Introduction.
After the 9/11 incident, immediately, many country especially Western countries re-concern about the important of Psychological Warfare or PSYPOs that closely related with the Counterinsurgency Warfare in this current situation. The incident shows that the emerged of terrorist groups, before it, become a non-state actor in international political. The emerged of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, Al-Jamaah Al-Islamyyah and others make us realized that the groups, nowadays, not like before. It became important actor in international politic because the act from the groups will make the landscapes or world politic will change. It will influence a foreign policy, defence policy and other policy of a certain country. For example, United States of America. The United States that act as a hegemony power in this particular period was extremely used the power to gains the terrorist groups. The Psychological Warfare, as known as PSYPOs is type of war, or can be defining as art of war that differs with Conventional Warfare and Counterinsurgency Warfare but closely related each other and must work together.
After the end of cold war, the PSYOPs terms likely forgotten by countries until the incident of 9/11. Why the PSYOPs were closely with the 9/11 incident? Is that the incident is a war? The incident closely to PSYOPs because after the attack, United States under President George W. Bush was declared the War on Terror through the Bush Doctrines. (Mary, 2006) After the declaration of the War on Terror, United States act as hegemony power to invade Afghanistan, the country that be accused as the protective state terrorist. United States said to the global that the attacked done by international terrorist group that based on Middle East region. It shows that United States trying to make the global believed, persuade and gain the international support in order to execute the War on Terror. So, United States was invaded the Afghanistan on 2002 in order to gains the Al-Qaeda group.
But, the important thing is why United States from 2002 until now was failure to gains the Al-Qaeda group in Afghanistan? United States used their military capabilities such as modern weapon, larger number of personnel and current tactics, but, still failed. In this situation, United States seems like failed to learn from the lessons and experienced in Vietnam War because they failed to understanding the population. It is the major factor why United States was failure in Vietnam. British was helped them, but, they refused to use the British’s tactics or models in order to counterinsurgency that widely used the PSYOPs through propaganda planned that approved in Malaya. They believed as the hegemony power, the used of new technology at the particular period will make it success. They forgot that the enemy that faced was not the conventional forces like they faced in World War II like Japanese. The enemy was used the guerrilla tactics, used the terrain with flexibility and mobility, used the propaganda to make the population support them and so on. So, United States comes with personnel that inexperienced in jungle warfare and unexpected situation was shocked after they footed at ‘Viet Chong Land’. United States failed to ‘use’ the phased create by Sir Gerald Templer properly. They failed to understand the phase ‘winning the hearts and minds’ of the population and people and what was need in PSYOPs.
Psychological Warfare (PSYWAR) or Psychological Operations (PSYOPs) is terms that used by differ scholars but carried out the same meaning and purpose. Basically, both of them have a same meaning and goal which to gain enemy without used the weapon. It also have a ‘weapon’ but in different characteristics. The weapon is special because will shoot the enemy without click the trigger of rifle, will shoot without any bullet bullets and create the bloody situation, but can make a disaster or worst situation. Some believed that the quotation of "The pen is mightier than the sword" is true. That is because, if used properly, words can be an inspiration to motivate others and influence people. Generally, PSYWAR or PSYOPs will play their role in order to attack the mind of enemy.
Besides, PSYWAR or PSYOPs also is simply learning everything about target enemy, their beliefs, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Once we know what motivates of our target, we are ready to begin psychological operations. It is because the information about your enemy or your target audience will make the operations be successful.
This paper will describe what is the PSYOPs, hearts and minds and a case study of The Emergency of Malaya that shown that the role and useful of PSYOPs and hearts and minds in order to destroy enemy on the particular period which is Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
Definition of PSYWAR or PSYOPs and, Hearts and Minds.
Writer have done read a few chapter of books and serving online data, founded that all reading materials that linked with the PSYWAR or PSYOPs is same each other. Based on Major Ed Rouse (Ret) wrote on website that linked with PSYOPs,
”psychological operations are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. PSYOP are a vital part of the broad range of US diplomatic, informational, military, and economic activities. PSYOP characteristically are delivered as information for effect, used during peacetime and conflict, to inform and influence. When properly employed, PSYOP can save lives of friendly and/or adversary forces by reducing adversaries’ will to fight. By lowering adversary morale and reducing their efficiency, PSYOP can also discourage aggressive actions and create dissidence and disaffection within their ranks, ultimately inducing surrender…’ (Rouse, 2005)
Scot Macdonald said that from his book, Propaganda and Information Warfare in the Twenty-First Century ‘ Altered Images and Deception Operations which psychological operations and especially propaganda have been powerful weapons. By the twentieth century, hearts and minds were critical to victory. PSYOPs seek to convey selected information to target audiences to influence their behavior and, through them, government policy. Given the power of images, altered images can play a crucial role in PSYOPs. (Macdonald, 2007). He also mention about the most effective propaganda that used in PSYOPs combines entertainment, education and persuasion. The entertainment elements attract the audience, while the educational aspect decreases the perception that the message is propaganda. Means that, sometimes the educational level will influence the PSYOPs trend in 21st century.
