IO cell accused of PSYOPing politicians visiting Afghanistan

[Defend]

I honestly don't see the problem here. The only instructions given that is referenced in the article is to identify likes and dislikes of senators. That's called doing your homework. I'm a 37, and that's how I live my day to day life. I do TA Analysis before talking to anybody period, even my own mother.

But some brass with grass up his ass decided to go rambling to the media about it and pointing fingers, claiming some jedi s%!# was being used on our own. I hope the LTG is cleared of wrongdoing, and is more careful who he asks to look up some stats next time.

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General ordering probe into report of mind tricks

(AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is calling for an investigation into charges that an army unit trained in psychological operations was improperly ordered to manipulate American senators to get more money and troops for the war.

A senator allegedly targeted said Thursday that he's confident there will be a review of the facts, but played down the idea that he was manipulated.

The staff of Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, head of the effort to train Afghan security forces, ordered the information operations unit to compile profiles, voting records and other information on visiting lawmakers to leverage in a campaign to get more assistance, said a story Thursday on Rolling Stone's website. It says the campaign also improperly targeted the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, and others.

Caldwell's office denied it. But a press statement from Kabul said that the commander of forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus would order a probe "based on the information" in the article.

The military cell devoted to what is known as "information operations" believed their mission on arriving in Afghanistan in November 2009 was to assess the effects of U.S. propaganda on the Taliban and local Afghan population, the magazine said, quoting Lt. Col. Michael Holmes, whom it identified as the leader of the five-man team.

Holmes said they resisted the order to compile information on congressional delegations that were visiting there and think of what information "to plant inside their heads." He said they were subjected to retaliation for resisting.

"My job in psy-ops is to play with people's heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave," Holmes is quoted as saying. "When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressman, you're crossing a line."

Those singled out in the campaign included Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Al Franken, D-Minn., and Carl Levin, D-Mich. Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., of the House Appropriations Committee; the Czech ambassador to Afghanistan; the German interior minister, and a host of influential think-tank analysts, the story said, without identifying the international figures by name.

Levin pointed out Thursday that he has long been in favor of building up Afghan forces.

"For years, I have strongly and repeatedly advocated for building up Afghan military capability because I believe only the Afghans can truly secure their nation's future," Levin said in a statement. "I have never needed any convincing on this point. Quite the opposite, my efforts have been aimed at convincing others of the need for larger, more capable Afghan security forces, and that we and NATO should send more trainers to Afghanistan, rather than more combat troops."

— Riechmann reported from Kabul.

Link Here

[blacksmoke]

I wonder if Rolling Stone does any research on their subjects before conducting an interview. Seemed to know tons about McCrystal,even embarassing facts from his USMA days. Did they get that all from him?

[Richard]

This came from a friend at Leavenworth - the CAC, not the DB.

Richard,

Looks awkward but don't believe all that you read. Anyone who's ever worked doctrine knows that this guy -- who was an IO specialist from the TX ARNG -- had responsibility for the "inform" piece of the IO/IIA equation but didn't want to do it. There's no PsyOps/MISO at play here. Facts are twisted to give Hastings another shot at infamy and in hopes of salvaging a guy's career.

Check out the guy's business on Facebook. See who is now an employee. Look at the pictures -- doing exactly what he's not allowed to do while in uniform and deployed.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Syzygy...11104692241458

And so it goes...

Richard

[CSB]

Reminds me of former presidential candidate George Romney, who visited Viet Nam in the mid 1960's and after a whirlwind tour returned to the United States singing the praises of the U.S. Army there. Later, when things weren't going so well for the war (and Romney was now running for president), he backpedeled from his support for the war:

On August 31, 1967, in a taped interview with talk show host Lou Gordon of WKBD-TV in Detroit, Romney stated: "When I came back from Viet Nam [in November 1965], I'd just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get." He then shifted to opposing the war: "I no longer believe that it was necessary for us to get involved in South Vietnam to stop Communist aggression in Southeast Asia." Decrying the "tragic" conflict, he urged "a sound peace in South Vietnam at an early time." Thus Romney disavowed the war and reversed himself from his earlier stated belief that the war was "morally right and necessary".

The "brainwashing" reference had been an offhand, unplanned remark that came at the end of a long, behind-schedule day of campaigning. By September 7 it found its way into prominence at The New York Times. Eight other governors who had been on the same 1965 trip as Romney said no such activity had taken place, with one of them, Philip H. Hoff of Vermont, saying Romney's remarks were "outrageous, kind of stinking ... Either he's a most naïve man or he lacks judgment." The connotations of brainwashing, following the experiences of American prisoners of war (highlighted by the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate), made Romney's comments devastating, especially as it reinforced the negative image of Romney's abilities that had already developed. The topic of brainwashing quickly became newspaper editorial and television talk show fodder, with Romney bearing the brunt of the topical humor. Senator Eugene McCarthy, running against Johnson for the Democratic nomination, said that in Romney's case, "a light rinse would have been sufficient." Republican Congressman Robert T. Stafford of Vermont sounded a common concern: "If you're running for the presidency, you are supposed to have too much on the ball to be brainwashed." After the remark was aired, Romney's poll ratings nosedived, going from 11 percent behind Nixon to 26 percent behind.

I think it was Johnny Carson who quipped:

"Poor George Romney, ever since he had his brain washed he can't do a thing with it!"

[Dozer523]

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Al Franken, D-Minn., and Carl Levin, D-Mich. Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.,Pretty friendly crowd to begin with.

[Mike]

I recall some old timers in my day alluding to JFK getting a bit of smoke blown up his ass prior to authorizing the beret.

I believe the one man rocket pack was included in the packet.

[Pete]

Pentagon clears 3-star of alleged psyops use

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/0...ps-use-072711/

"WASHINGTON — The three-star Army general in charge of training Afghan security forces has been cleared of allegations that he improperly used soldiers trained in psychological operations to influence American senators to get more money for the war......................"

Wonder if it will be noted on the evening news. It was a good one day splash a few months ago.