Psychological warfare. Psychological warfare techniques

Modern wars are fought according to completely different rules than those fought by our ancestors. And they cause much more destruction, since they often begin much earlier than the people realize it. In a world ruled by technology and the media, psychological warfare has become the most acceptable method of combat. It seems to some ordinary people that this concept primarily concerns third world countries, where poverty and lawlessness reign, and has practically no correlation with the civilized society of Western countries.

However, such a statement has no basis, because we are all subject to certain influences, which may well be part of an information-psychological operation. This is exactly how most wars are fought today, starting with long and careful work by the intelligence services. Their goal is to cause mass unrest, overthrow the ruling elite, and undermine the economy, which ultimately leads to real military action. If you think that all this belongs to the category of fiction, then read our article. Perhaps after this, terms such as “propaganda” and “psychological warfare” will become much clearer to you.

Explaining the concept

There is a lot of talk about psychological warfare. This term is often used by politicians, journalists and military personnel. The media are even trying to intimidate ordinary people, using it with or without reason. So what exactly is psychological warfare? Should we be afraid of her? And how do you understand that it is already underway? We will try to answer all these questions in the article, but now let’s turn to terminology.

The general population does not even imagine that the term can have two meanings. They are similar to each other in many respects, but still have certain differences in nuances that significantly change the formulation itself.

So, from the point of view of professionals, psychological warfare is understood as an activity of a certain direction, organized by the intelligence services of one state and aimed at the civilian population and military units of another. This activity is characterized as a psychological impact, and its main goal is to achieve the assigned military and political objectives. It is interesting that the understanding of professionalism in this kind of war has very vague boundaries. They are suitable for high-level specialists who meet three main selection parameters:

possession of scientific knowledge in the required field;
availability of special training;
practical experience of psychological treatment and influence on people.

It is impossible to start such a war without the sanction of the head of state; in countries with a solid legal framework, this rule is strictly observed. However, in states where there are problems with the legislative branch, psychological warfare can be started by certain groups. For example, industrialists or political groups. They take control of sources of information and begin to act in every way to achieve their goal.

Even the ancient Chinese were excellent at using methods of psychological influence. One of the philosophers in the sixth century BC outlined them in his treatise. He identified twelve main methods that should definitely lead to victory. These included: discrediting all the achievements of the enemy in his country, involving political leaders in illegal activities, undermining the prestige of the ruling elite, establishing contacts with criminal elements capable of doing anything to obtain money, and so on.

In a simpler, philistine sense, psychological warfare is a kind of spontaneous phenomenon. It is expressed in the use of all mechanisms of verbal communication by some groups against others in order to subjugate them or create special conditions for their existence. War in this form has existed since the advent of humanity. However, for many centuries, in the process of conducting it, direct communication was mainly used. Influence was exerted through words, gestures, facial expressions and emotions. Today, methods of psychological influence are more diverse. This is facilitated by accumulated experience and specially developed crowd control technologies.

We often talk about psychological warfare in situations that have absolutely nothing to do with it in reality. In such cases, the term takes on a certain everyday meaning. For example, it is often used when it comes to election campaigns, confrontation between ethnic groups, or the negotiation process of competing organizations.

Combining these two concepts, we can conclude that the combination of various methods, forms of influence and technologies on people is psychological warfare in the broad sense of the word. However, we should not forget about its intended purpose. The goal of psychological warfare is always to change people's worldview, values, motivation and other psychological characteristics. The influence can be exerted on a certain group of citizens or society as a whole in order to completely change the mood of the masses.

The process of waging psychological warfare in different countries: features

Today, in almost any state there is a continuous process of uniting certain forces in order to achieve political, ideological or military goals. Moreover, this process is seriously influenced by the cultural and historical traditions of the country.

In some states, psychological effects are taken very seriously. Special units are being formed to conduct information and psychological warfare. Their personnel selection is quite strict: employees undergo training in various programs, master secret techniques for subjugating the mind, and receive special equipment. Such units can operate in almost any conditions, while they can direct their knowledge by order from above both to their own people and to citizens of another country. Most often, these units are part of the structure of the armed forces. Similar units existed in the Soviet Union, and today they are present in the USA and China, for example.

Other countries choose a different path of waging psychological warfare. They also create special structures, but they find active use in everyday life. By order of management, they carry out tasks for national security purposes. Effective propaganda materials are in their hands, thanks to which the set propaganda and ideological tasks are solved. This practice is widely used in European countries (Great Britain, France, and so on).

In a number of countries, the psi factor is used everywhere. Each media source, regardless of its affiliation - state or commercial, is headed by a qualified specialist who knows propaganda techniques and successfully implements them in his activities. A similar approach is typical for Indonesia and the Philippines, for example. That is, we can say that modern wars are waged endlessly and are primarily psychological.

Let's look at history: a few facts

It is difficult to fully understand the possible scale and destruction of psychological warfare without looking at history. How dangerous is this? Since ancient times, military propaganda has been considered the best way to demoralize the enemy. All great commanders mastered this art perfectly. It is known that even before Genghis Khan set out on his next campaign, he spread rumors about a new powerful weapon that would be impossible to resist. Hannibal and the Persian king Xerxes did the same.

It is noteworthy that propaganda material is not always selected correctly, and a mistake may well cost a victory. The most striking illustration of this statement is the war between Spain and England in the sixteenth century. The Spaniards, planning to defeat the enemy at sea, distributed a leaflet to discredit the royal family, discrediting the queen's honor. According to their plans, the indignant people were supposed to rebel against their government, which would hasten the victory of the Spaniards. However, the English loved their queen so much that they were deeply outraged by the slander against her. As a result, even those who were in opposition to the royal family stood up to defend the country. Spain suffered a shameful defeat in this war.

As you can see, waging psychological warfare is not an easy task. It requires great sophistication and practical skills. Today, intelligence services from different countries are very actively involved in this issue, improving their methodological base.

Methodology

The theory and practice of processing mass consciousness in psychological warfare must be studied by specialists from special units. The process of controlling people and changing their consciousness has already risen to the level of science, and therefore has its own methods. In the classic version there are four of them:

psychological means;
military means;
system of sanctions;
political means.

We will tell you about each method in a little more detail.

Impact by psychological means

If we are talking about the influence exerted on the masses within the country by the government, then it can be exercised at the expense of the media. They promote patriotism, create a positive image of the government, and form priorities that are pleasing to the state. In parallel, a psychological impact on the same people by enemy forces is possible. He seeks to introduce opposing ideas, create decadent sentiments among the masses, and create the impression of failed economic and political measures taken by the government. As a result, this leads to a certain degree of moral fatigue. People begin to become confused about their motives, and morale levels decline. This technique is effective on the eve of any armed conflict.

