US Psychological Warfare Effort to be Outsourced

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press

Saturday June 11, 2005 20:10

by redjade

"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
http://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.