Psychological Warfare Focus Day Wednesday, May 30, 2012

8:15AM – 9:15AM Registration & Coffee

9:15AM – 10:45 AM Political Warfare: Use of Political Operations in Today’s War

This session will detail use of political warfare in overt and coverts ways that exploit internal differences within an adversarial country or one’s own. Learn how an aggressor must be mindful of opponents’ national leaders and exploit any weaknesses while potentially gaining support for its own objectives.

What will be covered:

  • American foreign policy and how it demonstrates a tendency to move towards political warfare
  • How political warfare leads to weakening or destroying an opponent’s political, social, or societal will
  • Forcing a course of action favorable to one’s national interest

How you will benefit:

  • Learn how using political means can be used to compel an opponent to do one’s will
  • Examine perceived threats and public diplomacy in times of improved relations and peace
  • Look at methods of altering an opponent’s opinions and actions in favor of one country’s interests without using military power

Ruth Wedgwood, J.D.
Director, International Law and Organizations Program
Johns Hopkins University

10:45 AM – 12:15 PM Psychological Operations: Through the Eyes of the Enemy

This session will give an overview of the basic aspects of modern psychological operations and the various techniques used to influence a target audience’s value systems, belief systems, emotions, motives, reasoning, or behavior. Learn how the enemy perceives America and its allies and why they are brought up to oppose western thought and philosophy.

What will be covered:

  • How the mindset of the target population compares and contrast with the beliefs and value systems of America and its allies
  • What new media and information technologies have affected irregular warfare issues
  • Establishing criteria and evaluating the success and failure of psychological campaigns

How you will benefit:

  • Interact with different stake holders in PSYOPS and strategize possible means of better coordination
  • Learn theoretical tools and background to understand trends and issues of foreign conspirators
  • Uncover what has worked, what hasn’t, and why

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Lewis
Special Operations Chair
U.S. Marine Corps University

12:15 PM – 1:15 PM LUNCH

1:15 PM – 2:45 PM Information Warfare: Black Propaganda and Communications Security

This talk explores the various forms of information warfare including social network analysis, decision analysis, and the human aspects of command and control. It discusses the details and irregular warfare applications of information operations to undermine the quality of opposing force information and deny information-collection opportunities.

What will be covered:

  • How to use and manage information technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over opponents
  • Collecting tactical information, assuring that one’s own information is valid and spreading disinformation to demoralize or manipulate the enemy and the public
  • The short and long term goals of information warfare

How you will benefit:

  • Discover the human-related aspects of information use
  • Delve into the realms of electronic warfare, cyber warfare, information assurance and computer network operations/attack/defense
  • Join open discussion centering on the many forms of information warfare

Matthew G Devost
President, Terrorism Research Center
Georgetown University

2:45pm - 4 :15pm Psychological Warfare: A Low-Cost, High-Impact National Security Solution

Psychological warfare helped beat the Nazis, and psychological strategy was crucial to defeating the Soviet Union without resorting to war. Since then, however, the US has effectively abandoned a strategic approach to the psychological side of conflict, even though the greatest threats to US interests leverage psychology as tactical and strategic weapons against us. It's time for the US to embrace psychological strategy and psychological warfare as low-cost, high-impact solutions to defeat our enemies and adversaries both in tomorrow's battlespaces and place all potential foes on the strategic defensive.

How you will benefit:

  • Find newer, cheaper, more productive uses for what they already know about defense and security
  • Take existing tactical tools and practices, and put them to use for strategic purposes
  • Devise new ways of defeating potential aggressors without having to fight them

What will be covered?

  • Terrorism and extremism are forms of psychological warfare, yet we have yet to master the battlespace
  • Psychological strategy saved the lives of countless Americans and innocent civilians abroad, by waging conflict against the Soviets while keeping the Cold War from becoming hot
  • Psychological strategy, and the strategic use of psychological conflicts worldwide, are low-cost, high-impact solutions at a time when Americans are looking for doing more with less.

Dr. J Michael Waller
Annenberg Professor of International Communication
The Institute of World Politics

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