www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php




"If you plant false stories, how can you control where that story goes? You can't."



Psychological Warfare Effort to be Outsourced
Army command hires three firms to sway Afghans and Iraqis
by James W Crawley
www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0610-01.htm

June 10, 2005
by the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)

The U.S. Special Operations Command has hired three firms to produce newspaper stories, television broadcasts and Web sites to spread American propaganda overseas.

The Tampa-based military headquarters, which oversees commandos and psychological warfare, may spend up to $100 million for the media campaign in the next five years.

[....]

The use of contractors in psyops is a new wrinkle. But psychological warfare expert Herb Friedman said he is not surprised.

With only one active-duty and two reserve psyops units remaining, Friedman said, "The bottom line is, they don't have the manpower."

Federal law prohibits sending propaganda to Americans, and some experts worry that psychological warfare messages, especially disinformation efforts, might blow back to American audiences via the Internet and satellite news channels.

"In this age of the Internet and instant access, it's of great concern," said Nancy Snow, a propaganda expert at California State University-Fullerton. "If you plant false stories, how can you control where that story goes? You can't."

[....]

Winning the contracts were Science Applications International Corp., SYColeman Inc. and Lincoln Group Corp.

[....]

The companies will get their marching orders from a joint psychological operations support element created last year.

Each contractor will receive a minimum of $250,000 during the first year and $500,000 each subsequent year. The entire contract could total $100 million by 2010, records show.

The contract calls for the firms to produce print articles, video and audio broadcasts, Internet sites and novelty items, like T-shirts and bumper stickers, for foreign audiences.

Video products will include newscasts, hour-long TV shows and commercials.

add your comments

COMMENTS
show latest comments first   show comment titles only

jump to comment 1 2 3 4 5

U.S. Special Operations Command
by redjade Saturday, Jun 11 2005, 7:11pm

U.S. Special Operations Command
www.soc.mil/

SOC News
news.soc.mil/

Psychological operations support national security objectives at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of operations.
Strategic psychological operations advance broad or long-term objectives. Global in nature, they may be directed toward large audiences or at key communicators.

Operational psychological operations are conducted on a smaller scale. They are employed by theater commanders to target groups within the theater of operations. Their purpose can range from gaining support for U.S. operations to preparing the battlefield for combat.

[....]

Both tactical and theater-level psychological operations may be used to enhance peacetime military activities of conventional and special operations forces operating in foreign countries.

www.soc.mil/usacapoc/psyopfs.shtml




for Afghanistan

add your comments

Science Applications International Corp.
by redjade Saturday, Jun 11 2005, 7:12pm

Science Applications International Corp.
www.saic.com

SAIC and News Coverage of the Iraqi Media Network (IMN)
'In November 2003, SAIC re-named IMN television Al Iraqiyah and provided a new look and programming. Today, IMN broadcasts the Al Iraqiyah from Baghdad both terrestrially for local viewers and onto satellite as a national feed to more than 20 IMN Owned and Operated stations that re-broadcast it locally. Today, IMN has 13 radio stations broadcasting to 88%, and 27 television stations broadcasting to 80%, of the Iraqi population. And while we did not get the four proposed television stations in northern Iraq on line as quickly as the Government wanted, they were up and running on 24 December. Despite the war zone conditions, SAIC was successful in accomplishing the goals established for the IMN program.'
www.saic.com/cover-archive/natsec/imn.html

More about the 'Iraqi Media Network'
www.stanhopecentre.org/research/middleeast.shtml

Al Iraqiyah Website
www.iraqimedianet.net
- coverage:
www.iraqimedianet.net/tv/stations.htm

Jobs Available from SAIC:

Intelligence Analyst
Job Description:
Provides intelligence analytical support to the interrogation team during development and execution of the interrogation plan/cycle, as directed; provide daily collateral and high-side analysis to support daily interrogations; provides intelligence products and performs intelligence research to support interrogation teams; provides intelligence summaries in support of daily interrogations and in accordance with unit SOPs; interfaces with higher, lower and adjacent intelligence organizations to fully prepare interrogation team for exploitation of detainees, as well as preparing post interrogation analytical products/assessments that support further targeting efforts, source development and analysis of the threat; Serves as a member of an intelligence analytical team of military and / or civilian analysts under the direction of a C2 analytical staff supervisor. Must be willing to work 12 hours a day, 7 days per week if required.
jobs.saic.com/ajobbext3.nsf/alljobsbyrequestno/BCH113504

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
- SAIC-designed interactive kiosk features virtual tour of the civil rights leader's birth home
www.saic.com/cover-archive/community/mlk.html



add your comments

SYColeman Inc.
by redjade Saturday, Jun 11 2005, 7:14pm

SYColeman Inc.
www.sycoleman.com

Jobs Available from SYColeman:
- Job in Iraq
ACG 05-370 - ACG 05-384
'SYColeman is seeking Intelligence analysts to support interrogation operations.'
tinyurl.com/7btd8

www.sycoleman.com/clients/

Portfolio: Army.mil Website
'SYColeman designs and maintains the Army.mil website, the Army's official public website. Reaching an audience of more than 6 million monthly visitors, SYColeman provides cutting edge support for web communications.'
www.sycoleman.com/portfolio/armyweb.html


Making websites to recruit for war - Psyops against the enemy to win war

add your comments

Lincoln Group Corp.
by redjade Saturday, Jun 11 2005, 7:15pm

Lincoln Group Corp.
www.lincolngroup.com/

- About US
'Working in the furthest regions of the world, the Lincoln team delivers novel solutions that bridge the cultural divide. Our work encompasses a variety of communications services, strategic planning and professional consultation. Our success is based on excellent research, local presence, discretion, and quality people.'
www.lincolngroup.com/About/index.htm

- Real Estate
'Diverse Opportunities
Baghdad, Karbala, Babylon, Basra, and other major cities are severely lacking in office, hotel, corporate housing, industrial, and other commercial real estate. Lincoln Group staff has visited over 100 properties that are suitable for renovation or development and are available for lease to non-Iraqi interests or sale to Iraqi individuals and entities.'
www.lincolngroup.com/Investment/index.htm



add your comments

Why Were Government Propaganda Experts Working On News At CNN?
by redjade Saturday, Jun 11 2005, 7:16pm

Why Were Government Propaganda Experts Working On News At CNN?
3/27/00

Reports in the Dutch newspaper Trouw (2/21/00, 2/25/00) and France's Intelligence Newsletter (2/17/00) have revealed that several officers from the US Army's 4th Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) Group at Ft. Bragg worked in the news division at CNN's Atlanta headquarters last year, starting in the final days of the Kosovo War.

[....]

What makes the CNN story especially troubling is the fact that the network allowed the Army's covert propagandists to work in its headquarters, where they learned the ins and outs of CNN's operations. Even if the PSYOPS officers working in the newsroom did not influence news reporting, did the network allow the military to conduct an intelligence-gathering mission against CNN itself?

www.fair.org/index.php

. . . . .

CNN confirms story and explains...

'The intern program was terminated as soon as the leadership of CNN learned of it. CNN's position: it was inappropriate for PSYOPS personnel to be at CNN, they are not here now, and they never again will be at CNN.'

www.fair.org/activism/psyops-response.html