Definition Of Psywar Or Psyops And, Hearts And

Minds
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