Globalisation:Information Operations Task Force
Contents
Introduction
Inception
The Information Operations Task Force is a division of the Department of Defense which has taken on many of the functions of the Office of Strategic Influence which was shut down in 2002. [1] The OSI was a department which worked on a broad spectrum of information operations. A senior pentagon official stated that "'It goes from the blackest of black programs to the whitest of white'” [2] The OSI was shut down because of a huge negative backlash by the media, and society in general, to its proposed operations. Donald Rumsfield stated that “commentaries and editorial cartoons about the office's proposed activities made it impossible for it to do its job”. [3] However Rumsfield made it clear that just because the OSI had closed this was not the end of information operations within the pentagon. This was reinforced by his statement on the matter: "Fine, you want to savage this thing, fine. I'll give you the corpse. There's the name. You can have the name, but I'm going to keep doing every single thing that needs to be done, and I have." [4]
Operations
The Information Operations Task Force is structured to seek information dominance in arenas of conflict. This comes as part of the United States strategy of seeking full spectrum dominance in theatres of war. David Miller observes that the new age of Information dominance sees a divergance from the traditional military propaganda model to an era where there is no distinction between propaganda and journalism and both are seen as “weaponized Information”. [5]
The Information Operations Task Force is a military organisation based in Baghdad and is part of the multinational corps headquarters commanded by Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines.[6] The Information Operations Task Force was an organisation which provided news stories to the US Department of Defence which subsequently paid Iraqi newspapers to disseminate news stories written by American military sources which presented a favourable image of the American action in the country. Although the news stories were largely truthful they presented a one sided view of the news and the editors of the newspapers in question were not always aware that what they were printing was essentially propaganda from the US Government. [7]
Contractors
Rendon Group
According to the Pentagon documents, the Rendon Group played a major role in the IOTF. The company was charged with creating an "Information War Room" to monitor worldwide news reports at lightning speed and respond almost instantly with counterpropaganda.[8]
Lincoln Group
The Lincoln Group also played a significant role in the IOTF in which their role was to ensure that American material was translated and published in Iraqi newspapers. In this it was intended that the editors of the publications would not be aware of the source of the content and would often be led to believe it was the work of the Lincoln group employee who would pose as a journalist.[9]
The pentagon signed contracts with Lincoln Group, a Washington based defence contractor, with a maximum value of $100M to place news articles written by the Information Operations Task Force in the Iraqi press. The specific job of one Lincoln Group employee was to ensure that there were 'No fingerprints' which could lead back to the source of the articles.[10] It is also alleged in The Independent that quotes said to be from Iraqi officials or citizens were routinely fabricated by US troops who had never left the green zone in Baghdad.[11]
Pentagon Investigation
When this operation originally came to light there was a Pentagon investigation into the stories which Lincoln Group had produced. This investigation cleared them of any wrongdoing and found the stories to be factually correct.
Wider Implications
Although there is no law against the US military carrying out psychological operations or disseminating news through foreign media. It is illegal, through US law, for them to do this within the United States. It has been argued by a private contractor to the Pentagon that, "There is no longer any way to separate foreign media from domestic media. Those neat lines don't exist anymore"[12]. if this is accepted as the case then it is possible that the stories published in Iraq could be picked up and run by US media outlets in which case the law would have been broken.
Concluding Remarks
Notes
- ↑ The Man Who Sold The War, by by James Bamford Rolling Stone, November 17, 2005
- ↑ Pentagon Readies Efforts to Sway Sentiment Abroad, by ERIC SCHMITT and James DAO, “New York Times, February 27, 2002
- ↑ A 'Damaged' Information Office Is Declared Closed by Rumsfeld, ERIC SCHMITT and James DAO, “New York Times, February 18, 2002
- ↑ [ http://www.spinwatch.org.uk/-news-by-category-mainmenu-9/149-iraq/544-truth-be-told-lies-are-part-of-pentagon-strategy Truth be told, lies are part of Pentagon strategy], JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY, “Spinwatch, December 8, 2004
- ↑ The Domination Effect, by David Miller, The Guardian, Janaury 8, 2004
- ↑ Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press, Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2005, Accessed on 15-Feb-2010
- ↑ Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press, Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2005, Accessed on 15-Feb-2010
- ↑ The Man Who Sold The War, by James Bamford, Rolling Stone, November 17, 2005
- ↑ U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press, Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2005, Accessed on 15-Feb-2010
- ↑ Andrew Buncombe, The US propaganda machine: Oh, what a lovely war, The Independent, 30 March 2006, Accessed on 15-Feb-2010
- ↑ Andrew Buncombe, The US propaganda machine: Oh, what a lovely war, The Independent, 30 March 2006, Accessed on 15-Feb-2010
- ↑ Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi, U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press, Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2005, Accessed on 15-Feb-2010