For writer understanding, PSYOPs is a military planned that used the propaganda and information to influence the people and population and target audience through their feel, emotions, behavior response and so on in order to gain their support. Many of us were misinterpretation about propaganda. For them, when they hear or read about propaganda they believed that it will be negative form. They afraid with the terms which totally wrong with what they understood. PSYOPs will be has credibility when the information and source that used is acknowledgement and valid. At the same time the target audience believed what are trying we do through propaganda will influence the credibility of the PSYOPs.
So, in other words PSYOPs is the action that widely used by military in order to gain the enemy by using the propaganda in order to influence the emotion, motives, objective reasoning and behavior of the audience which comes from opposition forces or the population. It can be used either in combat or peacetime that called Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW). During the peacetime, it was widely used by government or political party of the country to gain the support. For example, in context of Malaysia, during the general elections the political party which is ruling party or opposition party will used the PSYOPs in order to gain the support of people. But basically, PSYOPs will closely relate with military operations.
PSYWAR or PSYOPs is not a weapon that comes out after the World War II, not after the end of Cold War or after the attack of World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001. It is an ancient weapon that used a long time ago. Many strategist or warlords on the ancient and modern period have done and used the PSYWAR or PSYOPs. They have their own definitions and opinions about the PSYOPs. (Whitley, 2000) It is shown that there have many and various of definitions in order to make us clear and understood about the PSYOPs.
a) ‘..One need not destroy one’s enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage…’ Sun Tzu.
b) ”There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind” Napolean Bonaparte.
c) ”It is your attitude, and the suspicion that you are maturing the boldest designs against him, that imposes on your enemy” Frederick the Great, 1747
d) ”as the excited passions of hostile people are of themselves a powerful enemy, both the general and his government should use their best efforts to allay them” Antoine-Henri Baron de JOMINI, 1838
e) ”the real target in war is the mind of the enemy command, not the bodies of his troops. If we operate against his troops it is fundamentally for effect that action will produce on the mind and will of the commander; indeed, the trend of warfare and the development of new weapons ‘ aircraft and tanks ‘ promise to give us increased and more direct opportunities of striking at this psychological target” Captain Sir Basil Liddel Hart, 1944
f) ”on the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days and other fields will bear the fruits of victory” General Douglas MacArthur
g) ”killing the enemy’s courage is as vital as killing his troops” Carl Von Clausewitz
The phase hearts and minds is associated with Malaya and usually interpreted to imply ‘minimum force’ or a very low level of coercion to win over the active consent of the population. (Sunderland, 1964) In Malayan Emergency cases, they are the examples most used to establish the credibility of the British approach. The phase ‘winning heart and minds’ introduce by Sir Gerald Templer, the British High Commissioner in Malaya on 1954. British tactics gradually shifted from ‘search and destroy’ to a new counterinsurgency, winning ‘hearts and minds’ approach. This approached was closely with the Psychological Warfare and Psychological Operation. To ensure the PSYWAR and PSYOPS was successful implement, the hearts and minds conceal the extent to which coercion and repression was used. On the particular period, winning hearts and minds was used which included the established of Briggs Plan.
There have two main PSTOPs ‘ Offensive and Defensive. For offensive usually used directly to the enemy. It is included the planning and how to execute the task in order to gain the attitudes and behavior of the enemy. We must identify, know and understand about our enemy, then develop and plan the strategy to execute it before we combined all the element effective coordination. While the defensive PSYOPs is used directly to our people that faced the PSYOPs from our enemy. We must protect and shield our people and target audience. The leader of the group will play his role to convey all the information to their subordinates. He must know, understand his people at the same time identify what will the enemy do through PSYOPs to his people.
Case Study: Malayan Emergency.
Malayan Emergency is a few example of how the PSYOPs and hearts and minds work. The collaboration both of it in terms of counterinsurgency warfare shows that on the particular period, it was running properly and have their own credibility.
On the particular period, winning hearts and minds was used which included the established of Briggs Plan, (the plan that recognize by global the most effective in order to counterinsurgency) which forcibly resettled 500,000 people, about 25 % of Malaya’s Chinese population, identity cards and movement restriction, control of food and shops, and so on. All types of action as mention before were purposely to avoid and cut the Party Communist of Malaya got the support and logistics support from the population. Even it is seem like coercion the population, (Friedman) but, the guarantee made by British make the population support the planned that established. British guarantee and said that all the population must be support them because to avoid the insurgent disturb them, at the same time, they will live as usual. In the resettlement programmed, that known as Kampung Baru British was fully control the population. There, British establish the houses for population at the resettlement area to get the support and care about the population. The central kitchen also was established, which kitchen that cooks for population that has in the resettlement area, homeguard to ensure the people there felt save from the CPM and so on.