Military means

This method is actively used today in the United States. In their practice, it is considered the norm to show the enemy their combat power in order to demoralize him and get what they want. For example, a government can send a flotilla of warships to the shores of another state or place missiles on the border. Once upon a time, the Soviet Union also used military means of influence. An example is the Cuban Missile Crisis, caused by the deployment of nuclear warheads in Cuba very close to the United States.

Sanctions machine

The economy of each state is closely interconnected with other countries. Therefore, the forces of a potential enemy can be undermined by the consistent introduction of economic and trade sanctions. This method is very effective in relation to the countries of the so-called third world. In them, the level and quality of life immediately decreases, mortality and morbidity rates increase, food problems and everyday difficulties appear. Naturally, this gives rise to discontent among the masses, resulting in street demonstrations and calls for the overthrow of the government.

Political methods of influence

This technique is considered one of the most difficult, as it requires serious preparation and virtuosity of execution, achieved through experience. There are quite a few forms of such influence. For example, a prepared demarche of opposition to the government or banned organizations. It can provoke a serious confrontation between political movements and groups.

Types of impact

Psychological warfare involves the widespread use of different types of influence. Of course, none of the country’s intelligence services will reveal their secrets, but still among experts there is some unity in the classification of these types:

information-psychological;
psychogenic;
psychoanalytic;
neuro-linguistic;
psychotronic;
psychotropic.

The types of psychological influence we have listed have their own characteristics and are intended to perform certain tasks.

Information and psychological impact on the consciousness of the individual

This option is used everywhere, because the impact itself occurs through ordinary words and information, which means it can be applied to all segments of the population.

The goals and objectives of this type of influence are set as broadly as possible. People must develop political views that are different from existing ones, change their ideology, and develop new beliefs that can evoke strong emotions. Thanks to this, the psyche of the masses becomes mobile, and ordinary emotions, if necessary, can be transformed into certain reactions.

In its simplest form, the informational and psychological impact looks like a leaflet. It is a mechanism that is designed to shake the confidence and calm of the enemy, causing in him a very strong emotional reaction of a positive or negative nature. In this way, you can raise the patriotic spirit or, conversely, cause panic among the civilian population or in the military ranks.

Psychogenic effects

To apply this type, good equipment, training, scientific knowledge and practice are required. This effect can be achieved in two ways:

Through real physical impact on the brain of a person. As a result, disturbances occur in the functioning of the nervous system, which also changes mental activity. The desired result can be achieved by injuring the individual. For example, a traumatic brain injury puts a person out of action for a long time, and in many cases becomes a cause of disability. But when we talk about influence within the framework of psychological warfare, this approach is ineffective, since it is designed to incapacitate specific people. Therefore, experts use influence on the masses with sound, light, a certain color combination or changes in temperature. As a result, physiological reactions completely change mental activity and emotional coloring both in one person and in a large number of people.
Through shock. Often, pictures of death and destruction put even a prepared person into a stupor. He may become lost in space and panic, and in the future he will need specialized help to return to reality and lead a normal life, making rational decisions.

One of the most effective methods of psychogenic influence used by intelligence services is very often color. It has been proven that a correctly selected color scheme on leaflets, for example, can lead to the desired psycho-emotional state, regardless of its informative component. The main thing in this matter is to take into account the type of human nervous system and the cultural traditions of the ethnic group. After all, the same color can cause completely opposite reactions among different peoples. Let's take white. Western peoples associate it with tenderness and purity, but among the Japanese and some other Asian peoples it symbolizes death. Therefore, when preparing psychological warfare and psychogenic influence, specialists try to study from the inside all the cultural characteristics and traditions of the enemy.

Psychoanalytic influence

Specialists who can influence a person’s subconscious and put certain attitudes into it exist in every intelligence service in the world. They work in different ways, but always achieve good results. Most often, the process of influence uses hypnosis, suggestion in the deep sleep phase, as well as techniques that allow you to put the necessary information into the consciousness of waking people. A special skill is considered to be the ability to suppress the psychological resistance of the masses and influence them, adjusting behavior in accordance with the laid down program.

The trigger for correction can be words, images, pictures, sounds and even aromas. An experienced specialist can put almost any information or style of behavior into the subconscious and activate them at the right time.

Neurolinguistic impact

This method is popularly known as neurolinguistic programming and is the introduction of certain programs into the consciousness of an individual. This is a rather complex process consisting of several stages. It is built on the internal contradictions of a person, which cause discomfort in him. And here the psi factor plays a very important role. A specialist in the field of neurolinguistic programming identifies these contradictions, then literally pulls them out of the subconscious and reinforces the entire range of unpleasant sensations caused by internal conflict. Against the backdrop of a weakening of the body’s protective functions, it very easily introduces new behavioral programs. As a result, a person completely changes his attitude to life, his beliefs, sets his priorities differently and generally becomes different.

It is interesting that in the process of this influence the individual almost independently sets new programs for himself, but does this under the supervision of a specialist, which significantly reduces the possibility of their rejection by consciousness.

Psychotronic influence

Most often it is carried out for the masses, since the method of programming itself was initially designed for large crowds of people. Psychotronic influence involves obtaining a result through the transfer of information at an unconscious level.

This category can include the work of psychics, the notorious “25 frame” and dowsing installations, for example. All these methods have the same mechanism of action - they enable the body to receive information without passing it through consciousness. Thus, it goes straight to the brain and affects the nerve endings.

Today, creation is a priority in the work of secret scientific laboratories of each state. It is believed that its creation will instantly change the balance of power in the world and lead to a third world war.

Psychotropic effects

It turns out to be various medications, chemical or biological substances. Moreover, they can be of natural origin or synthesized in laboratories. For example, the drug “Bizet” is well known in narrow circles. He is capable of turning an organized group of people into an uncontrollable crowd capable of any crime in a few seconds.

Some specialists synthesize and combine various odors that can affect people in a certain way. For example, one of the options for this action is successfully used by marketers in shopping centers: the smell of fresh baked goods provokes the desire to go to a cafe and have lunch, and the aroma of citrus fruits lifts the mood and promotes large spending. The same principle is also used to induce a feeling of disgust in an entire battalion of soldiers or bouts of vomiting.

Biological substances can also reduce the morale of the enemy. Based on them, mixtures are created that can, for example, dissolve road surfaces or destroy iron structures of buildings and bridges.

In conclusion, I would like to say that so far not a single government in the world knows how to resist psychological influence. Intelligence agencies are simultaneously working to create new technologies to demoralize the enemy and protect their population. However, even employees of top-secret laboratories cannot be sure that in the unfolding psychological war there will be a winner and a loser.

