The Art of War: The propaganda, the combat and the psychological operations

Anonymous said...

The very existence of war requires that one possesses not only the physical means to sustain an armed struggle but a mentality that predisposes one to initiate it or persevere in it. It follows, then, that hostilities cease when one of these two essential elements has been destroyed—when one combatant no longer possesses either the physical means or the psychological will to carry on the fight. The purpose of combat operations is to physically destroy the enemy’s physical and material ability to make war. The objective of psychological operations is to erode his will to continue the fight.

In wartime, propaganda serves one of three purposes: it increases support for the war effort among friendly peoples, encourages neutrals either to remain unaligned or to become allies, or diminishes an enemy’s will to remain in the war. The predispositions of the target population thus establish the parameters of wartime propaganda. Within those parameters the precise aim of the message determines its content. Propaganda may encourage the audience to take immediate action or simply provide the enemy with discouraging news. In any case, wartime propaganda plays a supporting role, for its primary purpose is to facilitate a nation’s efforts to achieve military victory.

Psychological warfare, when it is directed against an enemy population, is merely a label for nonviolent activities aimed at destroying the enemy’s will to continue the fight. It is an aspect of war that attacks the enemy psychologically rather than physically. It must be pursued in combination with the political, economic, and military dimensions of a total war effort. Psychological war operations are intended to achieve military advantages without the direct application of violence. Propaganda (i.e., persuasive communication) is simply the instrument most frequently used to gain such advantages.

Propaganda in warfare, like the military operations it augments, is often divided into two broad categories,strategic and tactical. Strategic propaganda focuses on long-range goals at the highest psychological level, such as the gradual but continuous demoralization of the enemy or the mobilization of support for one’s own war effort. It is most commonly directed at audiences outside the immediate combat area. Tactical propaganda comprises informational activities that accompany combat operations. It is most often aimed at enemy combatants and may be designed to elicit immediate results of tactical advantage on the battlefield. Nonetheless, “tactical” propaganda operations (“tactical” in that they are conducted against enemy troops in combat areas) are very often designed to achieve long-range, that is “strategic” objectives, such as the gradual demoralization of enemy combatants. For this reason, it is more accurate to use the term combat propaganda for informational activities conducted against enemy forces in the field.
20 June 2011 4:04 PM