The ways done by British because in order to cut off the population to supply the insurgent with food. All food that will come in and come out will measured that must be suitable with the total of the population. Besides that, the surrounding of the resettlement area was guard. It is important to avoid the insurgent will come in the area to get food. So the resettlement programme was relevance at the particular time order to winning hearts and minds and to separate the population from the insurgent. If we saw the Vietnam War case, totally very differ with Malaya. Even though United States call the British’s Robert Thompson and want to use the model of counterinsurgency in Malaya as the approach in Vietnam, they lost. It is because United States failure to understanding the phase winning the hearts and minds. As we concern, United States not only involved in war with North Vietnam Communist’s Ho Chi Minh, but also the Vietnamese at Southern Vietnam. Even they got the support from Southern Vietnam Army, but, the fight against the Communist does not have the support from the people. United States believed that used the weapon with new technology will ensure the successful of the campaign in Vietnam. There, United States use the enforcement to Vietnamese. They failed to understand the Vietnamese. That’s why they was faced the failure in Vietnam.
Besides that, British also launched the PSYWAR and PSYOPS. This element was very important in counterinsurgency operation. It is because the element will ‘take’ and ‘make’ the population to trust a government or insurgent. In Malaya Emergency context, the PSYWAR and PSYOPS can be assuming as successful. It is because, British was planned the operation very carefully and was implemented. The purpose of the operations is to get the population support and winning the heart and minds of the population. At the particular period, British was established Psychological Warfare Section of the Federation Of Malaya (before that known as Emergency Information Services in early 1950) that responsibility to implemented the plan or PSYOPS that will made to the people in order to get the support of population. Since C.C.Too became the head of the Psychological Warfare Section of the Federation Of Malaya, he had seven subordinates responsibilities for the following operational sections. The subordinates which leaflets and voice messages; leaflets dropping and loudspeaker aircraft; printing, packing and distribution; interrogation; translations; documentary research and the consolidation of sorting, interrogations and translation. Millions of leaflets, a lot of recording tapes (messages were recorded on a continuous plastic tape 19 feet long with playing time of 30 seconds) and so on was used in PSYOPS to ensure the population does not believed the propaganda launched by Communists Party of Malaya to provoke the government and create the instability situation at the time. With the effort, all the subordinates were implemented and people put their trust to government.
Last but not least, the role of intelligent also very important to win hearts and minds of the population. The used of Human Intelligent, known also with HUMINT (Teamey) can be classified have their own value. In Malaya Emergency, the play role by Intelligent Corps or Special Branch was very interesting. The officers will send to settlement to life there and starts get the information. Besides that, they also try to persuade the resident, villagers and people to support the government in order to counter the insurgent. It does will give the advantages to the government. The insurgent also will send their intelligent to absorb in society. During the Malaya Emergency, Communist Party of Malaya was sending their intelligent called Min Yuen. The purpose of Min Yuen is to collect the information that can be used in order to launch the attack. They also came into the settlement area and used the propaganda which tries to get the support and wining hearts and minds of population. At the particular period also seen that exist the situation when happened the war about intelligent among government and insurgent. Who those make an effort will get the reward.
Conclusion.
PSYOPs are the weapon that used a long time ago since ancient period. Many strategists on that particular time was have their own understanding and used it widely as a part or strategy and art of war in battlefield. The PSYOPs was trough the transformation era and have new dimensions. PSYOPs on 21st century faced the challenge as far as the development of new technology that can make the information excess on our fingertips. Even though, the basically and fundamental of the PSYOPs is still remain the same thing, to influence the people or target audience through influencing their emotions, motive, behavior and so on. The credibility of PSYOPs was depends on the source or information that acknowledgements through the strategy and propaganda which that can make people or target audience believed it.
Bibliography
Friedman, H. (n.d.). Psychological Warfare of Malayan Emergency, 1948-1969. Retrieved March 21th, 2014, from Psychological Warfare: http://www.psywar.org/malaya.php
Macdonald, S. (2007). Propaganda and Information Warfare in the Twenty-First Century : Altered Images and Deception Operations . New York: Routledge.
Mary, B. R. (2006). The Bush Doctrine and the War on Terror. United States: Routledge.
Rouse, M. E. (2005). Psychological Operations/Warfare. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from http://www.psywarrior.com/psyhist.html
Sunderland, R. T.-1.-4.-I. (1964). Winning The Hearts and Minds of The People: Malaya, 1948-1960. Memorandum RM-4174-ISA Sertember 1964. .
Teamey, K. a. (n.d.). Organizing Intelligence for Counterinsurgency. Academic journal article from Military Review, Vol. 86, No. 5.
Whitley, G. L. (2000). Psyops operations in the 21st century. Pennsylvania: US Army War College.