Thinking out loud

First person

Territory marketing is the expansion of the myth of a given territory based on its picture.

This is the basis of geopolitics.

Nobody listens to the poor.

Nobody respects beggars.

Khaldei Alexander- negotiation expert, mediator, teacher, business coach, blogger and publicist. 25 years of management experience in business and banking.

As you know, the Soviet Union, when it collapsed, was the world's second military power. However, the lag in the economic sphere created among Soviet citizens an inferiority complex towards the West and gave rise to skepticism towards their own state. The entire psychological war between the West and the USSR was built on these feelings, which was essentially black PR, a set of propaganda and subversive measures aimed at key segments of Soviet society - various kinds of dissatisfied people.

H Whatever the Soviet people were dissatisfied with, it all boiled down to dissatisfaction with meager consumption and the ugly picture of shop windows in the cities. Consumers were branded with different labels, called philistines, philistines, consumers - and all the propaganda campaigns lost one after another. The increase in living standards and consumption, proclaimed by the Soviet government, catastrophically lost the race to capitalist countries.

The symbols of the Soviet system were half-empty counters, dirty shops, obsolete, same-type low-quality cars that were impossible to buy, party closed special distributors, Beryozka shops and Intourist bars for foreigners, indifferent and boorish trade workers, mired in theft and secret trade in deficit . Polite and smiling sellers of beautifully decorated capitalist stores with an abundance of shop windows, representing a picture of a consumer paradise, looked like the opposite.

If in the impoverished USSR they saved on everything that was possible and impossible, turning the country into a kingdom of wretched architecture and primitive design, then in the urban planning of the West they did not save money and built cities as symbols of modernity, progress and modernity. Our people in the West went to their stores as if they were museums - just to look at the beauty of the windows and the latest fashion. Color magazines and fashion catalogs began to play the role of propaganda leaflets and proclamations. People with longing and sighs kept them at home, showed them to friends and sadly experienced their alienation from the holiday of consumption. They increasingly felt that they were simply unlucky with their place of birth.

The consumer is not an enemy who came down to us from the sky. The consumer is our citizen, the worker. Family man. A person for whose benefit, in general, politics is built, power exists and production operates. The consumer is, after all, a voter. Electorate. And his well-being comes first for any government. It cannot be fed propaganda instead of consumption forever.

Propaganda works only after a feeling of satisfaction with consumption. And despising him because you cannot give him the desired level of well-being is the path to a political grave. This is exactly what happened to the Soviet leadership. It itself was eager to go abroad stronger than all others and thereby fanned the fire of anti-communism in the USSR even more.

Prolonged poverty could no longer be explained by war and devastation. The population's irritation over everyday problems grew, accumulated and turned into dissatisfaction with the system. This was keenly heard by the West and used in propaganda.

The main discovery of Soviet agitators was the complete lack of immunity of Soviet citizens against Western propaganda.

And this propaganda began immediately after the arrival of Soviet tourists in any city of the developed capitalist system. The shock of store windows with an abundance of different goods has become a favorite theme of satirists and mass mythology. The picture of meager Soviet trade, on the contrary, itself created a powerful immunity against Soviet propaganda among the Western public.

They were shown with contempt Soviet counters, gray queues and asked - do you want that too? Then build socialism in your country. And the citizens admitted that they don’t want this in their country. The Westerner received a feeling of cultural and civilizational superiority over the Soviet people, while they, on the contrary, received a feeling of inferiority. This was a false feeling, everyone is aware of the primitiveness of Western mass culture, but it was precisely the lack of its own consumer cultural equivalents in the USSR that made its system uncompetitive in the eyes of the average mass citizen, who dreamed of chewing gum, a bright jacket, a stereo tape recorder, jeans and Marlboro cigarettes. as symbols of high social status.

The pyramid of prestige was completed by the opportunity to go on trips abroad to capitalist countries - preferably to the USA, England, Italy, France and Germany. And the presence of a Zhiguli car and connections in a car service center made a person an elite and a potential client of the OBKhSS - Soviet bodies fighting profiteering. Because it was completely impossible to achieve all this without conflict with the law.

Thus, the very appearance of cities was already a powerful means of propaganda. In combination with the design and organization of retail trade, a powerful propaganda video emerged, which simply had to be conveyed to the Soviet average person by any means of photography, film, television, radio and printed materials. It was not black PR that broke the psyche of the Soviet citizen - it was broken by pictures of modern and rich Western cities, which all Soviet people, without exception, were eager to see.

It was the modern appearance of Western cities that played the role of visual propaganda of capitalism without concrete monuments and symbolic people of the future lined with cheap mosaics at bus stops, who did not have base consumer desires, and they all consisted entirely of their high aspirations and bright thoughts about the happiness of all mankind. At the same time, not being able to give happiness to its ordinary resident here and now. And, having looked at all this, our fellow citizens returned from trips abroad crushed, sick and struck to the very heart. Which they generously shared with friends and neighbors. So much for all the black PR. That's what psychological warfare is all about.

The main means of psychological warfare and propaganda is your own lifestyle. Your economy. Her ability to give people what they want. This is a feeling of beauty and comfort of the environment. The modern appearance of cities and modern trade, helping a person to live the way he strives. And it is clear that money is always short. But it is not this that affects the mass consciousness, but the apparent availability of goods. This is the main and decisive argument in favor of the system and system.

Nobody wants to go back to the era of dark and dirty shops, women in aprons with armbands, shouting to people in line: “Citizens, a kilogram of sausage in one hand!” “You are delaying yourself!” Scandals in the queues, shouts of “Where are the queues, what impudence! You weren’t standing here!” Remember those who saw this? Remember. Do you want to go there again? No? Is it true?

Modern Russia, after the collapse of the USSR, experienced an explosive boom in retail trade for 15 years, and the retail invisibility market experienced several peaks of rapid growth. This filled the void from the USSR era. When the most important deficit was the shortage of retail space per capita, which caused a basic hunger for goods. It was precisely this that the first commercial stalls and flea markets of the era of early capitalism in Russia saturated.

And as soon as all the same retail formats arose as in the West, when the eye got used to abundance and the variety of counters created a feeling of moral satisfaction from the opportunity to simply wander between full shelves and boutiques, spend a day in a modern multifunctional shopping center, the consumer suddenly discovered the presence of a powerful immunity against Western propaganda! And even obvious social stratification, corruption and crisis did not shake this immunity. The whole world saw the practical expression of this immunity on March 18, 2018, as a result of the striping for Putin.

The current catastrophe of Western propaganda is so deafening that it can only be compared with the catastrophe of the Soviet propaganda machine at the end of the 80s. And the West still has a long way to go to realize this fact, but I am sure that they will no longer be able to speed up and rebuild. The inertia is so great that they will continue to stupidly do the same thing. Hitting at the point that it turned out was useless to hit.

