Our Ongoing Crisis In Civ-Mil Relations - PSYOP Edition Posted by Michael Cohen

So the bombshell du jour about Afghanistan is a Rolling Stone article that alleges the US military is apparently using soldiers specializing in psychological operations to convince visiting US Senators and think tankers to support increase troop levels and funding for the war in Afghanistan

I guess I'm supposed to be outraged about this . . . but honestly I'm not. The notion that PSYOPs would be considered necessary to convince Congressmen and think tankers to support escalation in Afghanistan is one of the more darkly humorous things I've read in quite some time.

It's like trying to kill a fly with a howitzer. That one of the "targets" was John McCain makes me wonder if anyone in the US military actually knows who John McCain is.

But in general the very fact that US military personnel are trying to manipulate their civilian overseers - honestly, this is a bombshell?

Did everyone just forget about the ongoing manipulation that went on in the Summer and Fall of 2009 to convince President Obama to support escalation - the leaks to major newspapers, the strategic review utilizing well-placed DC thinkers, the public smackdown of civilian leaders by four-star general, the failure of our military leadership to provide civilian leaders with alternatives to a population-centric COIN strategy? Or how about the more recent attempts to whitewash the White House's December strategic review or plant news stories about how well things were going in Afghanistan and it was imperative that the June 2011 drawdown date be finessed in order to maintain "momentum" against the Taliban?

For two years now, since this President took office, the US military leadership has been lobbying and yes, manipulating their civilian bosses to support a population-centric COIN operation, higher troop levels and a steadfast commitment to stay the fight in Afghanistan. That civilian leadership has abdicated its responsibility on strategic decision-making to the military has only exacerbated the problem. But only a blind person would deny that this is what has been taking place.

The notion that this latest Rolling Stone story is even surprising is undoubtedly the most surprising thing about it.

Comments

[USA Hot News]

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Another point to make is that it was almost predictable that there would be such a crisis under President Obama, not because of Obama’s obviously uncomfortable attitude toward national security matters, but because of the serious harm done to civil-military relations by Congress during the last half of the Bush years.

[Joco]

Nice! Enjoyed your POV. I believe this goes to the heart of our problems with GWOT. Our leadership is so preoccupied with ensuring that we don't have another Vietnam that they have lost sight of a true COIN mission. BF Cdr's have been empowered to conduct Psyop within their AOR and they truly think that this weapon is capable of winning the war in their 12 months BOG. Influencing takes years even decades. Why a Cdr thinks he can create influencing material that will win the War is the real bombshell. If cdr's would stick to what they know best, combat and security Ops, they would do more influencing of their AOR than any type of local propaganda they try to create. Leave Psyop at the strategic level and throw a grenade on IO community and scatter them back to their basic branch. As far as the LTC he deserves to get what is coming to him you can follow an order without breaking the law!! He was lazy and over stepping his authority about influencing a Senator or Congressman. Look, every Senator or Congressman is in violation of the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 when they step out on the campaign trail? A politician will tell you anything to get you to vote for them with on intention of following thru on the campaign promises!! Hopefully this LTC retires soon and the IO community goes away and leaves the influencing ops to the Psyop'ers.

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I do like the way you have presented this problem plus it really does present me a lot of fodder for thought. Nonetheless, from just what I have witnessed, I just hope as the actual feedback pack on that folks stay on point and not start on a tirade involving the news du jour. Still, thank you for this exceptional point and while I can not necessarily go along with the idea in totality, I regard your point of view.