Perhaps one of the most important articles yet published on military infowar, propaganda, media influence and PSYOPs has appeared online.
Called ‘Military Social Influence in the Global Information Environment: A Civilian Primer’ – the piece is written by psychologist Sarah King who outlines the theory and practice of US information warfare as it stands today.
Although the piece gives a fascinating and sometimes jaw dropping account of US information operations (replete with examples) it serves as an essential general introduction to how military thinking has moved on from assuming wars are fought with troops on the ground to conceptualising conflict as inseparable from its social impact.
A more prominent view among information warriors is that changes in information, technology, and social influence capabilities have actually transformed the terms of war. War between standing armies of nation-states is seen as increasingly unlikely, both because the United States is an unmatched military superpower and because damage that would result from use of modern physical weapon systems is deemed intolerable.
Our military’s enemies, experts predict, are most likely to be small, rogue groups who attempt to prevail by winning popular support and undermining U.S. political will for war. The argument here is that in most modern war, physical battles, if they exist, will be for the purpose of defining psychological battlespace.
What’s striking is the effort to dominate all aspects of the ‘information sphere’ – from public opinion, to news coverage, to acceptance on the ground, to shaping the general cultural concept of the country’s military.
The many examples given of how this has been attempted during the recent and ongoing conflict are completely fascinating.
If you only ever read one article on ‘information ops’ make it this one. It’s online and open-access with expert commentary due to appear during the year.
Link to excellent InfoWar article (thanks Stephan!).
Mind Hacks 
Fascinating? It was not.
One sentence,”Many military strategists are now convinced that modern warfare is centered on a battle for public opinion, rather than a battle for physical terrain.” This would be more
fascinating if Sarah King pointed
out how this method of war translates very well into what
is taking place domestically in the US political sphere.
I wonder who has declared war on their own country? Which ideology is steeped in nativistic, reactionary fear mongering?
Which political party, despite employing the big lie on and off Fox “News”, is still declared legitimate by a news media shilling for RNC access?
Whoops, I gave it away, as if
it was a mystery.
Is this my partisan attitude or is it an overwhelming reality that manages to capture millions with just a few key words: National defense, homosexuality, abortion,”them” and “those” who are going to take ah liberties, guns, freedoms, women and children and impose Sharia law and bla bla bla. I wonder who
sent all those threatening letters to Rep. Giffords?
The highest priority for Reserve/National Guard call-ups was for “information specialists,” supposedly for “psyops.” In reality, they were used to monitor blogs and hack them with multiple identities. In response to anything from the center or left, they post(ed) quibbling and negative comments, blown into apparent agreement by others. Anything on the right, they agree with – if they didn’t come up with it first.