Psychological operation or PSYOPS is not only important in warfare but also important in current world situation. In my understanding, PSYOPS is persuade other people or influence people for political and military purpose. In the journal ‘We Know Where You Are: Psychological Operations Media During Enduring Freedom’ by Philip M. Taylor. The definition of PSYOP, US defined that Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning and ultimate the behaviour of foreign government, organizations, groups and individuals. In military, PSYOPS is tactical that using to support of military mission of any kind for example morale of troops. Clausewitz stresses the importance of morale and will for both the soldier and the commander. The soldier’s first requirement is moral and physical courage, both the acceptance of responsibility and the suppression of fear. In order to survive the horror of combat must have an invincible martial spirit, which can be attained only through military victory and hardship.
An American general defined morale as
"when a soldier thinks his army is the best in the world, his regiment the best in the army, his company the best in the regiment, his squad the best in the company, and that he himself is the best blankety-blank soldier man in the outfit." ‘
H. R. Knickerbocker, 1941
Beside that, other word for PSYOPS in military can influence the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of the enemy and other specified target group in all areas. For me PSYOPS is main element in every warfare including internal war for example emergency Malayan between 1948 until 1960, British use this tactical to get popular support from population against PKM. Population support is important in this time because of population can give cooperation to help government. Without cooperation from population, government cannot get information about PKM.
In this emergency we can see that government, military, police and population take place in this situation to counter psychological operation toward PKM. In order to influence perceptions, attitudes and behaviour, British using propaganda in this situation to population for support the government. This is the best way how to communicated between government and population for achieve objective. PSYOPS must have good communication for achieve objective, the communication not only between government and population but insurgency also including in this communication. For example, in the book ‘Emergency propaganda: The winning heart and mind, 1948-1958’ by Kumar Ramakrishna before peace treaty have been between government and PKM, government used propaganda to make PKM surrender like if anyone of PKM surrender or give back firearms or guns they will get rewards from government. This is how government communicated with PKM and try to influence the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour toward PKM. For population, British use propaganda to persuade population for against PKM.
PYOPS will be more complete and effective if plan toward propaganda must have more carefully before it spread to population. Before it spread to population element of propaganda must have like know everything information about enemy. PSYOPS is not only about propaganda but it is about how to gain population support.
There are few type of propaganda can be classified according to the source of the message. Firstly white propaganda, generally comes from an openly identified source, and is characterized by gender methods of persuasion, such as standard public relation techniques and one sided presentation of an argument. Second is, black propaganda is identified as being from one source but its is in fact from another. Finally is Grey propaganda is propaganda without any identifiable source or author.
Tactical of propaganda also can be classified into two, first is strategy propaganda and the second is tactical propaganda. In the book Hearts and mind in guerrilla warfare: The Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 by Richard Stubbs, British use two tactical of propaganda in the emergency. Strategy propaganda is using for fight against policy PKM, organization of PKM and for fight against leadership of PKM.
The target of government in this strategy propaganda are toward group of media or society that support PKM. For group of media, role of this group for spread the information toward targeting population. Example of group media like akhbar tempatan, radio Malaya, penerbitan risalah-risalah propaganda. Richard Stubbs told that PKM is not easily trust of information that come from radio and article that come from government but PKM is more trusting toward story from society. This is why government make group of media become important in strategy propaganda because government want propaganda easily accept to population before its spread to PKM.
Propaganda tactical is focusing toward PKM for example spread of article propaganda. The functioning of this propaganda target leader of PKM for giving negative information that can give untrusted between armed forced of PKM. This can create un loyalty or broken of PKM and maybe it can make surrender to government. In PSYOPS, it can make we know everything about your enemy like strength of enemy, weakness of enemy it is important to win in the battle like Sun Tzu say ‘know your enemy ,know yourself, you can win hundred thousand battlefield’
Understanding Heart and Mind
‘Winning hearts’ means that you have to ‘persuade the people that the counterinsurgents success is in its own best interest, while ‘winning minds’ means that you have to persuade the people that the loyalist forces are able to protect them and that there is no point in resistance’.
In the book ‘Emergency propaganda: The winning heart and mind, 1948-1958’ by Kumar Ramakrishna what can I see the definition word heart and mind is for win the popular support in order to keep trust and reduce tendency of the people with government for example government giving the morale for population like giving facilities to make population support the government. For example in emergency Malaya, Lieutenant General Templer improved the living conditions of population by launching ‘Operation Service’, which was a full overhaul of the authorities, with police put at the service of the displaced populations. In this area called ‘new villages’.
