Special Operation Forces Week in Tampa is the premier gathering event for all things related to Special Operations. On May 9, 2024, at the most recent event in Tampa, there was a session on “Operations in the Information Environment (OIE) Symposium”. This title is simply another name for Psychological Operations (PSYOP).
Having been to the PSYOP Course at Ft. Bragg (now Ft. Liberty) in 1984, this panel caught my attention. The name, functional areas, doctrine and tactics have evolved a bit since PSYOP was first introduced in the 1950s to fight Soviet Communism that was on a post-World War II rampage to topple the Western System. The Doolittle Report, the founding strategy and document for the CIA roles and missions, emphasized the need for methodologies and capabilities to tell the American story and defeat the aggressive Soviet propaganda efforts. PSYOP was key to the early CIA and the nascent American military special operations community. It was quite effective in those early and heady days of a battle for survival against Communism.
Hellbound and Down 