They want civilians off the roads and bridges. With Iraqi paramilitary troops dressing as civilians and, in some cases, using them as human shields, it is even more imperative that the United States get that message out. Saddam’s army has also been targeted with information. Some leaflets–and radio broadcasts–tell them how to surrender, others warn them not to use chemical or biological weapons. One leaflet enlarged on the big screens at the Central Command press briefing yesterday warned WE CAN SEE EVERYTHING.
These days psychological warfare is called Information Operations because it’s more informational than disinformational. The so-called “truth and consequences” leaflets have had some tangible effect so far. Even before the war officially started, 17 Iraqi soldiers surrendered waving leaflets. “They are like ‘get out of jail free’ cards, the new white flag,” says Maj. Pete Mitchell, a spokesman for the Joint Information Operations Center here in Qatar. The day of those first surrenders, the information warriors were hunkered down in their nondescript trailer. When they heard the news they quickly switched to CNN. As soon as they saw the leaflets, they called out “Yes!” and “Alright!” There have also been reports of Iraqi tanks lining up in the positions the leaflets have laid out. Intelligence has reported back that leaflets have made it all the way to Baghdad and that Iraqi soldiers have been discussing them. Even Saddam Hussein gave some proof they were working. He appeared on Iraqi TV saying, “Do they think they can shake the 11th Division with leaflets?”
So far, there are 4,000 Iraqi EPWs–Enemy Prisoners of War. The information warriors had been expecting tens of thousands. Some interpret the low turnout as a sign that Hussein has more support than anticipated. Others think that fear of the regime is still a factor preventing people from capitulating. “Leaflets don’t do anything if there is no force to back it up. Once they see the force and the commitment, we’re going to see a lot of things happen,” explains Rear Adm. Garry Hall, who is heading up the campaign for CENTCOM. Coalition troops have also been seeing an interesting phenomenon on the battlefield: abandoned military gear. Unlike in Kuwait in 1991, when surrendering Iraqi soldiers had no where to go, they now can just go home. “Thousands more are part of units that have simply disbanded,” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday.
Info Ops is getting unprecedented attention in Gulf War II. Gen. Tommy Franks gets weekly updates on the information war and will often ask what the “IO” options are. Is there a flier they can drop to give the Iraqis one last chance before they have to resort to military action? Because this war is an “effects-based” war, the tactics are more strategic than just massive bombardment. Preserving infrastructure and keeping casualties low are paramount. Coalition troops have given Iraqi soldiers repeated chances to surrender. But some have feigned surrender only to open fire. “Twelve years ago we used overwhelming force. Now we are taking risks to see if we can save lives,” Hall says.
A lot has been made of precision-guided weapons. Think of leaflets as precision-guided information. They aren’t just randomly littered across Iraq, but targeted over population centers. They are designed by Arabic-speaking experts at the Army’s Fourth Psychological Operations Group in Fort Bragg, N.C. One particularly artful flier is part of what they call the “Thinking Man” series. It has photos of a thoughtful looking Iraqi solider, pensive in the midst of destruction. In the right-hand corner is a picture of a grieving women in Islamic dress and a man clasping his son to his side. I had an Arabic speaker translate it for me. “Think about our family and behave in a way that keeps you alive,” it says in a classical Arabic he said he occasionally found hard to understand. These leaflets have become hot viewing back in the U.S. On Yahoo they were the eighth most-looked-at photo recently. And they are selling on eBay for around $15. One actually dropped on Iraq would probably go for more.
Psychological operations are not just on paper but in the air. Since mid-February, radio frequencies have been transmitting from Kuwait, Navy ships and a C-130 plane called Commando Solo. They broadcast the same messages as the leaflets but wrapped in a musical package. Intelligence has reported that the five radio frequencies have become quite popular for their music, which ranges from Foreigner to Fairouz, the songstress known as the Voice of Lebanon. The clever people at Fort Bragg modeled them on a youth-radio show designed by Saddam’s son Uday. They have 50 minutes of music that span the range of tastes and age and 10 minutes of propaganda. This is just what’s public. There is another clandestine campaign to reach out to top Iraqi leaders via e-mail, cell phone, anyway they can. “Information is just another front of the war,” Hall says.