They just don’t know, how should they act now? What to hit? Russia is now a consumer paradise, a growing market, yes, there are problems of poverty there, but this is not at all the same as the hunger for goods and poor shelves. Modern Russian cities are increasingly becoming indistinguishable from Western cities. And in the 21st century, this erasure of boundaries will only deepen.

Throughout its history, Russia has achieved geopolitical and military power while having a poor population and a weak economy. The phenomenon of Russia is that it has always been poor and at the same time militarily and politically powerful, like the most powerful states. The source of Russia's power has never been its strong economy.

But if this was enough for inner peace, now it is impossible to ignore the requirement to have an attractive picture of your cities, filled with carefree, satisfied citizens. Your lifestyle. Your level of comfort and wealth. This is precisely the externally projected means of the country’s influence on other countries and peoples. The pride of the population should extend not only to ballets and rockets, but also to the level of prosperity and contentment in life of its indigenous population.

Understanding this, Putin takes on the priority solution of economic problems. Economics is the main means of propaganda and psychological warfare. And the economy is based on culture. As the struggle for the economy takes place, a new culture of the people is formed. Therefore, investments in education and culture go hand in hand with investments in production. A new psychological environment is being created. And this alloy then becomes the content of the export of our popularity and influence in the world.

This book is based more on the author's personal experience than on research, on consultations rather than on working with books. It summarizes the author's five years of experience as a civilian expert and army officer in American propaganda agencies engaged in psychological warfare at all levels - from operational planning in the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to units operating in front-line conditions. This book is not my original research because it contains concepts and doctrines on which the propaganda people based their work. The responsibility lies with me, but the achievements are shared.

Psychological warfare is an exciting activity that develops the mind. It attracts resourceful and quick-witted people who are bursting with ideas. I have discussed psychological warfare with people ranging from Mao Zedong in Yan'an and Ambassador Joseph Davis in Washington to a corporal in the Army Corps of Engineers in New Zealand and a latrine cleaner at American headquarters in Chongqing. I have seen one lawyer in New York at a loss, not knowing how to cope with a given problem, and another immediately find a solution; how Pulitzer Prize-winning writers couldn't come up with a single idea and were rescued by simple stenographers. I learned from all these people and tried to make this book a reflection of the collective experience. Fortunately, the material I worked with is not copyrighted; Unfortunately, I cannot name the authors of most of the ideas and comments. But maybe this is for the best - not all people might want me to reveal their authorship.

I owe a lot to my father, Judge Paul M.W. Linebarger (1871-1939), who during his life acquainted me with all the stages of international political warfare, open or secret, which was connected with his activities on behalf of the Chinese Nationalist movement and its leader Sun Yat-sen. With very limited funds (for many years he financed his work from his own pocket), he fought, sometimes in four or five languages simultaneously, against imperialism and communism. He advocated Sino-American friendship and the development of democracy in China. For five and a half years I was his secretary, and I believe that this work contributed to the fact that I wrote my book based on more than just American experience. There is no better way to learn how to do propaganda than by being spurred on by someone else's propaganda.

I also owe a lot to the officers of the General Staff of the War Department who initiated me into the details of psychological warfare. The circumstances for the United States were very fortunate - this work at the headquarters was led by intelligent, conscientious and gifted people, and I was very fortunate to serve under their command from 1942 to 1947.

The material contained in this book has not been objected to by the War Department security services, but it does not in any way reflect the views, opinions or opinions of that department.

The department is not responsible for the accuracy of the factual material. All responsibility for the accuracy of the material presented in this book lies with me.

Part one
Definition of psychological warfare and its history

To Genevieve, my wife, with love

Chapter 1
Historical examples of psychological warfare

Psychological warfare is waged before the start of hostilities, during them and after their end. It is not directed against psychological warfare specialists in the enemy camp; it is not subject to the laws, methods and traditions of war and does not depend on the territory, the course of hostilities or the composition of the warring armies. Psychological warfare is a continuous process. Victory or defeat in this war it manifests itself only several months or even years after a particular operation. Nevertheless, success, which cannot be expressed by any quantitative indicators, can lead to victory in the war, and failure, which does not manifest itself in any way, can give rise to a crushing defeat.

Psychological warfare does not fit into conventional concepts of war. Military science owes the accuracy and certainty of its conclusions largely to the fact that the subject of its study is clearly defined - the organization of legal violence. Officers or soldiers engage in massive lawful violence against an enemy who is ordained from above. Starting a war, identifying enemies or neutral parties, making peace - all these issues are considered political and are not part of the duties of soldiers. And even during the war, soldiers enter into battle only after they receive an order from the country's leadership, and after the enemy is identified by the command, which has every right to do so. And only in psychological warfare is the nature of combat operations characterized by complete uncertainty.

Psychological warfare, due to the very nature of its methods and objectives, begins long before the announcement of hostilities. It continues after they are finished. In psychological warfare, the enemy is often not even called by name; For the most part, actions are covered up by the call of the motherland, God, faith or a press sympathetic to the cause. The psychological warfare fighter fights an enemy from whom he will never receive an answer - the people of the enemy side. This fighter cannot strike the one who opposes him - the enemy's psychological warfare fighter, but he is just waiting for the moment to give him back. Neither victory nor defeat in this war can be determined. The psychological strategy is being developed on the verge of a nightmare.

Concept of psychological warfare

In order to define this mysterious component of conventional war, one can apply the Euclidian method, when the scientist moves from one definition to another and isolates the essence of the defined subject using logic. It is also interesting to take a historical approach, describing the development of psychological warfare techniques over the centuries.

However, the most productive result will probably be obtained by a combination of logical and historical approaches. As specific examples, we will cite cases of the use of psychological warfare methods from ancient times to the end of the Second World War.

Rice. 1. BASIC FORM OF PROPAGANDA

American leaflet issued during the landing of American troops in the Philippines. They were dropped over populated areas of the Philippines to provide civilian assistance to the American army. This form of propaganda can be classified as a type of action that is intended to influence the civilian population (“civil action”).

Thanks to this, we will be able to isolate the tasks and techniques of this war, and with them in mind, we will describe in more detail and critically the operations of the First and Second World Wars. If a historian or philosopher reads this book, he will, of course, decide that many of the conclusions can be argued, but when describing a subject that is so difficult to define, this is quite forgivable.

