Pentagon Wages Information Warfare

LA Times ^ | Nov. 30, 2004 | By Mark Mazzetti, Times Staff Writer

[freakboy]

WASHINGTON -- On the evening of Oct. 14, a young Marine spokesman near Fallujah appeared on CNN and made a dramatic announcement.

"Troops crossed the line of departure," 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert declared, using a common military expression signaling the start of a major campaign. "It's going to be a long night."

CNN, which had been alerted to expect a major news development, reported that the long-awaited offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Fallujah had begun.

In fact, the Fallujah offensive would not kick off for another three weeks. Gilbert's carefully worded announcement was an elaborate psychological operation -- or "psy-op" -- intended to dupe insurgents in Fallujah and allow U.S. commanders to see how guerrillas would react when they believed U.S. troops were entering the city, according to several Pentagon officials.

In the hours after the initial report, CNN's Pentagon reporters were able to determine that the Fallujah operation had not, in fact, begun.

"As the story developed, we quickly made it clear to our viewers exactly what was going on in and around Fallujah," CNN spokesman Matthew Furman said.

Officials at the Pentagon and other U.S. national security agencies said the CNN incident was not just an isolated feint -- the type used throughout history by armies to deceive their enemies -- but part of a broad effort under way within the Bush administration to use information to its advantage in the war on terrorism.

[freakboy]

Wait a minute. If what they are saying is true, how can I know if this article is even true?

[msnimje]

Yeah, did the Pentagon feed this article to the LA TIMES?

[FairOpinion]

Very clever -- They just destroyed any remainder of MSM credibility.

[Drango]

Are you saying we can't trust the MSM?

[A Citizen Reporter]

LOL! This article should have been titled "HELP! The guns have been turned on us"

[Fester Chugabrew]

Hehe. The MSM is worth using, like a free whore.

[Roccus]

OMG, I'm outta tin foil!!!!

[Dalite]

What the article doesn't say is the most telling part of this exercise.

This dis-information; combined with some drone carried ordinance gave our intel some of the exit routes that would be taken by the insurgents in time of attack.

It started a spy vs spy type of operation, in which we broadcast video of their movement into the region, showing we could track them in an attempt to demoralize.

They responded by placing covers over alley ways to prevent video imaging, and we countered by sending them infrared imaging of heat signatures showing them moving through the covered alleys.

In many respects, the entire operation was "wargamed" from the time of this false release of operation and the actual operation.

I don't remember the source for this, but it was spelled out in detail and this is as much as I could recall.

[Roccus]

Don'tcha love it when a plan comes together?

[Dalite]

Absolutely.

It was the best show of PsyOps that I have heard of so far.

[Roccus]

The more I think about this, the more I like it.
The best part is the duping of CNN. Just think, CNN was complicit in saving American lives. How can they now stand to live with themselves? Oh, the angst they must be feeling.
First the election and now this.


Counseling sessions will be held in the employee cafeteria starting at 9:00 AM.

[Eagles6]

"As the story developed, we quickly made it clear to our viewers exactly what was going on in and around Fallujah," CNN spokesman Matthew Furman said.
"Wow, we almost saved American lives and helped defeat the enemy. That was close!"

The study cited polling in the Arab world that revealed widespread hatred of the United States throughout the Middle East. A poll taken in June by Zogby International revealed that 94 percent of Saudi Arabians have an "unfavorable" view of the United States, compared with 87 percent in April 2002. In Egypt, the second largest recipient of U.S. aid, 98 percent of respondents held an unfavorable view of the United States.

Oh, so they hate us? Why didn't someone tell me? Guess what, I have an "unfavorable" view of s.a., egypt and islam generally. Cut off the allowance until these violent adolescents treat US with respect and understand our "feelings".

[MarkL]

"As the story developed, we quickly made it clear to our viewers exactly what was going on in and around Fallujah," CNN spokesman Matthew Furman said.

If this is true, isn't CNN giving direct aid to the enemy?

Not too different from how the Germans used French newspapers to get damage assessments and accuracy reports on the Paris guns in World War I.

I don't like the idea that American news channels are giving real-time intelligence updates to the enemy!

Mark