Yesterday I saw an article stating that a Russian submarine, possibly in distress, had been located in Swedish waters.  I pasted a link in a Russian friend’s page, stating I hoped everyone was okay.  Not surprisingly, that link is missing on his page today.  Gee, I wonder why?

According to a Swedish source (translated from the original Swedish):

Friday night signals intelligence once again intercepted radio communication. This time it was encrypted but it was possible to DETERMINE the position of the transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter was situated somewhere in Kanholmsfjärden in the archipelago of Stockholm, and the receiver was situated in Kaliningrad, Russia.

- http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/english-version-could-be-a-damaged-russian-submarine_4023511.svd

I just had a Swedish friend confirm the transmitter is deep inside Swedish waters.  Kaliningrad, Russia, of course is in Russia, in the standalone Russian region of Kaliningrad Oblast.

The Guardian’s title is slightly more provocative: Sweden steps up search for ‘crippled Russian submarine’ making Mayday distress call off its coast.

Russia denies it has any submarines in Swedish waters, which would be the second major incursion into Swedish territory in recent times. Swedish military widen hunt for ‘damaged Russian submarine’, Moscow says all subs OK.

The BBC generated a rather factual report, Russia denies submarine incident off Sweden. If Russians claim the BBC is biased, this article clearly is evidence of good journalistic reporting.

What looks like a denial is actually a poke in the eye to Sweden, in an RIA Novosti article: Sweden can not confirm that its waters discovered submarine. “Cannot confirm” appears to be a key component of Russian reporting whenever Russians might be at fault. In this case it is sensitive Swedish signals intelligence, which may be time-consuming for the declassification process.  In the meantime, Russia can easily say “you can’t prove it, so it didn’t happen”. Shades of MH-17.

Bottom line, Sweden and much of the world strongly suspect a Russian submarine is in distress in an area in which it does not belong. If Sweden can prove it is a Russian submarine caught red-handed in Swedish waters, it will be an international embarrassment for Russia. Another embarrassment.  On top of another embarrassment…

If you want a good laugh or a good Halloween chill, read this Russian propaganda piece.  Pure and simple shite.

“Reliable sources”.  That should be your first indicator.  If you can’t name your sources in a Russian article, it is probably fabricated.

Apologies, some of the words did not translate in my Chrome browswer.

The failure of the American operation, codenamed “Operation Barbarossa 2″

WiKi Yesterday 22:49 22038 28

Ran into an interesting material … What think?

It is learned from reliable sources on the sidelines of the summit, “Asia-Europe” Putin paid a pre-emptive strike on the plan of the American administration, the cooking in the heart of Europe in the post-repetition of Hitler’s “Operation Barbarossa.”

The idea of ​​this operation was born on the margins of American power immediately after the collapse of the USSR. It is exactly the same as in the Second World War, the former Soviet republics, starting and ending with the Baltic Georgia and the Crimea, were captured united European army under the leadership of Nazi Germany.

According to available information, the idea to continue the operation against a weakened Russia show the original White House administration (first Clinton and then Bush). United States military authorities, have begun to implement it.

In order to join forces in the fight against Russia was necessary to draw the former Soviet republics into a single plan of action and to subject them to the NATO leaders. Hence, the idea of ​​the emergence of a single belt aggressive governments in the former Soviet republics, and a plan of action for associate membership with the European Union and, of course, a series of orange revolutions.

It is clear that for the United States it was particularly important that in these republics came to power their puppets, which, of course, by a single team would carry out all the actions suggested by Washington.

It’s easy to understand the idea of the United States, if the control plan Barbarossa №1 and apply it like tracing paper on the current political map of Europe. Our eyes gaze at the picture, in which aggressive Poland and the Baltic states, pro-fascist sentiments Georgia and Romania take the central regions of the Russian Federation in a pincer movement. Through the central part of Ukraine and is preparing Crimea major blows in the direction of oil fields in the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus, as well as in the direction of the main industrial centers and communications in central Russia. And the most important step, as the first blitzkrieg was to begin in early summer or spring and end up exactly to cold (because the lessons of World War II combined European troops learned in full) .

