Information Operations in Counterinsurgency

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Information Operationsin Counterinsurgency
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Agenda

• IO Goals
• IO Fundamentals in COIN
• IO Vacuum
• Success vs. Failure
• IO Planning
• IO in the ITO

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IO Goals

• The desired effects of IO are to destroy,
  degrade, disrupt, deny, deceive, exploit, and
  influence enemy actions and enhance the
  legitimacy of the host nation government.

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IO Goals

• - Divide, disorganize, and induce defection of
  insurgents
• - Reduce/eliminate civilian support of insurgents
• - Dissuade civilians from insurgent activities
• - Win the active support of non-committed
  civilians
• - Preserve and strengthen the support of friendly
  civilians
• - Win popular approval (from the civilians) of
  the local presence of friendly
• military forces
• - Obtain national unity or disunity (within the
  civilian population) as desired

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IO Goals
In COIN, controlling people is more important
than controlling land
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Fundamentals of IO in COIN

• Prepare for IO before deployment
• Involve every soldier
• Anticipate and respond with speed, accuracy, and
  truth
• Establish and sustain an integrated team approach
• Intelligence supports IO
• IO supports intelligence

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Fundamentals of IO in COIN

• IO is tied to every aspect of COIN
• FID
• CMO
• Force Protection
• Population Security
• Kinetic
• INTEL
• Plan for Contingencies

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Raid HVI Target
Operation/Project
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Build School
Operation/Project
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Bn ___ Bde ___ Div ___ Corps ___
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IO Vacuum
IO Vacuum
Major Event or Attack
No CF/HN Message
Increased Popular Support of Insurgents
Insurgent Message
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IO Vacuum
IO Vacuum
Major Event or Attack
No CF/HN Message
Increased Popular Support of Insurgents
Insurgent Message
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IO Vacuum
IO Vacuum
Major Event or Attack
No CF/HN Message
Increased Popular Support of Insurgents
Insurgent Message
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IO Vacuum
IO Vacuum
Major Event or Attack
No CF/HN Message
Increased Popular Support of Insurgents
Insurgent Message
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Political vs. Military Mobilization

• Insurgent/Extremists failure to achieve classic
  military objectives should not be interpreted
  as a failure to accomplish the mission.
• Tet Offensive in Vietnam
• Intifada I
• Final Offensive in El Salvador
• Spectacular Attacks in Iraq
• Of note, these examples shared characteristics of
  a possible outcome in Iraq
• All were failures militarily
• All were victories psychologically and
  politically
• The psychological and political goals were
  ultimately more important than military
  objectives

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Impact of Attacks and IO Factor

• Media coverage and public outcry following
  spectacular and widespread attacks will stimulate
  insurgents efforts 
• The impacts of a insurgent spectacular attacks
• Greatly magnifies the groups effort
• International and domestic press coverage
• Damage government credibility
• Impact public and political support in the US and
  Coalition countries
• Reduce CF and morale 

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IO Plan

• - IO understands the difference between
  Insurgency Phases and Strategies
• - Methods of IO based on Nature of Insurgencies
• - What is the objective?
• - Who is the target?
• Sunni / Shia / Kurd
• 4th Generation of Warfare (American public)
• - How does IO affect Center of Gravity?

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Information Operations Officer

• Designated IO Officer assists the staff in
  integrating IO into each COA. The IO officer
  addresses how each IO element supports each COA
  and its associated time lines, critical events,
  and decision points. The IO officer revises IO
  concepts of support as needed during war gaming.
• FM 5-0, Planning and Orders Production, JAN 05

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FM 5-0
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TF XO
TF S2
TF S3
REQUEST ISR ASSETS
ALLOCATE COMBAT POWER
PATTERN ANALYSIS
TROOPS TO TASK
ISSUE OPSUMS
ISSUE INSUMS
PATROL DEBREIFS
CONTROL ISR
MONITOR OPSEC
TARGETING
FRAGOS AND PLANS
TARGET PACKAGES
IPB
LNOS
INTERAGENCY OPS
TAC OPS
COLLECT INTELLIGENCE
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Divisive IO

• Political, social, economic, and ideological
  differences among insurgent elements
• Leadership rivalries within insurgent movement
• Insurgents as criminals, inept, anti-Islamic
• Danger of betrayal from among the insurgents
• Harsh living conditions of insurgents
• Selfish motivation of opportunists supporting the
  insurgents
• Foreign domination of the movement

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IO That Counters Insurgent IO

• Proactive campaign, projected by the host nation,
  themselves designed to neutralize the
  psychological impact of future attacks
• Acknowledge the possibility/likelihood of future
  spectacular attacks
• The three pillars of MNF/ITG/ISF IO should be
  insurgents, especially Islamic extremist are
• Criminal attacks against host nation
• Foreign ties and leadership
• Ineptitude
• Ridicule can be very powerful, particularly
  against insurgent recruitment

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Psychological Operations

• Few insurgencies have been won or lost by large,
  decisive military battles. More commonly,
  insurgencies are won by a combination of military
  and political means. Much of the political
  leverage involved in such settlements is derived
  from effective psychological operations, which
  have structured the environment necessary for a
  political solution.
• -DA Pam 500-104

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Targets of Psychological Operations

• PSYOP can assist counterinsurgency by reaching
  the following targets
• - Insurgents
• - Civilian Populace (US Iraqi)
• - Military Force
• - Neutral Elements
• - External Hostile Powers
• - Local Government

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Conduct of Troops During Operations

• Rules of Conduct
• There shall be no confiscation whatever from the
  poor peasantry.
• If you borrow anything, return it.
• Replace all articles you damage.
• Pay fairly for everything that you purchase.
• Be honest in all transactions with the peasants.
• Be courteous and polite to the people and help
  them when you can.
• Mao Tse-tung, 1928

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Conduct of Troops During Operations

• Utilizing IO means
• Timely
• Integrating with all phases of combat operations
  
• Host nation to spread message
• Decentralized to lowest levels
• Understanding host nation culture/customs

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Essential Tasks

• Success or failure depends on coordinated and
  thought out IO plan
• Recognize that COIN is both physical and
  psychological
• IO effort begins before the attacks occur
• Pre-Screen IO products (via host nation or
  interpreters)
• IO effort propagated at ALL levels train your
  soldiers for street IO
• Train host nation counterparts to become the main
  IO effort
• Well-synchronized offensive IO can cripple
  insurgent armed forces and insurgent political
  decision making capabilities

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Questions?
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