Psychological operations (Russia)

Psychological operations (PsyOps) — the psychological impact on the troops (forces) of the enemy and the population in order to demoralize them and induce them to stop resistance, as well as to change behavior from standard to desired. Psychological operations can be conducted in peacetime, during preparation for/or during military operations.
History
The USSR armed forces had separate, specialized structures that were responsible for this field of tasks and carried out them independently: for example, the Political Directorate of the Red Army (from 1958 to 1991 was called the Major Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy), which had branched internal structure. An example of a comprehensive operation of information warfare can be considered as the activities of such structures during the military campaign of the USSR in Afghanistan. The operations of the military structures of special propaganda reached a peak by the middle of the campaign, in 1985, and included the deployment of a powerful network of propaganda broadcasting in the occupied territory, the spread of rumors, jokes and other information or misinformation. All these actions were carried The USSR armed forces had separate, specialized structures that were responsible for this front of tasks and were able to carry out them independently: for example, the Political Directorate of the Red Army (from 1958 to 1991 was called the Major Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy), which had branched internal structure. An example of a comprehensive operation of information warfare can be considered as the activities of such structures during the military campaign of the USSR in Afghanistan. The operations of the military structures of special propaganda reached a peak by the middle of the campaign, in 1985, and included the deployment of a powerful network of propaganda broadcasting in the occupied territory, the spread of rumors, jokes, and other information or disinformation. All these actions were carried out to discredit the leader of the Afghan opposition, including free distribution of fuel, food, and other material goods to the local population in order to engage in cooperation.
Inevitably, the development of information technologies and, above all, the Internet, together with the globalization of the mass media and their transition to online mode, required a major modernization of the military propaganda apparatus and counter-propaganda. The formation of potential and specialized organizations for military operations in cyberspace was whole another story: lots of independent tasks of PsyOps and information warfare, but crossing with them in terms of means and methods. The USA pioneers with regard to the formation of technological potential and the doctrinal base for special operations in cyberspace operated in this area earlier than other states. Back in early 1990, the success of Operation Desert Storm was not largely based only on the use of reasonable weapons and IT (primarily by the US Air Force), but also on an active information campaign aimed at demoralizing the Iraqi military and discrediting the actions of the dictatorial regime in their eyes. Similar methods were used during the second Iraq campaign in 2003. In February 2006, with the adoption by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces of the new doctrine version of «Information Operations» (JP 3-13), psychological operations were finally included in a single harmonious classification of information operations of the US Armed Forces as one of the five distinct areas along with electronic warfare (EW), computer network operations, measures for operational camouflage, as well as measures to ensure the safety of own forces and assets.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation faced the urgent need to modernize their approach to information operations in 2008 — during and after the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, which was successful for the Armed Forces in terms of military tasks, but completely lost in the field of media and information confrontation. The first document, which included a guidance for modernization the units of information warfare and its activities, was produced at the end of 2011. The document «Conceptual Views on the Activities of the RF Armed Forces in the Information Space» was the first prototype of the military doctrine of the information operations of the Russian Federation. The «Conceptual Views …» lays out some priorities for media coverage and support of military conflicts, spells out the tasks of interaction between the armed forces with the media and the public. Among other things, the obvious thing was noted — it is necessary to adapt the methods and means of information operations to the new technological platforms and formats, especially the Internet. After all, it is global and cross-dimensional, multichannel, and does not lend itself to plugging and shutting down, provides instant information dissemination outside the conflict region throughout the globe.
Composition, organization and structure of troops
PsyOps units consist of:
* headquarters — the organization that is responsible for the implementation of tasks for the effective use of units;
* editorial and printing board — preparation of layouts (sketches) of printed propaganda products and their production;
* department of distribution of printed and other propaganda products — distribution of propaganda materials among the target audience;
* oral propaganda department — use of sound-amplifying equipment (stations such as audio broadcasting stations), conducting individual conversations with the local population, working with prisoners, etc.;
* propaganda department for radio and television channels — provision of radio and television broadcasting using hardware resources in the occupied territory or mobile stations;
* The department for work in the Internet space — an attached unit that performs reconnaissance tasks, blocking or changing information in networks, unauthorized entry into devices connected to the Internet, etc.