Rice. 2. NAZI LEAFTER AIMED TO UNDERMINE THE ENEMY'S MORALE

In such leaflets, which were dropped on the Italian front in 1944, the Nazis did not call on American soldiers to take any action. The Germans’ task was only to undermine the morale of the Americans, after which propaganda was supposed to get involved, calling for specific actions. pay attention to A The purely primitive meaning of this leaflet. During World War II, the Nazis were misled by their biased political intelligence reports and greatly overestimated the scope and strength of American opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt. They mistook the complaints of ordinary people for incitement to revolt, so such leaflets seemed very effective to the Germans.

The inscription on the leaflet: “I assure you again, again and again - not a single American guy will die on foreign soil.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, October 31, 1940.

Psychological warfare and propaganda are as old as time; but they have become separate subjects of study only in our time. Examples of their use are found in thousands of books, so it is impossible to talk about them briefly. Many military readers, having retired, could take up this subject. The history of propaganda will help not only shed light on hitherto inexplicable or insignificant events, but also better understand the course of history as a whole. However, there are a number of examples that allow us to understand what methods of psychological warfare were used in different centuries.

Gideon's Use of Panic

One of the oldest examples of psychological influence on an enemy is Gideon's use of lamps and jars in a major battle with the Medes.

The seventh chapter of the Book of Judges tells us about this story. Gideon's troops were in a worse position than the enemy. The Medes outnumbered them in manpower and were about to completely defeat them. There was little hope for conventional methods of warfare, so Gideon - acting on a hunch, which modern commanders usually do not allow themselves - decided to use a trick, using modern methods for estimating the number of troops.

Rice. 3. ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LEAFTS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

It was prepared in 1945 for dispersal from B-29 aircraft bombing Japan. It identifies eleven Japanese cities, the most important strategic centers of the country - the target of American bombings, which must be destroyed to suppress Japanese resistance. The leaflet was intended for civilians and urged the Japanese to save their lives. At the same time, it was supposed to create a reputation for Americans as humane warriors, and also refute the enemy’s accusations that American aircraft were bombing Japanese cities indiscriminately.

Having selected three hundred soldiers, he figured out how to cause confusion in the enemy camp. The tactics of that time required that for every hundred warriors there was one man with a lamp and one trumpeter. If you give three hundred soldiers lamps and trumpets, the enemy will think that an army of 30 thousand people is coming at him. And since in those days it was impossible to turn the lights on and off, as now, it was necessary to cover the torches with jugs in order to achieve the effect of surprise.

And Gideon ordered that all the selected soldiers be provided with lamps and jugs. In addition, each soldier, in addition to a lamp covered with a jug, also carried a pipe. Gideon ordered these soldiers to surround the enemy camp. Then, at his command - and he himself set an example - all the jugs were broken, and the soldiers blew loudly on the trumpets.

The Medes woke up in panic and, not understanding what was happening, attacked each other. The Jewish chronicler sincerely believed that the destruction of the camp occurred by the will of God. Then the Medes fled, and the people of Israel began to pursue them. For some time, the Jews got rid of the threat from the Medes, and later Gideon finally defeated Media.

This method of psychological influence - the use of unusual devices to create panic - was used in all countries of the Ancient World. In China, Emperor Wang Mang, who seized power as a result of a coup, once decided to destroy the Hun tribes with the help of an army that included large formations of sorcerers, although the reigning emperor of the Han dynasty at that time believed that the usual methods of fighting were more reliable. Wang Mang's idea paid off.

Rice. 4. LEAFTER – PASS FOR SURRENDER

The Germans love to have all their actions documented, even in the midst of chaos, disaster and defeat. The Allies decided to take advantage of this and printed several types of “surrender passes” especially for the Germans, which look quite official. This is one of those “passes”. The original was printed in red, exactly the same as on banknotes, ? so the pass was very much like a premium coupon for soap. (Western Front, 1944–1945, issued by Headquarters Supreme Command Allied Expeditionary Forces.)

Inscription on the pass:

“This pass, presented by a German soldier, testifies to his sincere desire to surrender. He should be disarmed, thoroughly examined, fed and, if necessary, given medical assistance, and taken out of the danger zone as soon as possible.” Signed: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander in Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Western Europe.

But Wang Mang's passion for innovation was ineradicable. In 23 AD e., trying to suppress the rebellion that threatened to remove him from the throne, he collected all the animals in the imperial menageries - tigers, rhinoceroses, elephants - and ordered them to be set against the enemy. But the rebels struck first, killed the imperial general Wang Song, and the animals, in the confusion of the battle, attacked the army of the emperor himself, which was gripped by panic. At the same time, a hurricane hit the battlefield, causing even greater confusion. The emperor’s army was defeated, and the military propaganda of his opponents was so jubilant in tone and successful that the main task of any propaganda “to piss off the commander of the enemy troops and deprive him of the opportunity to think soberly” was solved brilliantly. This is what happened to Wang Mang when he saw that the enemy was advancing: “The Emperor lost heart... He began to drink a lot, ate only oysters and let everything take its course. He, being unable to straighten up, slept sitting on a bench.” That same year, Wang Mang was assassinated, and China lived without economic reform until the reign of Emperor Wang Anshi (1021–1086), a full thousand years. If Wang Mang had used more successful methods of psychological warfare, Chinese history might have taken a different path. 1
Wieger L., S.J. Textes Historiques. Hsien-hsien, 1929. V. 1. P. 628–633.

Propaganda of the Athenians and Han Dynasty Chinese on the battlefield

A more successful use of psychological warfare methods is noted by Herodotus, a Greek historian: “Themistocles, having selected the best Athenian ships, went to where there was potable water and ordered inscriptions to be carved on the stones, which were read by the Ionians who arrived the next day at Cape Artemisium. The inscriptions read: “People of Ionia, you are doing evil by fighting against your fathers and helping to enslave Greece. Therefore, it is better for you to come to us, and if you cannot do this, then give up the fight and convince the Karins to do the same. But if this is impossible, if you are bound by severe necessity, then in battle against us, fight as badly as possible, remembering that you came from us and that the alliance of barbarians directed against us was created by you.”

This leaflet is very similar in content to the leaflets that were dropped during the Second World War on troops who were not fighting too zealously - Italian units, Chinese puppet formations, etc. (Compare this excerpt with the leaflet in Fig. 5.) Please note that that the authors of this text are trying to look at the problem through the eyes of those who will read it, sympathize with them and care about their well-being. And by inviting the Carinians to fight as badly as possible, Themistocles is pursuing another line - black propaganda among the Persians, which should make them think that any Ionian who fights carelessly secretly sympathizes with the Athenians. And this technique meets all modern standards of combat leaflets.

Rice. 5. REVOLUTIONARY PROPAGANDA

When a revolution occurs, followed by a war, propaganda becomes a tool that one government uses against another. This leaflet was issued by Japanese puppet Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian Liberation Army in Singapore, which was called Shonan in 1943 and 1944. The leaflet does not directly mention the Japanese, so it is an example of black propaganda. Its theme is simple - the British are overeating while the Indians are starving. At that time this argument was very convincing. A famine broke out in Bengal, but among the thousands of people who died of starvation, not a single white person was found.