But here and began surprises that priberёg for our American colleagues, Mr Putin.

Like everything was ready to conduct operations on the territory of Georgia, Ukraine, and on the territory of Moldova (where the power in the country is completely moved to the Romanian and the NATO leadership. remind management is carried out by the Moldovan troops from the Romanian General Staff. Moldova adopted a law border, according to which NATO troops are free to carry on the territory of Moldova with any military equipment and ammunition. Just opened the skies for NATO military aircraft flight over Moldova) , however, yet to launch a military operation in the Republic of Moldova, aimed against Transnistria failed to very important reasons.

As it turns out, intelligence Putin has worked to stay ahead, and thanks to all the well-known Mr. Edward Snowden in Russia was transferred the entire package of training operations “Blitzkrieg 2″, including a detailed plan for its beginning and implementation.

Thanks to this important information, Vladimir Putin was taking measures to neutralize the global threat.

And as the name of Snowden worldwide began to spread sensitive information, guide the United States was aware that such a powerful promotion Snowden means only one thing – in the most favorable time for Russia Washington’s plan will be presented to the public and will be the province of all mankind.

Putin’s pre-emptive strikes in Georgia and in Ukraine (including the return of the Crimea to Russia and delaying the start of the main phase of the operation) has led to the collapse of the world system of the Western world. Especially, that the United States and tried to implement a plan of action appropriate to their aspiration for world domination №2.

At the summit in Milan was the main thing warned at the time, Foreign Minister Lavrov – namely, Europe will have to make a choice: to be an enemy of Russia, or start the integration with the Eurasian space (alternatives today there is not anyone on the globe) .

Why Putin at the summit in Milan have sought a meeting with Merkel, and its various pretexts put off? Just because it was important to tell the Chancellor of Germany, as it is the United States, in the dark trying to use the Bundeswehr against Russia, and how had the Russians and Europeans to kill each other for the benefit of the hegemon seated overseas.

But as they say, it’s done – Merkel received the package a comprehensive plan for a war against Russia, the plan, which at any time may be published in the world media.

Putin made his major move in his career and, of course, rose to the occasion.

I am confident that the outcome of the investigation of an international tribunal in Nuremberg №2, country participants in the conspiracy against humanity will be punished according to the offense.

We believe that Poland and Romania, and the Baltic states, not vnyavshie lessons of World War II finally get what they deserve.

Humanity must be eradicated new shoots of fascism, and close forever in its history this fascist brown page. As for overseas monster and its satellites, this octopus is powered by the blood of all mankind, devouring its core resources and exploiting it mercilessly. Now, its time is over, the octopus defeated. His body decomposes and stinks, but very soon it will get its place in the dark past of our history.

Evgeny Kolesnikov, a political scientist, expert of the Center for Geopolitical Studies

http://forum.politikaonline.ru/index.php?showtopic=4273

Originally posted at http://cont.ws/post/58947

Russian media is full of headlines blaming the US for this or that. ‘The US was behind the coup in Ukraine’.  ‘The US manipulated the election’. ‘The US is manipulating oil prices’. ‘The US is using psychological warfare against…’. ‘The US…’  I see this “blame game” in Russian media, sometimes in the foreign press and in a ton of conspiracy theory sites.  About once a week I peruse through a few conspiracy theory sites, just to get a sense as to what really obscure piece of refuse is being used as a progenitor for some off the wall theory blaming the US administration for something.  Often this is picked up by the Russian press and they parade out a litany of looney-tune experts to prop up their wacky theory.

The problem I have is that anyone pro-Russian somehow believes that the US is manipulating Ukraine and the coup was organized by the US and somehow everything is orchestrated by the US.

