Psychological Warfare Bang For Your Tax Buck

The Pentagon plans to spend $300 million for a global psychological warfare operation placing pro-American messages in foreign media outlets without disclosing the US government as the source.

Three contractors, SYColeman, Lincoln Group, and Science Applications International Corp. will receive $100 million each for "media approach planning, prototype product development, commercial quality product development, product distribution and dissemination, and media effects analysis."

According to the USA Today, the program will operate throughout the world, including in allied nations and in countries where the United States is not involved in armed conflict.

For an historical look at US government interference in the "free press" see Operation Mockingbird or the Church Committee investigation where the Congressional report in 1976 stated:

"The CIA currently maintains a network of several hundred foreign individuals around the world who provide intelligence for the CIA and at times attempt to influence opinion through the use of covert propaganda. These individuals provide the CIA with direct access to a large number of newspapers and periodicals, scores of press services and news agencies, radio and television stations, commercial book publishers, and other foreign media outlets."

Church stated it cost American taxpayers, at the time, an estimated $265 million to misinform the world.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.