Rice. 6. PROPAGANDA FOR THE ILLITERATES

Propaganda gained a huge audience during the Second World War. The most interesting inventions in this regard were made by employees of the Indian Broadcasting Company and their Japanese competitors. The drawings shown here tell the story in Hindustani (written in the Devanagar alphabet) or in Romanized Hindustani. The pamphlet was intended for Hindus who could read both forms of script, and the pictures were drawn for the illiterate. It begins with an image of the British flag and ends with the Congress flag, which was the banner of the puppet pro-Japanese ruler of India, Subhas Chandra Bose.

Another method of ancient military propaganda was political denunciations, which, when announced at the very beginning of the war, were then cited as legal and ethical justification for one side or another. The Chinese novel San Guo Ji, or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which has probably been read by more people than any other work of fiction, preserves the text of a proclamation issued by a group of rebels seeking to restore the power of the Han dynasty on the eve of the outbreak of war. actions (c. 200 AD). The text of this proclamation is of great interest because it combines several successful propaganda methods: 1) an accurate identification of the enemy; 2) appeal to “the best people”; 3) sympathy for ordinary people; 4) the requirement to support the legitimate government; 5) a statement of one’s strength and high morale; 6) a call for unification and 7) an appeal to religion. The release of the proclamation was associated with a very elaborate official ceremony.

“Difficult times have come for the House of Han - the ties of imperial power have weakened. The rebel leader, Dong Zhuo, took advantage of this to do evil, and disaster befell the noble families. Ordinary people are mired in cruelty. We, Shao and his comrades, fearing for the safety of imperial prerogatives, gathered an army to save the State. We now vow to exert all our strength and exercise the full power with which we are vested. There should be no uncoordinated or selfish actions. Let the one who breaks this oath lose his life and leave no offspring. May the Almighty heavens and the Universal Mother Earth and the enlightened spirits of our ancestors be witnesses of this.”

In the history of any country one can find examples of such appeals. Those cases where they were deliberately used along with military operations can rightfully be called great propaganda.

Emphasis on ideology

In a certain sense, the experience of the past can, unfortunately, shed light on the future. During the last two world wars, the role of ideology, or political faith (ideology is defined below), as the leading force in war increased, and the role of cold calculation, called diplomacy, decreased. Wars became more bloodthirsty and less gentlemanly; They treated man not as a living being, but as a fanatic. To the usual devotion of a soldier to his unit or army - no matter whose side it is fighting on, right or wrong - was added devotion to some ism or leader. Thus, modern wars have come to resemble wars of faith. Therefore, it is very useful to consider the psychological methods used during the wars of Christians with Muslims and Protestants with Catholics. This will help to identify those problems that are psychologically and militarily relevant to our time. How quickly can you convert a conquered people to your faith? Under what circumstances can you trust the enemy's word of honor? How to destroy heretics (in modern terms “people who engage in subversive activities”)? Are there weaknesses in the enemy's faith that can be used against him at the right time? How should we write about subjects that are sacred to the enemy, but unacceptable to us?

During the spread of the Islamic faith and the expansion of the empire, forms of propaganda were created that cannot be ignored in our time. Mohammed, for example, argued that the faith of other people should not be destroyed by force, since force alone is not enough to change people's minds. If this were true, then Nazism would never have been destroyed in Germany, and the people of democratic countries captured by totalitarian regimes would have had no hope that they would be able to adapt to the demands of the new masters, and having adapted, they would then be able to return to free principles. In real life, Mohammed's commanders and his followers applied two principles of long-term psychological warfare that are still relevant today.

Rice. 7. PROPAGANDA THROUGH NEWSPAPER NEWS

News is one of the most effective methods of psychologically processing the enemy. One of these newspapers was published for the German troops occupying the Aegean Islands; the second - by Germans for Americans in France. Of both of them, the Allied newspaper [in German] was made more professional. Notice how the appeals are separated from the articles, how the news columns are separated from each other, and also the indication at the top, made in Greek, that this newspaper is intended for Germans.

A person can quickly be converted to another faith if he is given a choice - conversion or death. This way you can quickly eliminate those who are intractable. To help a person convert to a new faith, he must be forced to participate in public ceremonies and master the formal language of that faith. It is also necessary not to let the converts out of sight for a moment, lest they return to their former faith. But a formal conversion will only become sincere if all media stop mentioning the former faith.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Introduction

“Threats to military security (of the Russian Federation) are: the policies of a number of leading foreign countries aimed at achieving predominant superiority in the military sphere, primarily in strategic nuclear forces, through the development of high-precision, information and other high-tech means of warfare...”.

Revolutionary changes in the field of sciences about the patterns of functioning of the human psyche, mass information processes, the widespread dissemination of mass communication systems (satellite and cable television networks, fiber-optic communication lines and computer networks, VHF and CB radio stations), technological breakthroughs in printing technology, achievements in the field of “non-lethal” weapons determine a sharp increase in the interest of the military leaders of many armies of the world in information and psychological warfare as an integral part of the armed struggle.

Based on this, it follows that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are becoming the object of information influence from a potential enemy. In this regard, the readiness of commanders, staffs, and educational authorities to skillfully organize counteraction and protection of troops from psychological operations (PSO) of the enemy and information and psychological impact on the personnel of its units and formations is a necessary condition for the successful solution by units and subunits of the combat missions assigned to them in modern combat.

1. The concept of information-psychological warfare

“Information-psychological warfare is the purposeful impact of information (oral, printed, video) on the consciousness and emotional-volitional sphere of people.”

In the system of information-psychological warfare carried out for military purposes, one can distinguish phenomena classified as “information warfare” and “psychological warfare.”

An information war can be understood as the struggle of the parties to achieve superiority over the enemy in timeliness, reliability, completeness of obtaining information, speed and quality of its processing and delivery to the performers. Such a war includes the following areas of activity:

obtaining the necessary information;
processing of received information;
protection of information channels from enemy penetration;
timely and high-quality delivery of information to consumers;
enemy misinformation;
disabling or disrupting the functioning of enemy information acquisition, processing and dissemination systems; destruction, distortion, theft of information from the enemy;
development of more effective means of working with information than the enemy's.