For your edification, please look at the news-media (I had to delete the word newspapers).  I bring your attention to how screwed up the US is. Why in the heck would anyone think the US is organized enough to manipulate the world and especially Ukraine, so far off the beaten path? Look at the person our President chose to be the Ebola czar. Look at our air campaign against the Islamic State, finally they’re putting “boots on the ground” to give the campaign a chance of success. Look at this administration’s leaks, missteps and miscues and tell me again, how you think the US has some master plan, is capable of manipulating the mindset of entire countries and can “force” entire nations into an action completely counter to US interests?

Russia was fine, doing their own thing. We even praised Putin and Sochi (after the showers were fixed).

Then Russia had to mess it all up and grab Crimea, then Donbas. Russia actions drew our attention to Ukraine and to themselves. Now there is no getting out of it, our attention is fixed and focused. Russia messed up big time and now must pay the price for Putin’s grand obsession.

Russia is clearly at fault in Ukraine.  Russia recruited volunteers to go into East Ukraine and foment unrest, fight Ukrainian troops and were eventually replaced with regular Russian soldiers, who have died in the thousands.  I do not know who is manipulating Putin, but Putin’s Grand Obsession, to build another Russian Empire with him at the helm, is being fed misinformation.  Much the same as Russian media feeds bad information to the world and especially Russian citizens.

Putin messed up. Russia messed up.

A beautiful Swedish article about the alleged Russian submarine which is sunk in Swedish waters and cannot surface.  The Russians, of course, deny any Russian submarine is in peril. According to Liveleak.com, however, Russian Nuclear Submarine Dmitri Donskoi is disabled and cannot surface.

What follows below is the Swedish article (originally in Swedish) about the downed submarine.  Simultaneously, the Russians deny this is happening.

Originally published at http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/foljer-klassiskt-recept-for-desinformation/

Following classic recipe for misinformation

Published October 20, 2014 18:52

Previously we have seen it during the Crimean crisis and the war in Georgia. Now the Russian disinformation prove also in terms of the ongoing Swedish intelligence operation against foreign submarine activity in the Stockholm archipelago.
Several Russian TV channels and news agencies reported – with great concurrency – the submarine that Sweden is seeking Dutch.

The data follow a classic recipe for misinformation.

When talking about Russian operational art, that is how Russia conducts military operations, one can say that it always largely relied on misinformation and misdirection. Misdirection can be simply said to be the military term for scams, where the aim is to draw the opponent’s full attention to a phenomenon, while you yourself carry out another operation.
You mix a bit of truth with a lot of fiction and happy in a way that will strike the receiver.
In this case, with the message that “we want to spare the Swedish taxpayers the cost of the search for a submarine.” We know that the money to defense classically has been a sensitive issue in Sweden.

One example is how Russia in August managed to make the world just over a week to be completely focused on the country’s aid convoy to the eastern Ukraine, while simultaneously went in with regular Russian troops and managed to turn the war.
Russia has not only greatly upprustat recent years. It has also been very purposefully reformed their operational art which now even more emphasis on information warfare and subversive activities that complement the classic military means, combined with a focus on acting in the gray area between peace and war.
The focus on information warfare is not really surprising considering how the media landscape has developed over the past two decades. News spread quickly and social media have got it already rapid progress to be lightning fast.
It is also an experience of the war in Georgia. The days before the war started, according to an American research flown into the fifties Russian journalists to South Ossetia. During the fight, they used simultaneously cyber warfare to limit the Georgian authorities and the media’s ability to communicate with the outside world. The experience of Georgia, we have over the past year seen translated in the Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Right from the beginning there were Russian journalists on the spot and could report the Russian version of what happened and got a strong impact in the Western media.