The focusing of heart and mind is for the population and in support of population that aim of a political nature and part of a struggle for legitimacy. The armed forces operate in support of the government of the country in which they are deployed. They do not aim to be liked for their efforts, for what really matters is the attitude of the local population towards its own government. Malaya was a multi ethnic country with the population in 1952 was approximately 50% Malays, 38% Chinese, 11% Indian, and 1% others. Every ethnic have their own perceptions. About 43% of the Chinese population lived in urban areas and were therefore of little practical assistance to the jungle guerrillas. Only 30% of Malaya’s rural population was Chinese. Chinese was the targeting of Tampler of heart and mind campaign because of Tampler believe that ethnic of Chinese have support the PKM. Therefore, new village was built, the rural Chinese minority from the land and consolidate them into "New Villages" under the control of the security forces. New village was surrounded with full security that is by barbed wire fences, the rural Chinese were limited by strict curfews and checkpoints and not permitted to leave the villages with food other than cooked lunches which were highly perishable in the tropical heat. For Malaya ethnic that stay in rural area, British use loudspeakers with three aircraft had been specially modified for this work. The first voice aircraft trials took place in March 1953, in a DC3 loaned by the USAF. The trials proved successful. As a result of this two Valetta aircraft of the Far East Transport Wing were converted as voice aircraft. The Valetta aircraft turned out to be totally unsuitable for the task, due to loud engine noise and high stalling speed. The DC3 had a low stalling speed and a much greater mobility and audibility.
Winning hearts and mind also mean gaining the trust of a population by gaining its respect by bringing them high security for their lives are being protected from those who have made up their mind from joining the insurgency or giving them information to insurgency this is call ‘population control’. Population control is the key of element in heart and mind because of communication between population and insurgency must have restricting contact. Population control measures were indeed attached to the heart and minds program like movement restrictions, food rationing, collectives fines and preventive custody. Example of this situation is Templer declared white area and black area which mean that white area is area that free from PKM but black area is area that have PKM. In addition, In black area, British make confinement order for security in this place being well. This is how British winning heart and mind of population. Therefor society is the important role in the heart and mind being successful. The process of making heart and mind of British is long term and continued government of Tanah Melayu until after independent of Tanah melayu. Heart and mind also make Tanah melayu get title of independent because of without support from population, PKM will not be destroy. For me, to make heart and mind become accomplished, firstly information must clearly or easily get to population. Sending of this information must using word can easily understand of population and secondly is make the propaganda become attractive. For example in the emergency of Malaya, British send the information about anyone that capture, killing and giving information about PKM will get reward from government. This is the way how to make propaganda become more attractive of population.
Conclusion
What can I conclude that, PSYOPS and heart and mind are related each other, the failure of PSYOPS depend on how the government make their PSYOPS toward the enemy. On my opinion, the characteristic on how to make the PSYOPS can reach their objective is :
1. The government must have a clear political aim.
2. The government must function in every situation.
3. The government must have an overall counterinsurgency plan that encompasses security measures, military operations, political objectives, social and economic measures and administrative policy.
4. The government must give first priority to identifying and defeating the political subversives, not the guerilla. The enemy front organizations and the civil apparatus are the ultimate threats to the nation.
5. When the enemy has reached the stage of substantial military operations, the government must secure its base areas first, even if this means relinquishing some remote areas for a time to the insurgents.
Example that the successful of PYSOPS and heart and mind like British using psychological warfare in malaya, The British Army was deployed to Malaya to support the civil authorities in the period leading to independence. Hearts and minds was a civil, political and economic policy. What can i say that, the concept of PSYOPS that using by British is like took a carrot-and-stick. The meaning of carrot is how the British make winning heart and mind of population like sending out medical patrols that were greatly appreciated by jungle communities with little or no access to health care, make the facilities in the new village, make a high security toward population. Medical care was also offered to wounded terrorists through village mediation, which some accepted rather than face dead. This is how government try to win the heart and mind of population. The meaning of the stick is how British use good step for example demoralized the enemy like separated the population toward PKM. PKM cannot get any information or hard to get facilities like medicine, food to suffer their life. Beside that, British also use the propaganda that can make PKM demoralized like propaganda about disadvantages attitude top leaders of PKM.
REFERENCE
1. JOURNAL KEGAGALAN GERAKAN BERSENJATA PARTI KOMUNIS MALAYA (PKM), 1948-1960: SATU ANALISIS BY Dr. Ho Hui Ling
2. JOURNAL ‘WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS ‘HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE CONCEPT AND ITS CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION IN AFGHANISTAN BY Lieutenant Bertrand Valeyre (Reserve)
3. JOURNAL ‘We Know Where You Are: Psychological Operations Media During Enduring Freedom’ by Philip M. Taylor
4. The Book WAR AND THE MEDIA : REPORTING CONFLICT 24/7 BY Daya Kishan Thussu, Des Freedman
5. The Book Emergency Propaganda: The Winning of Malayan Hearts and Minds, 1948-1958 By Kumar Ramakrishna
...(download the rest of the essay above)