Small Wars Journal

Syria Gave PSYOPS, Civil Affairs ‘Sets and Reps’ in Messaging and Setting Up Local Governance, Three-Star Says

Sat, 10/26/2019 - 12:26am

Syria Gave PSYOPS, Civil Affairs ‘Sets and Reps’ in Messaging and Setting Up Local Governance, Three-Star Says by Kyle Rempfer – Army Times

Psychological operations forces have been under pressure from the Pentagon to step up their influencing missions, the results of which could be seen in Syria, the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command said last week.

The command oversees PSYOPS and civil affairs soldiers, which helped to disperse messages and establish governance in areas liberated from the Islamic State group over the past few years.

“Through the Syria efforts, we’ve gotten a lot more sets and reps,” Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette told Army Times on Oct. 16.

“I’ve been accused of calling leaflets and loudspeakers audio and trash littering, but they do have a time and place," he added. "Syria is a great example. When the fiber was cut and the cell towers were down, people are hungry for information. So guess what was working there? Leaflets.”…

Read on.