For Putin, it was important to consolidate power over the Russian media. Already in the early 00’s, the Kremlin had taken control of the main television channels and newspapers, often by operating out of its previous owners. Today has been an almost total dominance when it comes to reporting on the important topics.
By also be able to send the same basic message through multiple channels and newspapers, where every editorial adds its own nuance, creating an illusion to that of the verified information. All channels are reporting on the same event and about the same data and then it must surely be true, it becomes unconscious reaction.
PhD student Oscar Jonsson at British King’s College tend to refer to it as we succeed in creating a critical mass of information flow. The internationally renowned Russian polling institute Levada issued a report this summer that over 90 percent of the Russian population has Russian television as their main news source, and when the Kremlin controls the channels become Jonsson’s conclusion correct.
In Sweden we are skilled at using the internet to retrieve news and information. Internet, however, is not nearly as developed in Russia and Levada survey, it is only one per cent of respondents who read the news on foreign sites. To shape domestic opinion seems thus to be relatively simple.

An interesting example is the Russian Night Wolves motorcycle gang that President Putin repeatedly been seen riding a motorcycle with. Night Wolves leader, called the “surgeon”, has performed with Putin several times. Every summer organizing a Night Wolves motorcycle show where the first half is a historic theme as the depiction of a Russian type, such as Stalingrad, and the other half is a pure display of motorcycles and stunts.
This year, the show was performed in the naval port of Sevastopol on the Crimean annexation and was broadcast live and was referenced in the national state television. The theme for this year was the war of liberation of Ukraine, where the show starts to a number of motorcycles driving through the bow door on a Russian country Journal vessels. Then you start with a very lavish spectacle that almost reminiscent of an Olympic opening ceremony in ambition to reproduce a version of Majdankravallerna and then firefights between Ukrainian Nazi government forces and valiant freedom fighters – with real Russian tanks and assault rifles.
All abstracts of “Surgeon” from the mast of a Russian warship and accompanied by various music. The Fund sees two hands from which it is possible threads. On a finger sees the American national emblem and occasionally heard recordings of political speeches, including that of Hitler. The symbolism can not be mistaken. Ukrainians are Nazis who controlled from the United States and Europe. State co-ordination of information warfare can not be missed when military resources are used in a political drama that is broadcast live on nationwide television.

With international opinion, it is more difficult. There started Russia in the mid-00’s television channel Russia Today, today best known as RT. It was Russia’s version of CNN, Al-Jazeera and Chinese CCTV. RT has had a major impact in the West, and the other year was the second largest foreign news channel in the United States by the BBC.
RT has been controlled by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, but has since year gone up in a larger group called Rossiya Sevodnja (Russia today) under the direction of the Kremlin and media person Dmitry Kiseljev, known for his outbursts against Carl Bildt, in his television programs.

The recipe for the RT has been the same as for many other news channels. A very nice production and employment of young eloquent mainly American and British journalists who presented the channel’s message, focused mainly on events in the United States and Europe – often with defeatist elements riots and social problems.
RT has been the spearhead of the global Russian media effort during the Crimean War and the crisis in Ukraine. It has also meant that many have become aware of the channel’s real agenda.
Even during the occupation of Crimea ended one of the channel’s most famous anchor in a spectacular live broadcast, where she explained that she could no longer stand for this perversion of journalism. After shooting down of MH17 ended another RT journalist and stated straight out that RT only published lies about the incident and after the final manuscript. Apparently, the man in the Kremlin very pleased with how RT has worked because it has recently decided to increase funding by over 40 percent in 2015.

The “little green men” and MH17 are the clearest examples of Russia made use of disinformation and information warfare the past year. During the occupation of the Crimea there appeared “little green men” in the form of well-disciplined and well-equipped troops without dressing marks or other signs.

They wore the latest Russian military equipment that can only be found at the Russian special forces, but Russia and President Putin claimed in stone that they were only local and spontaneously composed concerned citizen groups who bought their equipment at a hardware store. It was the lies that everyone saw through, but the media in the West felt nonetheless compelled to render version.
A few weeks later, when the annexation was complete, President Putin confirmed that it has been of Russian soldiers. Interesting in this context is the medal since these soldiers were receiving, there back shows dates of operation as February 20 to March 18. On February 20, the day before Yanukovych fled Ukraine and until 26 February started the little green men appear in the Crimea, which attracted the attention of the Swedish military historian Lars Gyllenhaal.

