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Psychological Operations (PSYOP or PSYOPS) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to specific foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce attitudes and behaviors favorable to the originator's objectives.

This concept has especially been used by military institutions throughout the 20th century.

United States

In the United States Department of Defense, Psychological Operations units exist in the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force.

Within the U.S. Psychological Operations community, PSYOPS is generally considered to be an incorrect abbreviation. The correct abbreviation is PSYOP.

Army

The Army's Psychological Operations elements are organized alongside Civil Affairs to form the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC), part of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). There are both Active Duty and Army Reserve PSYOP units.

One of the many facets of PSYOP is the Tactical PSYOP Team (TPT). A TPT generally consists of a team leader (Staff Sergeant or Sergeant), an assistant team leader (Sergeant or Specialist), and an additional soldier (Specialist) (although ranks are sometimes lower). A team is equipped with a Humvee fitted with a loud speaker, and occasionally works with a local translator indigenous to the host or occupied country. Generally, each battalion-sized element in a theater of war has at least one (occasionally more) TPTs attached to it. While women are allowed to hold the psychological operations specialty in the Army, they are not allowed to serve on TPTs in a war zone due to the high level of contact with the enemy (although this rule is occasionally bent).

PSYOP soldiers are required to complete nine weeks of Basic Combat Training. After basic training, all PSYOP soldiers report to Fort Bragg to complete the 16-week Psychological Operation AIT course. The active duty component is then required to go to Airborne training. Upon completion they can spend up to a year in foreign language training. Certain reserve soldiers serving in units designated as Airborne are also required to go to Airborne training directly out of the AIT course. While language training and Airborne training for soldiers in non-Airborne units is awarded to reserve soldiers on a merit and need basis.

Air Force

The Air Force runs a specific set of operations for Psychological Operations using a modified C-130 Hercules aircraft named Commando Solo. The purpose of Commando Solo is to provide an aerial platform for broadcast media on both television and radio. The media broadcast is created by various agencies and organizations.

United Kingdom

In the British Armed Forces, PSYOPS are handled by the tri-service 15 Psychological Operations Group.

See also

• Psychological warfare
• Information warfare
• Propaganda
• 15 Psychological Operations Group (British Armed Forces)

External links

• http://www.psywarrior.com/
• http://www.iwar.org.uk/psyops/
• U.S. psyops producing mid-eastern kids comic book
• http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/branches/PsychologicalOperations.htm
• OSS -- Development of Psychological Warfare (WWII)
• http://www.clandestineradio.com/

• Psychological warfare
• Propaganda