// UNMANNED SYSTEMS AND NEXT-GEN WARFARE TERM
PSYOP
PSYOP, or Psychological Operations, are planned activities by military or government entities to convey specific information to foreign audiences, aiming to influence their emotions, reasoning, and behavior to achieve political or military objectives.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
PSYOP (Psychological Operations) are planned, systematic influence activities conducted by military forces and government agencies to communicate selected information and indicators to foreign audiences, affecting their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals to achieve strategic political or military objectives.
BACKGROUND
This article pertains to the subject of journalists who write for the U.S. military, as distinct from those who write about the military.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Psychological Warfare
- Influence Operations
- MISO
- Military Information Support Operations
- Information Warfare
USAGE NOTE
The term is primarily used within military and intelligence communities, and can sometimes carry negative connotations due to its association with propaganda and manipulation.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to PSYOP.
DARPA funds and manages breakthrough research and development projects across various domains, including information warfare, social computing, and strategic communication, which can directly contribute to PSYOP capabilities and technologies.
A leading government contractor providing advanced analytics, cybersecurity, strategic consulting, and technology solutions for information operations and intelligence missions, which are critical components of modern PSYOP.
Develops data integration and analysis platforms used by defense and intelligence agencies to fuse vast datasets, identify patterns, understand human terrain, and support strategic decision-making and influence operations, which are essential for effective PSYOP.
Provides a range of services and solutions in areas such as information warfare, intelligence support, command and control (C2), and advanced analytics to defense and intelligence clients, directly supporting PSYOP capabilities.
Offers robust solutions in intelligence, information warfare, cyber operations, and advanced analytics for government and defense clients, supporting the technological infrastructure and analytical capabilities needed for PSYOP.
A federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) that applies advanced technology to problems of national security, including areas like C4ISR, data science, and secure communications, which are foundational to developing and executing advanced PSYOP.
While primarily a research organization and think tank, RAND conducts extensive studies and develops frameworks related to information warfare, strategic communication, and influence operations, often informing the technological requirements and strategies for PSYOP.