In the case of MH17 was done by Russian media sent forth the most unbelievable story after another about what really happened with MH17. , it was NATO that had shot down the aircraft, it was the Ukrainian military, it was actually a CIA operation which age of the aircraft with frozen bodies before it was overthrown in Ukraine to blame Russia. Perhaps the most amazing version was that it actually moved it across the Indian Ocean lost MH370.
All stories utterly insane but created to represent both the noise and at the same time misleading. Independent Western media must take into account these reports and press releases and evaluate these as well as other information, which both takes time and effort while in some can manage to sow a seed of doubt. At this point had at least Western media learned of the occupation of the Crimea and occurred more dubious to the data. Even today, there are many that refer to some of the Russian versions, not least that a Ukrainian attack aircraft would have shot the aircraft, which is an absurdity I highlighted in a post on my blog.
The German intelligence service reported last week to the German parliament that it was pro-Russian forces shot down MH17, which has now been made to the German prosecution authorities launched an investigation into war crimes.

The revolution of social media in recent years has meant that it is far faster to disseminate information, but in the same way also misinformation. Social media is therefore a very rewarding tool for anyone wanting devoted himself to information warfare and an image or a video released on Twitter, for example, is difficult to verify.
Meanwhile, now the requirement that each user of social media must be able to apply the source-critical principles necessary to weed out misinformation. An example of this is the wild rumor that planted a Russian internet forums yesterday that a Russian nuclear-armed strategic missile submarine had sunk in the Stockholm archipelago. The rumor spread like wildfire and was reproduced also in the Polish state radio.
No one seemed to have laid a second to think about why this would be in the Baltic Sea or the submarine with over 20 meters unseen would have made it through the Sound where the depth is only 8 feet at the shallowest places.

As Peter Mattsson at the National Defence College complains in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet is now the Russian strategy for an inclusive society closest approach, where several government agencies subordinated to the General Staff .
Everything is aimed at coordinating the State resources for the best possible success in international relations where military means can be said to be just one of a number, in combination with information operations, diplomacy and economic means. The more coordinated you are, the easier it has been to play in the gray zone between war and peace as they exercised in Ukraine, where you are constantly trying to maintain the doubt about the direct Russian involvement. Meanwhile, the man deftly navigated in both the diplomatic and the economic sphere. The Russian motsanktionerna has specifically met EU countries where the economy is more dependent on trade with Russia and Russian-controlled media has been reporting on the protests and demonstrations against the sanctions against Russia.

It is important to point out that it is in no way confirmed that Russia is behind the suspected foreign submarine operations in the Stockholm archipelago. However, the Russian information warfare and the way it is used both to domestic and international public opinion well worth studying, not least given the way it has been used in the past year around Ukraine.
In Sweden we are today highly vulnerable to information warfare. It was not surprising to see some Swedish media reproduce the Russian Defense Ministry reports that it probably involved a Dutch submarine in the Stockholm archipelago. Regardless of the outcome, and the nationality of the submarine, there is every reason to revise the Swedish readiness to deal with misinformation and information warfare.
The portion of total defense that was doing just that, the Board of Psychological Defence phased 2008th Some tasks were taken over by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, but apparently there is potential for improvement both in this area and how the Swedish military general to handle warfare in the gray area where the powers is unclear from the information that is police (peace) and which are military (war).
A very sensitive area since Ådalen 1931, which created a Swedish touch horror of the subject and hence a vulnerability grateful to exploit an attacker.

Carl Bergqvist
Carl Bergqvist is a major in the Air Force since 2007 and runs the defense and security blog Wiseman’s Wisdoms leisure.

Originally published at http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/foljer-klassiskt-recept-for-desinformation/

Yevgeny Pushkaryov was just 18 years of age when he was killed in eastern Ukraine fighting as a volunteer with pro-Russian rebels.

I just read the heart wrenching story of Yevgeny Pushkaryov, 18, from Kronshtadt, Russia, who became enamored with the footage and videos shown on Russian television. He left his mother a note and joined the Russian separatists in East Ukraine. When he was killed, the separatists didn’t even return his body.  Now his mother grieves and Russia does nothing for his family.

