Quote Originally Posted by dguidry1 View Post

COMMANDER'S INTENT: Decrease violence, establish security, ensure regional economic stability [hypothetical generic situation].

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: PA focus is on informing international consumers of news media (OP/STRAT). It could publish/broadcast a lot of info, but also hold back certain facts until later that could potentially affect an ongoing operation, special mission, PSYOP campaign, etc. PA integrity is never compromised.

PSYOP: Focuses on regional target audiences - conduct TA analysis, determine atmospherics, develop/implement campaigns and products IAW current themes/messages approved through POTF channels, inform target audiences with the intent to influence via means tailored specifically for those TA's, etc.
I guess this is the major issue in the current and future global information environment. Again it’s the inform task vs the influence one. I personally think communications nowadays prevent the ability to selectively target an audience and not have it spill wider. Even in the remotest part of AO in AFG our tactical acty quickly makes it to global stage in a matter of hours. Therefore to me PSYOP has now become a tactical task ... any notion of separating what PSYOP does from the GIE is now gone ... Gumbad Incident in 2005 is a great example. It also means that PA now has a far more important role at the tactical end in engaging with local media.

We used to have the mantra that if it was an information engagement within the AO it was a PSYOP task and if it was outside the AO it was a PA task ... that can no longer hold true in the current and future GIE. So where does that leave me?

Personally I think it results in more emphasis on the IO team's (I love how I keep saying team ... we're lucky to even have one in a JTF) coordination and deconfliction role. IO team sets the objective. IOWG develops the tasks and selects the best element to achieve the task, IO team adjudicates, coordinates and then integrates with the wider plan. If that means a PA team is gathering news and passing it to a village newssheet IOT better inform them of Coalition acty while at the same time influencing them that we ain't all bad I say crack on ... there's not enough IO task elements out there anyway and in now way are they breaching any forbidden line … its still all facts.