committee: 

We are interested in the “Intelligence and Special Operations” Committee:

Chairman 

Jack Bergman
Michigan 

Republican Members 

Austin Scott
Georgia 

Elise Stefanik
New York 

Trent Kelly
Mississippi 

Ronny Jackson
Texas 

Nancy Mace
South Carolina 

Morgan Luttrell
Texas 

Cory Mills
Florida 

Ranking Member 

Ruben Gallego
Arizona 

Democratic Members 

William Keating
Massachusetts 

Elissa Slotkin
Michigan 

Sara Jacobs 

Jeff Jackson
North Carolina 

Jennifer McClellan
Virginia 

Jimmy Panetta
California 

Here are some general tips for contacting your representatives:

• Be Respectful: maintain a respectful and professional tone. (not sure how anyone will know what their stance is on PSYOP matters)

• Be Clear and Concise: Briefly state the issue you're concerned about and your position.

• Personalize Your Message: A personalized message holds more weight than a generic email. Share how the issue affects you or other veterans you know.

• Call to Action: Clearly state what outcome you desire. Do you want them to vote a certain way or introduce new legislation

I am also providing a draft for you to edit as you see fit: 

Your Name

Your Address

Your Phone Number

Your Email

Date”

Dear Congressman,

It is very clear that the US is losing the information war. Part of the reason why we are losing is because the United States lacks an overarching information strategy. Information, like defense, is a major tool of statecraft. A whole of government approach is needed to be able to transmit our messages and counter the barrage of disinformation sent out by our enemies and adversaries.

I am very concerned because the Army Special Operations Command is systematically degrading Psychological Operations (PSYOP) combat support capabilities  or also known as Military Information Support Operations (MISO).

According to the DOD Inspector General in a March 25, 2024 report “Evaluation of the DOD Military Information Support Operations Workforce”: Some key findings were:

1. The Army has not recruited, trained, or retained the military workforce needed to meet the DoD’s growing MISO demand, especially in the reserve components.

2. Army officer career management policy currently prevents the PSYOP branch from admitting junior officers directly upon commissioning, making it more difficult for the Army to attract officer candidates with the skills PSYOP commanders say they need. The inability to assign newly commissioned officers into the PSYOP branch, combined with possibly taking years to fully train reserve PSYOP officers, contributes to 10 of 32 manned reserve PSYOP detachments not having PSYOP-qualified commanders.

3. The Army lacks an active component conventional (non-special operations) MISO workforce, relying on the Army Reserve to fill the global, full-time requirements for conventional MISO. Meanwhile, the active component special operations PSYOP groups, also operating well below their authorized strength, have been worked beyond the Army’s standards of 1 month deployed to 2 months at home.

The Report recommended that “The Commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command conduct a Capabilities-Based Assessment of the total Army MISO workforce.” We urge you to support this recommendation and take whatever steps are necessary to conduct this vitally needed assessment.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

3. Authorization of Armed Forces Expeditionary Campaign Stream for Operations in Bosnia Herzegovina

PSYOP NEWS - APRIL 2024

26 Apr 24 Prez Xi launches Information Support Force, a new wing of Chinese Military

  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday launched an Information Support Force, a new wing of the People's Liberation Army, which he said will be a strategic branch, a key pillar and a vital power in modern warfare for the world's largest military.

Xi, 71, who also heads the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military, besides heading the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Presidency, said that the establishment of the Information Support Force (ISF) is a major decision made by the CPC and the CMC in light of the overall need of building a strong military.

https://www.business-standard.com/external-affairs-defence-security/news/prez-xi-launches-information-support-force-a-new-wing-of-chinese-military-124041901426_1.html

See also: https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/in-major-shakeup-china-creates-new-information-support-force-scraps-strategic-support-force/?utm_campaign=Breaking%20Defense%20Networks%20%26%20Cyber&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9y1NKknwSrz7rlJZGZeELnIw2QQe2RL4XK0f3KGQDuKf12o8dnsBK50qcuBrxcNbnU6oXF3n1gQP16UFC5QiMvB6jkJA&_hsmi=303954259&utm_content=303954259&utm_source=hs_email

25 Apr 24

How Russia and China Leverage Deepfakes to Sway Voters

2024 is a crucial election year for democracies around the world. While hundreds of millions are expected to go to the polls, election disinformation experts are tracking a steep escalation in AI-fueled disinformation from state-affiliated actors in Russia and China. 