‘He Was Just A Boy’ — Russian Mother Grieves For Son Killed In Ukraine is the story of a young man who joined a military youth club, watched war movies and went off to pursue his dream, never to return.

Yevgeny had an account on VKontakte, Russia’s Facebook clone, and joined two pro-Rebel groups.  He had been recruited by Russia in their quest to take land from a neighboring country.

Russia separatist commanders reneged on their word, forcing Yevgeny’s mother to arrange transportation for his body on her own.  She is not wealthy, so she crowdsourced the funds needed to return his body.

In my opinion she is lucky Yevgeny’s body was not dumped down a coal mine shaft. She is lucky he is not in a mass grave. She is lucky his body was not burned into an unrecognizable mass.

Thousands of Russians.  Not recognized by the Russian government.

Yes, this is how many Russians are treated after being killed by the Ukrainians defending their country. This is how Putin’s dreams are pursued, at the expense of malleable boys. Volunteering and assigned the most terrible job.

Stopping bullets.

What is the State of Information Activities in the US in 2014?

Information Operations still uses the same definitions as in 2011, but IO in the military has stagnated in terms of operations, development and integration with higher echelons. The operational piece is primarily due to the end of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is also a factor of budget cuts at the ‘national level’.  TRWI is cut in half.  The head of IO at OSD went to NCTC and the replacement is an abject failure. Contractor support at OSD ceased to exist and is only now getting up some steam. Some of the G7 chiefs in the Army have renamed their position as MISO chief and MISO is, once again renaming themselves PSYOP. The Army calls it Inform and Influence Activities, but there was an attempt to call it Information. One Service says IO is all about cyber, another says it is all about EW.  Some want to split out cyber folks into a separate Service. Then we hear the catcalls that there is a cyber command but no information command.  The Army eliminated the Information in Warfare department at the Army War College but just hired one IO Colonel.  To do what we don’t know. The National Defense University eliminated their IO focus. A white paper from OSD on the current state of IO would be helpful, but they do not feel a need.  I am, hereby, requesting such a paper from OSD on IO.  Don’t hide behind classification. If you can’t write it unclassified, you don’t belong in your job.

IO is what the military does. Then we have Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication, which are overseen by the Department of State and the BBG and are supposed to be coordinated by the PCC process. Throw in the White House and we have a ‘shoot from the hip’ process conflicting with tactical IO conflicting with international broadcasting conflicting with CVE, run by the NCTC. I’m not advocating a Russian media type program, centrally coordinated, but our government process does not dovetail or reinforce. Then throw in commercial news and the story seemingly unravels. Throw in the conspiracy theorists and we have trouble; we can easily be portrayed as lying, misinforming, disinforming and creating propaganda.

There is an association that says they are the EW and IO association, but they don’t do IO. One conference, that’s it, in Hawaii.  No classes, no IO publications and they just eliminated the one IO director’s position on the Headquarters Board of Directors. They do not interact with DoD, with Congress, with State, with the BBG and absolutely not with the White House. Fail.

Personally, I’m struggling with what to call “IO” at the national level, the current term does not embrace the scope nor the activities. Of course, almost any term will fail, so I believe we need a four-word term. More on that later.

A big problem for the United States is a lack of a national information strategy, therefore we have no coherent narrative, an abhorrent integrating and deconfliction process and a counter disinformation process focusing on a tiny player at the expense of the bigger picture.  Making this even worse, there are no academic studies how to do SC and PD, everything is based on a gut feeling – but they call it experience.  The British have an academic study but here in the US we have a “not invented here syndrome”, which is killing us.

On top of all this the Russians reinvigorated the old Soviet Active Measures program and we are powerless to counter a strong and well-funded “Big Lie”.