The means of conducting information warfare can be 1:

computer viruses, characterized by a high ability to penetrate programs through various channels, consolidate and reproduce in them, suppress and disable them;
“logical bombs”, “werewolf programs”, “information killer programs” that are introduced in advance into the information and control centers of military and civilian infrastructure, and upon a signal or at a set time, distort, destroy information or disorganize the work of software and hardware;
programs for unauthorized access to enemy information resources for the purpose of stealing intelligence information;
means of suppressing enemy information systems, entering them for the purpose of substituting information or open propaganda interference;
biotechnological agents created on the basis of cell engineering that disable computer circuit boards;
means of introducing viruses, logic bombs, werewolf programs, information killer programs, programs to influence personnel (“zombification”), etc. into information systems (virus cannons, bookmarks in microprocessors, international computer networks, etc.);

Now let's consider essence of psychological warfare :

Psychological warfare is the content of the activities of special bodies of one state that exert a psychological impact on the civilian population and (or) military personnel of another state in order to achieve their political and military goals.

Types of influence in psychological warfare:

Information-psychological
Psychogenic
Psychoanalytic (psychocorrectional)
Neurolinguistic
Psychotronic (psychic)
Psychotropic

Psychological warfare can be viewed as a struggle between states and their armed forces to achieve superiority in the spiritual sphere and turn the resulting advantage into a decisive factor in achieving victory over the enemy. With this approach, information capabilities, along with purely psychological actions, act as a means of solving psychological problems. Within the framework of psychological warfare, the following areas should be highlighted: mobilization and optimization of the moral and psychological forces of the nation and the armed forces in the interests of solving military problems; protecting the population of one’s country and its armed forces from the corrupting information and psychological influence of the enemy (psychological counteraction; psychological cover; counter-propaganda; psychological protection); psychological impact on enemy troops and population in order to disorientate, demoralize and disorganize them (psychological warfare); influencing the views, moods, and behavior of friendly and neutral audiences (countries, social groups, armed formations) in a direction favorable to achieving victory over the enemy.

2. Psychological operations

Short-term or narrowly targeted information and psychological actions, carried out both in peacetime and in wartime, in many countries of the world are designated by the well-established term psychological operations (PsyOps). For example, according to military psychologists, the greatest damage to the morale of troops is caused by factors such as “...lack of food, lack of combat experience, negative attitude towards the goals and actions of the political leadership, dissatisfaction with the command.” Consequently, it is these moments that will be actively used by the enemy during psychological operations.

A psychological operation is the use in practice in conditions of armed struggle of a complex set of agreed, coordinated and interconnected types, forms, methods and techniques of psychological influence in terms of goals, objectives, place and time, objects and procedures.

“A psychological operation is a targeted communication against the backdrop of a massive impact...”

Experience in carrying out successful information and psychological actions in recent military events (during the US military operation in Grenada (1983), during the Gulf War (1990-1991), during the invasion of Haiti (1994), in during the implementation of peacekeeping tasks in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996), etc.) indicates that their effectiveness is high only when they are linked into an integral system of information and psychological influence, carried out according to a single plan, at levels objectively required by the situation . Therefore, according to experts, the armies of the most economically and militarily developed states are preparing to wage war in several directions simultaneously: electronic warfare, active reconnaissance, disorganization of command and control systems for troops and weapons, psychological operations, special software and hardware influence on the enemy’s information resource. This is how American analysts describe the possible events of such a war: “2005. Iran secretly deploys its troops and launches a surprise attack on Saudi Arabia. The United States, in order to protect its strategic ally, is starting an information war against the aggressor.

First of all, computer viruses and logic bombs come to life, secretly embedded in advance in the memory of computers used in all Iranian structures of state, military and economic management. These weapons are launched by a special command, for example, from a satellite or through international computer networks. After the outbreak of the conflict, intelligence agents operating in Iran use portable powerful electromagnetic pulse generators to destroy software and destroy databases in civil and military control systems protected from computer viruses and logic bombs. At the same time, the aggressor’s accounts in foreign banks are reset via international telecommunications networks. These actions entail catastrophic consequences for Iran, since they completely disorganize the work of all vital systems for the country (civil and military administration, communications, energy, transport, etc.). At the same time, television and radio transmissions of all stations and repeaters on the territory of the country, communication and control points in the aggressor’s troops are suppressed.

Electronic media begin to transmit materials aimed at destabilizing the political situation, disorienting the population and inciting panic. As a result of such a combined attack using various types of information weapons, chaos reigns in Iran, the economy collapses and the socio-political situation changes dramatically. Under these conditions, the aggressor is forced to abandon his plans and submits to the demands of the United States and its allies” 1. Naturally, this view of war is somewhat euphoric, because it does not take into account the enemy’s capabilities for organizing information protection and counteraction. However, modern advances in the field of information technology make it possible to implement much of the war scenario described above to one degree or another in practice.

It is known that attempts to exert psychological influence on the enemy for the purpose of misinformation, intimidation, and demoralization were made in ancient times. It is believed that purposeful psychological influence by a person on a person in order to change the behavior of another has been used since the first contacts between people arose. One of the biblical legends tells how Gideon, waging wars with his numerous opponents, often resorted to military tricks, misinformation and intimidation of the enemy. Once he was able to intimidate the enemy so much that he, having lost control of his actions, struck at his troops.

The art of controlling thoughts, mental states, and actions of people was formed, improved and kept as a secret weapon by priests, statesmen and military leaders of Babylon, Egypt, China, Ancient Greece and Rome.

At a later time, practical recommendations for the psychological decomposition of the enemy were developed by A.V. Suvorov, Napoleon and others. For example, Napoleon believed that “four newspapers can cause more evil than an army of one hundred thousand.” That is why his army constantly had a field printing press with a capacity of up to 10 thousand. leaflets per day.

The broadest concept is “information-psychological confrontation”, reflecting different levels of resistance of the conflicting parties, carried out by information and psychological means to achieve political and military goals. Such a broad interpretation of the phenomenon under consideration allows us to cover information and psychological actions carried out: a) at different levels (interstate or strategic, operational and tactical); b) both in peacetime and in wartime; c) both in the informational and spiritual spheres; d) both among one’s own troops and among enemy troops. In the system of information-psychological warfare carried out for military purposes, one can distinguish phenomena classified as “information warfare” and “psychological warfare.”

In turn, psychological warfare is the content of the activities of special bodies of one state that exert a psychological impact on the civilian population and (or) military personnel of another state in order to achieve their political and military goals.

Currently, in many countries of the world, information and psychological means of carrying out psychological operations are considered a priority in achieving military goals. For their development and practical application, significant material and technical resources, famous scientists, politicians, cultural and artistic figures, and highly qualified military specialists are involved.

Information and psychological influences in the system of psychological operations include the following:

1. Printed media - leaflets, posters, newspapers, newsletters, etc., means of their production (printing base) and distribution.

