The head of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the command launched a new task force to focus on information operations to counter China in the Pacific.
According to a report from C4ISRNET, the task force, known as the Joint Task Force Indo-Pacific team, will focus “on information and influence operations in the Pacific theater.” Gen. Richard D. Clarke, the commander of SOCOM, said the task force will work with “like-minded partners” in the region.
“We actually are able to tamp down some of the disinformation that they [China] continuously sow,” Clarke said. It’s not clear exactly what this new task force will be doing, but the C4ISRNET report suggested that offensive cyber operations could be part of the influence campaign.
Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of US Cyber Command, also spoke with senators on Thursday and pointed to offensive cyber operations the command took prior to the 2020 election that he claims thwarted election interference.
“The idea of operating outside of the United States, being able to both enable our partners with information and act when authorized. This is an active approach to our adversaries,” Nakasone said. “It’s been most effective as we’ve seen with the 2018 and 2020 elections with adversaries attempting to influence us, attempting to interfere but not being able to do that.”
Gen. Clarke also spoke of information operations conducted under SOCOM’s Special Operations Forces, specifically a group known as Military Information Support Operations professionals that are deployed at embassies around the world.
“By working closely with those partners to ensure that our adversaries, our competitors are not getting that free pass and to recognize what is truth from fiction and continue to highlight that to using our intel communities is critical,” he said.
The Biden administration has made it clear that countering Beijing is its top foreign policy priority. The task force shows that Washington’s campaign against Chinese influence will be played out in many theaters.
DOD has been involved in propaganda for decades. It goes under various names like “information operations.”
also
and on social media
with a psyops battalion in Afghanistan!
Thank you for information. From which we can glean useful lesson. Too much words.
None of it useful in the long run against an adversary focused on economic development, science and technology. Truth will out. No matter the obfuscation.
Especially as our partners have more trade with the “adversary” than with us. And nothing will change there.
“Washington’s campaign against Chinese influence will be played out in many theaters.”
Hollywood propaganda vs. Chinese wealth, science and art is coming to a theater near you. Will this fantasy also be financed by China?
Anything that comes out of the military command has to be assumed to be a lie.
Language for them is considered a tactical weapon. Any relation to truth would be entirely accidental.
…and whatever they say, believe that the opposite is probably the case, and it’s throughout government. Case in point: the many times we were told “we’ve turned the corner in Afghanistan.” Now they don’t use that word any longer (they got burned on it) but stupid Biden thinks there’s a corner coming up. It’s a form of corruption, because there’s always a financial consideration involved.
“Will” fight the information war. The war is already on.
This sounds like a disinformation war to twist and spin any inconvenient truth that may come out from adversaries.
If only truth is advanced, no need for elaborate military operations. Having our allies involved to act on our behalf when “authorized”? Sounds like a military war time disinformation campaign.