We have no effective leadership for IO in DoD. The leadership at State is still saying he’s new, even though he’s been there six months. The BBG is being ripped apart by Congressional reports and is pending a total reorg. HR 4490 is out of committee but is going nowhere and there is no Senate bill. The SC Assistant National Security Adviser is nothing but a glorified speechwriter. …and anyone wonders how and why we are failing? Politicians override the process because they believe they are spinmeisters, but they push partisan party politics at every opportunity and fail the American people in the process (or lack thereof).

In my blog I’ve been pushing for a non-partisan office to be the glue pulling this together. The “information” community either rejects the idea, wants no part of it, doesn’t understand the concept, or is too busy and focused elsewhere.

This is a lot of words to say US information activities are bad.  Real bad. Do we roll over and say the Russian Information Warfare efforts win?

The United States is losing the information war.  ISIS is winning.

We do not have an information strategy.

We do not have a non-partisan office dedicated to winning the information war.

We do not have a non-partisan office dedicated to countering propaganda by ISIS or Russia.

Congress tells the BBG to win the information war but gives it no money.

State devotes money to combatting extremists and ignores 99% of the world.

No academic studies have been done to show if what State or BBG are doing is right or wrong.

We may have wasted billions and billions and billions of dollars doing things according to someone’s gut feeling.

That’s billions with a “b”.

By Kristina Wong – 10/26/14 11:30 AM EDT

I’ve been involved with Army IO/IIA since the beginning, long before IO positions were created, long before there was an IO branch and even before there was a 1st IO Command, when it was called LIWA.  I began working IO about the same time LIWA was created. I worked IO on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon and was one of the plankholders of the Joint Staff IO Response Cell. I helped work IO for Special Operations during the initial stages of OEF and continued doing IO work at INSCOM, when I returned.

I’ve been watching Army IO since the beginning.  LIWA, 1st IO Command, DAMO-ODI, USAIOP, FA-30 branch and various painful iterations of FM 3-13.  I’ve watched leaders, both in command positions and advisory, make decisions and recommendations which effected Army IO, for bad and good. I’ve talked with FA-30 leaders and practitioners at all levels, heard the complaints, passed on their comments (complaints turned down a notch or two) and watch the results, or lack thereof. I’ve watched the triumvirate of IO leadership, at 1st IO Command, DAMO-ODI and USAIOP, really try take control of IO and urge it into the right direction, all the while knowing this disunity of command was in direct contravention of Army leadership principles.

I watched as one IO professional was promoted to General, hoping he would become the “leader” of Army IO, only to see him fill a clear need for a cyber position, but making Army IO suffer.  I watched the first Commander of the Army’s Cyber Component attempt to subordinate 1st IO Command under him, INSCOM too, and turn IO upside down. Common sense does not always prevail at the two and three star level when attempting new things. Now, as we take a strategic pause at the military’s attempts to properly address cyber, clearer minds might prevail.  I can only hope.

I recently wrote a piece about the ‘State of IO’.  I received quite a few private responses, most of which really warmed my heart.  I responded to one comment about Army IO and I want to expand on that comment. I wrote the reply on my iPad and want to expand.

First, let’s look at the doctrine makers for Army IO. USAIOP has got to get its act together for the US Army. Too many successive TRADOC Commanders and Army CoSs have tried to manipulate and control the system. The Army needs a comprehensive approach to IO based on reality and facts, not gut feelings. Back in 2007 the Army tried to implement a new form of IO which many said disassembled IO and weakened IO to the point of uselessness.  All the experts in the various “components” of IO were returned to their operational origins in the headquarters and were supposed to push IO within that office. This attempt failed. This has resulted in today’s dysfunctional IO community, especially within the Army. The roadshow that briefed this concept had a slick presentation, which superficially made sense, but upon later contemplation, revealed a basic inherent flaw.  For IO to have the impact the “new” IO was intended, IO had to be a core competency in the US Army.  Fast forward to 2014 and we can see IO is not a core competency, as a matter of fact it’s a bill payer for other parts of the Army.

