Age Old Principles Validated in a PSYOP Exercise

Analysis of an anti-Da'esh Psychological Operations exercise from April 2016 based on the unclassified material and a full report. http://www.icons.umd.edu/data/4952/
Trying to draw main lessons e.g. principles to follow in implementing PSYOPs.

Transcript

1. Age Old Principles Validated in a PSYOP Exercise Analysis of J-39 SMA program, USASOC, DHS & University of Maryland ICONS PSYOP exercise & simulation of Counter Da’esh messaging ICONS III, April 2016 Topias Uotila, @THUotila
2. Background • In an unique turn of events a full record and report of a large scale PSYOP (psychological operations) exercise was released to the public. • Released material includes for example: • Anonymised list of participants • All material created • List of meetings held and participants • Timeline of all communications • 69 page report on lessons learnt • http://www.icons.umd.edu/data/4952/
3. Structure of Exercise • 148 participants including control element • Run on a synchronous, virtual, and distributed multimedia platform called ICONSnet • One calendar week in April 2016 with Mon, Wed & Fri in battle time and Tue & Thu for control element to further scenario • White teams were manned with 30 regional experts
4. Objectives for the Exercise • Support the Psychological Operations (PSYOP) community in meeting training requirements in ways that reinforce the PSYOP process and enhance counter-Da’esh messaging. • Support the PSYOP community in integrating neuro-cognitive and social science concepts to refine counter-Da’esh message content and increase the effectiveness of the Information Operations (IO) campaign. • Assist the PSYOP community with understanding the operational environment (OE) and the human networks operating in the OE: friendly, threat, and neutral. Possible examples include providing a (Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information, and Infrastructure) PMESII framed OE analysis and center of gravity analysis.
5. Blue Team Process Who is the target audience? What action do you want them to take? Which three target points you want to appeal to?
6. Psych Triggers
7. ”In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
8. Preparedness • Preparation in team forming, strategy, objectives and finally concrete tested reservoir of messaging enable • high volume in communications • forcing the enemy to be reactive • free time to monitor communication and maintain presence • more innovative narrative strategies, such as edu-entertainment and targeting supporting audiences, rather than repetitively selling the same message to the same audience. • Example: “Team Mosul” staged 20-30 messages as draft
11. ”There are only three (4) elements in armored warfare – Fire & Maneuver.” Anonymous
12. Initiative • Vision is needed to anchor message strategies • Disrupting the narrative space and motivating behavior change means painting a compelling and emotional picture of a desirable future. • Messaging that undermined Da’esh’s brand did not fill the vacuum of uncertainty because it lacked specifics and proof. • Behavior change comes from being able to see the future. • Effective communication is both strategic and creative • Narrative is more than a single message • Think holistically, respect history, appreciate context, tell a story, enlist collective values, generate analogies, and invite audience engagement • Engaging a specific target audience and maintaining control of the narrative space is not the same thing. • Multi-pronged message approach and nuanced target audiences. • Own the narrative space through repetition and mass messaging • Information overload shuts the enemy from the conversation. • Direct counter-messaging results in an echo chamber • At best ineffective • May even exposed ignorance & promote enemy’s view
13. “The advantage of the situation will never be fully utilized if subordinate commanders wait for orders” Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
14. Auftragstaktik • Develop a high level strategy that aligns with operation objectives • Flexible enough to allow operators agility to maneuver • Set clear objectives for narrative campaigns conducted in support of overall strategy • Results in better narratives & allows fast development of messages tied into objectives • Participants can ensure they tie vulnerabilities into messaging • Contrast: In traditional doctrine, only the general theme is approved and each individual message must go back through an approval process. • Practitioners benefit from thinking strategically rather than reactively • Developing and protecting a brand narrative • Identifying psychological drivers of audience engagement beyond grievances such as affiliation, meaning, power, fear, identity, emotion, and instinct • Strategic message planning – choice of medium, anticipating response, defending messages, counter-messaging, and strategic timing.
15. “The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.” Eric Ries
16. OODA Loop • Rapid testing, adjusting, eliminating, or amplifying in the field to promote successful messaging and deploy resources • Practitioners can quickly decide what works and more efficiently deploy resources • Test effectiveness of messaging and refine the process in safe environments • Pre-produced media has limited value • Identify strategies for responding in real time to messaging • Text-only narratives are more agile • Red and White were quick to disprove visual products: “looks western” or “picture of the Shia” • Population was open to messaging in principle, but wanted to engage in a deeper conversation about how to effect change.
17. “Well done is better than well said.” Benjamin Franklin
18. Facts on the ground • Actions speak louder than words • The action is not just in the narrative, the action is the narrative • Messaging becomes the “voice-over”—determines the meaning of actions • Communication strategy needs to wrap back to the intelligence briefings • The most effective communication relates to observable events on the ground – regardless of truth. • Messaging only seen credible if it is reinforced through action • Words have power when linked together into a narrative • Narratives create a story the mind can understand to break down cognitive barriers • Propaganda was transparent and rejected as such • Repeated messaging about general ideas (empowerment, unity, fight back) became boring. • Only concrete references gained traction. • Localized media (tribes, neighborhoods, local religious and cultural leaders etc.) are effective.
19. “Nation that makes a great distinction between scholars and warriors will have thinking done by cowards and fighting by fools.” Thucydides
20. Integrated Teams & Unified Voice • Multi-disciplinary teams with embedded experts are critical. • Reach back to unseen experts does not work. • Integration of cultural, psychological, and media production expertise is essential for authentic and specific messaging strategies from inception of primary narrative threads to media creation. • Develop messages in coordination with cultural and technical experts to take advantage of multidisciplinary insights • Neuroscience, political science, marketing, etc. • State Department is central and has the needed comms capabilities.
21. Preparation Own narrative Auftragstaktik Speed & Agility Actions speak louder Integrated teams & unified voice