Leaflets, based on their purpose, are published in different sizes and on different materials. The American army uses artillery, aviation, and air containers to distribute them. During the Gulf War (1990-1991), the Americans dropped more than 30 million leaflets on Iraqi troops and the population of the region. According to some estimates, 98% of Iraqi soldiers who surrendered read the American leaflets, 88% of them believed in their contents, 70% surrendered for this reason.

2. Important means of psychological operations are radio and television. This includes stationary and mobile (vehicle, aircraft, ship) radio and television centers (both regular and captured from the enemy) with corresponding broadcast programs. The role of these means especially increases in regions saturated with radio and television receivers, as well as when broadcasting to an illiterate population. For example, during operations “Desert Shield” and “Desert Storm”, the available personnel of the Iraqi army only in the front-line zone broadcast around the clock from six broadcast stations. In order to increase the potential audience among military personnel and the population of the region, 50 thousand small-sized receivers with a fixed frequency were distributed with the help of nomads and aviation. Simultaneously with radio and television broadcasting, in the interests of psychological operations, electronic warfare equipment is usually used to suppress enemy television and radio stations. For example, the Iraqi state radio station “Voice of Baghdad” was essentially paralyzed throughout the entire period of military confrontation in the region.

3. Films, videos, audio materials and other media of video and audio information, designed for both persuasive and suggestive influence. For example, during military events in the Persian Gulf area, video cassettes with materials depicting Saddam Hussein as a tyrant of the Iraqi people and a schismatic destroying the unity of the Arab world were distributed among the population of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other states. At the same time, they contained stories promoting the power and justice of the United States.

4. One of the most effective means of informational and psychological influence on the enemy within the framework of tactical psychological operations is sound broadcasting. It is carried out using sound broadcasting stations (SB) and other means of voice amplification, including portable ones mounted on jeeps, trucks, tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, and airplanes. Loudspeakers on trucks are used primarily in rear areas, on tanks - to accompany an offensive, portable and on small vehicles - for positional broadcasting.

The scale of use of sound broadcasting means is evidenced by this fact. The military garrison of one of the Iraqi islands, numbering about 2,000 people, surrendered without a fight after being processed by the Americans using sound broadcasting stations located on board a helicopter.

5. The results of information and psychological support for the peacekeeping operation of American troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina indicate the growing role of computer tools and, first of all, the global computer information network Internet as a means of influencing people. Thus, during the preparation of elections in this territory, US specialists, through the channels of this system, provided information aimed at creating a positive image of the United States and NATO in resolving the Bosnian problem. There are facts of transmission of leaflets, posters and even the Talon newspaper (the official organ of the American military contingent) via the Internet.

It seems reasonable to assume that the role of the Internet as a universal channel of information and psychological influence on large masses of people will constantly increase. After all, today its users are about 40 million people in more than 100 countries. It is expected that by 2013 their number will increase to more than 1 billion. Taking this into account, the US intelligence services, “just in case”, organized the compilation of a single electronic catalog of currently known software tools for disabling enemy computer networks. Currently, more than 8,000 computer viruses are known, including about 3,000 dangerous ones. Every month their number increases by hundreds of units. And all this, if desired, can be very effectively used in the interests of information warfare.

6. As practice shows, a very effective means of informational and psychological influence, primarily on the population in a combat zone, are everyday items, food, toys, sports equipment, etc. with appropriate information support. So, in 1945, lighters with instructions about arson were dropped over Germany, exploding pencils and pens were distributed in Korea, single-frequency transistor radios were distributed in Vietnam, baseball caps, sports jerseys, soccer balls were distributed in Haiti, T-shirts, audio cassettes and footballs were distributed in the Persian Gulf region. etc.

7. A relatively new means of psychological influence, which can be widely used in the practice of psychological operations, are synthesizers (generators) of holographic and sound effects in the atmosphere. According to foreign media reports, projects are being developed in a number of countries to install laser-light complexes on operating satellites capable of projecting various images onto clouds. As you know, clouds are an excellent natural screen located at an altitude of 60-80 km from the surface of the earth. The image projected onto them will be clearly visible at a distance of 100-150 km. A case of this kind was noted in 1993 in Somalia.

The media reported that on February 1, a group of US Marines operating near the city of Mogadishu noticed an image of the face of Jesus Christ measuring approximately 150 by 150 m in clouds of dust and sand. Describing their mental state, the marines said that they were crying, on their knees and for a long time were unable to continue performing the combat mission. Unexpected contemplation of images of saints, monsters (dragons, lizards, mutants, etc.) or other unfamiliar phenomena can have a strong psychological impact on people, both mobilizing and demoralizing. The current level of development of audio technology makes it possible to use synthesizers for voices, sounds, and noises, which are of great significance to people. For example, military personnel may suddenly hear the voice of a prominent political figure in their country urging them to leave the battlefield or even turn their weapons against their fellow soldiers.

8. During the implementation of a psychological operation, such a powerful means of undermining the enemy’s morale as auxiliary activities is often used. These include: demonstration of force; increasing the level of readiness of troops or their transfer to “crisis” areas; civic action programs; initiation of civil disobedience, rallies, demonstrations in the enemy’s “camp”; programs in the field of education, agriculture, medicine on enemy territory; some methods of combat.

Conclusion

Thus, the protection of troops (forces) from the information and psychological influence of the enemy as an integral part of moral and psychological support is carried out both in peacetime and in wartime. The effectiveness of protecting troops (forces) is achieved by comprehensively taking into account the characteristics of the enemy’s psychological operations, the real moral and psychological state of personnel and the current situation, the continuity and comprehensive implementation of moral and psychological support measures. It is also extremely important to take into account the psychological patterns of perception by military personnel of external information and to equip formations and military units with technical means of education.

The main efforts should be focused on creating a favorable moral, psychological and information situation in the areas where troops (forces) are deployed.

List of sources used

National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020. Approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 12, 2009 No. 537. – Novosibirsk: NVVKU, 2009. – 36 p.
Information-psychological and psychotronic warfare. Reader / Under. total ed. A.E. Tarasa/ - Mn.: Harvest, 2003. – 432 p. – (Library of practical psychology).
Landmark 2007 No. 10. Author of the article A. Kolesnikov, p.57-60
Methods and techniques of psychological warfare / Comp. – ed. A.E. Taras. – M.: AST, Mn.: Harvest, 2006. – 352 p. - (Commando).
Collection of scientific papers. Issue No. 17. NVVKU (VI), Novosibirsk 2008, 388 p.
Military thought 2005 No. 5. Author of the article Rostovtsev V.A., p.38-46
Foreign military review 2005 No. 5. Author of the article A. Tiranov, pp. 19-26.
Landmark 1997 No. 1. Author of the article A. Cherkasov, pp. 45-48