Engaging The Enemy: US Military Psyops At War With Bloggers

02-19-2011 • ZeroHedge.com

The U.S. government long ago announced its intention to "fight the net". As revealed by an official Pentagon report signed by Rumsfeld called "Information Operations Roadmap": The roadmap [contains an] acknowledgement that information put out as part of the military's psychological operations, or Psyops, is finding its way onto the computer and television screens of ordinary Americans. "Information intended for foreign audiences, including public diplomacy and Psyops, is increasingly consumed by our domestic audience," it reads. "Psyops messages will often be replayed by the news media for much larger audiences, including the American public," it goes on. *** "Strategy should be based on the premise that the Department [of Defense] will 'fight the net' as it would an enemy weapons system". Indeed, the Pentagon publicly announced years ago that it was considering using "black propaganda" - in other words, knowing lies. CENTCOM announced in 2008 that a team of employees would be "[engaging] bloggers who are posting inaccurate or untrue information, as well as bloggers who are posting incomplete information." The Air Force is now also engaging bloggers. Indeed, an Air Force spokesman said: "We obviously have many more concerns regarding cyberspace than a typical Social Media user," Capt. Faggard says. "I am concerned with how insurgents or potential enemies can use Social Media to their advantage. It's our role to provide a clear and accurate, completely truthful and transparent picture for any audience." In other words, the government is targeting "social media", including popular user-ranked news sites.