In their annual assessment on global security concerns for 2024, U.S. intelligence officials warned that both nations were developing new methods of leveraging generative AI and deepfakes to impact election outcomes.

https://www.realitydefender.com/blog/russia-china-deepfakes?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9oxA7L9fTFq1b2ZlVIpgM2R7gHX5OFLPTnybcDxPDoAUP4_jd546-qwNQ4RR5d-DUSq1aLLo6K7HcswNLy5_rXDnIMWzhTHp8mptBezlqrUw7kHLA&_hsmi=304376932

17 Apr 24

Microsoft finds Russian influence operations targeting U.S. election have begun

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 (Reuters) - Microsoft said on Wednesday that Russian online campaigns to influence the upcoming U.S. presidential election kicked into gear over the past 45 days, but at a slower pace than in past elections.

Russia-linked accounts are disseminating divisive content aimed at U.S. audiences, including criticising American support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, researchers at the tech giant said in a report.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment, but the Kremlin said last month it would not meddle in the November U.S. election. It also dismissed U.S. allegations that it orchestrated campaigns to sway the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections.

While the Russian activity Microsoft observed is not as intense as around the previous elections, it could increase in the coming months, the researchers said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/microsoft-finds-russian-influence-operations-targeting-us-election-have-slowly-2024-04-17/

17 Apr 24 NSA Unveils New Guidelines for Safe AI Deployment in Defense Sector

In a very short time, artificial intelligence (AI) has gone from being little more than a buzzword of science fiction to a widely employed technology that could impact the world in still unforeseen ways. It offers countless opportunities but also poses significant threats. To ensure the safe use of AI, the National Security Agency’s (NSA’s) Artificial Intelligence Security Center (AISC) – working with several additional U.S. and foreign agencies – this week released a Cybersecurity Information Sheet (CSI) intended to support National Security System owners and Defense Industrial Base companies that will be deploying and operating AI systems designed and developed by an external entity.

https://news.clearancejobs.com/2024/04/17/nsa-unveils-new-guidelines-for-safe-ai-deployment-in-defense-sector/

16 Apr NSA’s transformation from secret agency to public cybercrime warrior

The National Security Agency, once so secretive that its acronym NSA was jokingly referred to by intelligence insiders as “No Such Agency,” is out of the shadows.

NSA’s Cybersecurity Director Rob Joyce even appeared recently at New York City’s International Conference on Cyber Security to warn about the new dangers AI will raise as an enabler of increasingly sophisticated espionage, terrorist attacks and criminal activity.

Joyce and other NSA leaders now regularly speak in public, unclassified forums about the NSA’s offensive and defensive cyber missions. Organizationally, NSA now collaborates openly with other agencies in defense, law enforcement, and homeland security to openly discuss foreign efforts to infiltrate American and allied information networks, threaten our critical infrastructure, and disrupt our supply chains.

https://www.federaltimes.com/opinions/2024/02/16/nsas-transformation-from-secret-agency-to-public-cybercrime-warrior/

10 Apr 24 How Army special operators use deepfakes and drones to train for information warfare

With a sample of your voice and a gaming laptop, this Army psychological operations instructor can make you appear to say anything: an order for pizza, a call to the doctor, or just hello. 

In peacetime, it’s a party trick. In war, it’s a tool that can be used for deception, luring enemies into traps, or encouraging defection by mimicking the voices of enemy soldiers. 

Dubbed Ghost Machine, the tool helps Army Special Operations Forces instructors teach operators how cheap, easily-available tech is reshaping governments’ abilities to target and influence soldiers. 

The basic idea behind Ghost Machine is not new—armies have broadcast the voices of collaborators to encourage allied surrender since at least World War II. In the 2010s, ARSOF members encouraged defections within Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony’s force by broadcasting messages from members’ families. 

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/04/how-army-special-operators-use-deepfakes-and-drones-train-information-warfare/395852/

9 Apr 24 China is Using Generative AI to Carry Out Influence Operations

China is using generative artificial intelligence to carry out influence operations against foreign countries, including the U.S. and Taiwan, and fuel social disorders.