IO should and must become a core competency, the first thing any soldier, officer, general or warrant thinks of, before contemplating we launch a round downrange. What effect do we hope to achieve?  Can we achieve that using information, on a long-term basis? Can we cause a population to support us, well in advance of any combat operations, which certainly make people hate us for generations (or can we mitigate)?  To put it in terms of Dr. Lee Rowland, how can we have the effect on people’s behavior in the desired manner?  Under what conditions will this behavior change?

The Army’s “new” IO was PowerPoint deep. I constantly asked for studies, papers, books, anything to justify the “new” IO. I got a series of PowerPoint slides and no substance. I saw one PowerPoint presentation by a unit which will not be named, but it damned the “new” IO so badly that it appeared ludicrous.  But tougher minds prevailed, not necessarily smarter minds.  So I ask, before the Army makes any new doctrine for IO (and the same goes for OSD, please), show us the studies.  Show us the papers. Show us the premise upon which you think the US Army should invest millions of dollars and countless lives, so that we can save young soldiers and prevail upon the battlefield while simultaneously preserving and hopefully building popular support.

The Army needs to create a healthy FA-30 career field (I haven’t blogged how broken I feel it is – yet). When the O-5 selection board promotes only 40% of the eligible candidates, motivation across the board comes close to zero.  This sends a clear message to their potential leaders that the likelihood of promotion for your young staff officer is not too good, so don’t invest a lot of time and energy in their professional development.  Let them prepare for a career in marketing.  Next, stop sending mixed signals to the FA-30s.  I’ve seen them misdirected at least three times.  Stop it.

This is blasphemy and I apologize in advance. IO integrates stuff. MISO/PSYOP is another tool, not the king. PSYOP, stick to what you do best and do not try to say you can do IO’s job.  Perhaps you can, perhaps you’re trained, but when your job is PSYOP, that is your job. When you are working an IO position, IO is your job.  I used to be an Infantry Officer before I became an intelligence officer doing IO work and I never, not once, told an inexperienced Infantry Officer how to do his job when I was an intel or IO guy.

Cross fertilization.  The Army has a basic problem when it comes to IO.  For officers, their branch continually hammers the mantra: “stay tactical” into your head. I have seen far too many O-5/6s on the Joint Staff, OSD, LNOs at State or at the White House trying to drink from the proverbial firehose. They were lost, they don’t know the acronyms, who to call, what they do and what else is available. IO folks need to do a tour in the NSC Staff, cross-fertilize at State and at the BBG, early in their career. IO guys and gals need to educate and learn. O-5s and O-6s are too set in their ways, young-uns are malleable. There are too many things at the national level than can be taught in school and our doctrine sucks at integrating at that level.  Break free from the old “tactical” mantra, spread your wings and fly, Army IO.

Army IO, this is for you to use. Don’t fall into the “not invented here” syndrome. I am available for hire.

Event:  Broadcasting Board of Governors

Thursday, October 30, 2014 from 10:15 AM to 11:45 AM (EDT)

Determining an act of war in the traditional domains of land, sea, and air often involves sophisticated interactions of many factors that may be outside the control of the parties involved. This monograph seeks to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their respective staffs with essential background on this topic as well as introduce an analytical framework for them to utilize according to their needs.

No, really?  Putin employs an army of skilled hackers?

Russia has had hackers since the late 1990s.  I know this because some reporters are digging through old Moonlight Maze archives and asking me questions.  Darn, I didn’t know I could talk about much of Moonlight Maze, but apparently almost everything I know is unclassified now.  Funny, it all used to be Top Secret, multiple codeword way back then.  15 years ago…

But, according to the Huffington Post, here, hackers are being used to spy on Eastern European governments, NATO and the country of Georgia.

The most commonly used technique is spearphishing.  C’mon guy.  They send you an email, you ignore it…

The report comes after investigators in the United States have attributed a string of recent cyberattacks against America’s major retailers and banks to hackers in Russia. Security experts have said Russian cybercriminals were likely behind last year’s Target hack, which exposed credit card data belonging to 40 million customers, although they have not said the hackers were working directly for the Russian government.