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Moving the Ball Forward
By John
Second installment from our PSYOP friend.
PSYOP COP
When war comes, it is the natural inclination of warriors to grab a rifle and “get some”. The Army career system rewards the combat arms jocks with CIB’s on their chest and everyone is hoping for a little glory.
World War Two was won through sheer industrial might and brute force. It was the conventional warrior’s wet dream and something that will probably never be seen again (and thank God for it).
The War on Terror is something entirely different. Inasmuch lethal action has a role to play (because, as they say, “some men you just can’t reach”), non-lethal action has to be the driving force in this war. Otherwise, logic demands that you must wipe out vast swaths of population to convince them they’re wrong and we’re right (essentially the driving strategy behind WW2).
PSYOP has a legitimate (although very misunderstood and misused) role to play in this. While I touched on the tactical sides of PSYOP in my last post, there is another role, known as EPW Exploitation. Very little PSYOP is dedicated to the task, but after reading this, I almost wonder if there isn’t merit to this course of action.
How this man survived the truck bomb is beyond me, but his value now, if properly exploited, could reap huge returns. One of the more frustrating aspects of my time in Iraq was the absolute refusal of the Army to attack the enemy through the use of religion. In order to avoid wallowing into a “crusader versus the indfidel” war, they simply banned all aspects of PSYOP dealing with Islam. You could not use Koranic verse to make a point nor did we actively try to get Imams to broadcast messages that supported our efforts there rather than the militias or insurgents.
The trouble is that, in the Arab world, you cannot communicate with another person without referencing Islam. It is as much a part of those people’s culture and mindset as oil is a part of the ground there. And, by simply refusing to play, the Army allows the extremists to dominate the field and convince the fence-sitters that Allah commands them to go and kill Americans and those who support them. Without another opinion to listen to on the matter, the issue is pretty much decided for them.
A low literacy rate contributes to this. It is not unlike the Catholic church in Europe during the Middle Ages. Liturgy was in Latin only, as was the Bible. Because the local priest was the only man who could speak or write Latin, he could pretty much tell the people whatever he wanted and, because it was the “church” speaking, it was the truth. Burn a heretic, send your kids on a crusade, give me money… you get the idea. Imams in many of the towns and villages across the Arab world have that same power.
Convincing detainees (or EPWs or whatever you want to call them) of the wrongness of their actions can be done. This story proves it. However, it has to be done through the venue of Islam and Arab culture, not the progressive, western, Christian way of doing things.
Instead of locking ‘em up and throwing away the key, which will ultimately NOT pass a Constitutional litmus test, they could be turned and then let loose to spread their new ideology.
And a young kid thinking of sacrificing himself for the cause might just be swayed back in our direction.
PSYOPS COP is a VMI alumnus with experience in the Army's psychological operations field.
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I really hesitate to comment here, as it is so very far from anything I have expertise in, and so close to tactical expertise. Perhaps, though, I can pass on a proposal from a plump preacher in the very remote parishes near the Allegheny National Forest.
The Gospels, observes the good father, are remarkably about food. The Wedding Feast at Cana, the feeding the multitudes, Jesus' urging of the disciples to "feed my sheep", the sower of seeds, the fig tree, the vine dressers, the sharing of passover, the Eucharist itself. The Pharisees even ask why the disciples of other sects fast often and pray, while Jesus' eat and drink!
The plump padre, then, thinks that all this focus on food is not coincidental in the survival and expansion of a religion passing 2000 years now, and including a great part of the world, especially its most prosperous and peaceful core. He may have something.
And so the Army thinks that providing safety as best we can, and food and water where possible, and a bit of individual freedom and self-determination to the greatest extent possible, is the loudest, clearest, best argument for our way, and the silent words which can least be turned against us in a day of instant, world-wide communications.
That last bit is critical to our success in a less than honorable political climate back home.
But this approach to individual conversion also has merit. Indeed, the story referenced here confirms this, as the young man is first influenced by the tender care taken of his broken limbs by the US enemy he is supposed to fear. And it is not lost on him that his not-so-brave co-jihadists bailed on him without warning.
Or, to put it another way, words ain't convincing my neighbors we should be there, so words may have limits in Iraq. But, one by one, deeds are showing the confused who their friends are.