Through the 12th Directorate (Information War), the main directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is subordinated to the structural units of the Operational Coordination Center of Military Authority Bodies, which in their turn are subordinated to the Special Service Centers for various intelligence spheres. Further, the 72nd Special Service Center (conducting psychological operations and operations in cyberspace) submits the information warfare and camouflage departments of the headquarters of 4 (four) military districts. Also, in the headquarters of the military districts, there are centers of foreign military information and communication for the study of foreign armed forces. At the tactical level in the military districts, there are separate units of psychological operations (PsyOps), which are subordinate to the departments of information warfare and camouflage of headquarters of the military districts. Also, at the tactical level, there are units of PsyOps as a part of separate special-purpose reconnaissance brigades.
PsyOps units are part of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces.
The structure of the PsyOps of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (psychological operations):
* General Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, military base 45807 Moscow, Khoroshevskoye highway, 76B (12th directorate);
* Center for operational coordination of military authority bodies “Bashnya”, military base 74455 Moscow, st. Kirova, 22, Khimki “Novator”.
Special Service Centers (according to the activity and specialization):
* 85th (Main) Special Service Center, military base 26165, Moscow, Komsomolsky Ave. 22. “Khamovniki barracks” - probable specializations are cryptography, creation of algorithms, decryption;
* 107th Special Service Center, military base 61886 specialization is a command of the reception and transmission units of radio centers and radio posts;
* 99th Special Service Center, military base 51428, village Zagoryansky, Moscow region. Specialization is the command of individual units of radio intelligence of space objects;
* 136th Special Service Center, military base 61535, Moscow, Khoroshevskoe highway. Specialization is the command of combat units of special operations units;
* 161th Center for training specialists, military base 29155, Moscow Region, Senezh;
* 72nd Special Service Center, military base 54777. Specialization is psychological operations and operations in cyberspace;
* 64th Special Service Center, military base 45055. Center for Foreign Military Information and Communication. Moscow.
Distrscts:
Southern Military District:
* Department of information warfare and camouflage of the headquarters of the Southern Military District;
* Center for informational warfare of the Southern Military District Center for Territorial Forces of the Southern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Novocherkassk
* Center for Foreign Military Information and Communication, Southern Military District, Rostov-on-Don;
* 2140 detached unit of PsyOps, military base 03128;
* PsyOps detached unit of the 100th separate reconnaissance brigade, military base 23511 Mozdok;
* PsyOps detached unit of the 22nd separate special forces brigade, Stepnoy;
* PsyOps detached unit of the 127th intelligence brigade of the 22nd Army Corps Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol.
Western Military District:
* Department of information warfare and camouflage headquarters of the Western Military District;
* Center for Foreign Military Information and Communication of the Western Military District St. Petersburg;
* a separate detached unit of the PsyOps, military base 03127 Tver;
* 324 separate detached unit of the PsyOps, military base 35571, Kaliningrad;
* PsyOps detached unit of the 45th separate special forces brigade, Kubinka;
* PsyOps detached unit of the 96th separate reconnaissance brigade, Nizhny Novgorod.
Central Military District:
* Department of information warfare and camouflage of the headquarters of the Central Military District;
* Center for Foreign Military Information and Communication of the Central Military District, Yekaterinburg;
* PsyOps detached unit, military base 03138, Yekaterinburg.
Eastern Military District:
* Department of information warfare and camouflage of the headquarters of the Eastern Military District;
* Center for Foreign Military Information and Communication of the Eastern Military District, Khabarovsk;
* A separate detached unit of PsyOps, military base 03134, Khabarovsk-30, (part of the center for foreign military information and communication of the Eastern Military District);
* A separate detached unit of the PsyOps, military base 03132, Chita.
The main forms of conducting psychological operations
The information warfare is carried out in the following forms:
* information intelligence — search, collection, processing, and analysis of information about information risks and threats;
* assessment of the target audience (study of a potential population group, enemy troops, and determination of their strengths and weaknesses);
* planning information activities at the tactical (local, global), operational (affecting neighboring countries of the state), and strategic (together with states influencing the development of geopolitics) levels;
* carrying out operations of an informational nature (information operations, actions) in order to implement the tasks of the state’s internal and foreign policy;
* assessing the effectiveness of information operations - determining the level of success.
The main tasks of the units of psychological operations
The main tasks of the PsyOps units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are as follows:
* targeted monitoring of the mass media in the area of responsibility and subsequent analysis;
* information intelligence;
* conducting psychological operations;
* propaganda;
* information sabotage.
The objects of informational influence are as follows:
* the audience of the conflicting party — (to form a point of view on the fairness of the decisions of the Russian Federation and the plans of the Russian leadership);
* the internal audience of Russia and the audience of its supporting states (to demonstrate confidence in the actions of the Russian leadership and to form an opinion among the population on supporting the decisions of the Kremlin);
* an external audience (to create informational environment for a positive perception of Russian policy).

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