According to the report published by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), titled Same targets, new playbooks: East Asia threat actors employ unique methods, China-linked threat actors are using generative artificial intelligence to create content aimed at influencing U.S. voters.

https://securityaffairs.com/161608/security/china-ai-influence-operations.html

8 Apr 24 What Does the Future of U.S. SOF Look Like Within Great Power Competition

At first glance, one may be led to believe that Great Power Competition will solely be within the realm of the conventional armed forces. That conclusion would be incorrect. The conventional military forces of all sides will or should act as buffers against high-intensity warfare, due to the immense toll, in both human and economic terms, that would result from a conventional war. The Gray Zone between the conventional formations of the competing states is precisely where special operations forces will maneuver and be most active and impactful.

Short of a conventional war, a primary and crucial role for special operators will be advancing, consolidating and securing influence with partner or prospective partner states. The acquisition of influence then raises barriers to entry of America’s rivals, denying them the space to operate both diplomatically and militarily. To this point, former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers aptly stated, “…Great power direct conflict shouldn’t dominate the force. I want as much influence around the world as I can; the main competition is where SOF lives” (Ball, 2020, p. 7).

https://sof.news/special-forces/sf-future-gpc/

3 Apr 24 New IDF Mountain Brigade to bolster Israel’s northern defenses

JERUSALEM — The Israel Defense Forces have inaugurated a new northern Mountain Brigade, the first major reorganization for the IDF since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and one suggesting Jerusalem sees the need to reinforce its northern defenses against Lebanese Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups in the area.

The new brigade, established in March, will operate in a unique area in the north along the borders of Lebanon and Syria, covering the highest mountain on which the IDF operates, Mount Hermon, nestled in the northern-most parts of Israel and sandwiched between Syria and Lebanon, and down to around Mount Dov, which lies southwest of Hermon on Lebanon’s southern border. According to the IDF, the brigade will come under the command of the 210th division.

The new brigade represents a consolidation of Israeli forces in the north, which an IDF official told Breaking Defense made sense as operating across the whole mountainous area requires specialized gear, vehicles and training.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/new-idf-mountain-brigade-to-bolster-israels-northern-defenses/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--u51AQdWc8EMNRwMjIqqcI1DF3Vs-L7MiwF38hFQmj4cbaknd6J5jWSerle5W_sOqooB5K3v16A1ugZBmhnPvAOoGIlw&_hsmi=301115968&utm_content=301115968&utm_source=hs_email

2 Apr 24

New Report reveals Dirty Secret of Army Psychological Operations

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him,” Sun Tzu wrote in the 4th century, one of those warfare aphorisms that the modern-day U.S. Army has adopted as part of its psychological operations career group. “Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant,” the Army says in a recruiting video released last year. But it is the Army that is pretending to be strong. A devastating new Defense Department inspector general report finds that its own psyops ranks are critically short at a time when Washington is obsessed with stoking influence against America’s many adversaries.

The IG report, “Evaluation of the DoD Military Information Support Operations Workforce” finds that the Army, the primary Defense Department proponent for battlefield influence and deception, has failed to staff its own psyops units at a time when the Pentagon struggles with fighting Russian, Chinese, and Iranian disinformation campaigns, particularly about U.S. military operations and bases.

A December 2010 secretary of defense memorandum, issued during the Obama administration, discontinued the use of the term “psyops” and replaced it with Military information Support Operations, or MISO. The memo stated that the term “psyop” had become misleading and, “although psyop activities rely on truthful information, credibly conveyed, the term psyop tends to connote propaganda, brainwashing, manipulation, and deceit.” The memo noted that for that reason, the Pentagon would “no longer use the term psyop to describe activities (in peacetime or during combat operations) that are intended to influence foreign audiences.” Nonetheless, the Army continues to use the term “psyop” or psyops when referring to its units and to the overall career field.

https://theintercept.com/2024/04/02/pentagon-army-psyops/

28 Mar 24

The Army doesn’t have enough PSYOP soldiers to fight the information war, IG says

The Army doesn’t have enough PSYOP soldiers to fight the information war with China and Russia, the Department of Defense’s Inspector General said in a report released Wednesday.

The IG report found the Army has not recruited, trained, or retained a big enough workforce to meet the growing demand for Military Information Support Operations (MISO), commonly referred to as “psychological operations, or PSYOP” which aim to influence the beliefs and actions of other countries’ populations. 

Without enough active duty soldiers trained in PSYOP warfare, the service has relied on reservists to “fill the global, full-time requirements for conventional MISO.” In fiscal year 2023, the Army’s four active and reserve Psychological Operation Groups operated with only 60% of their authorized strength, according to the report.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-psyop-soldiers/

Army doesn’t have enough PSYOP soldiers to fight information war