Posted on Jul 22, 2017
SSG Jacob Pederson
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SFC Marcus Belt
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Which division? What is your BCT built to do? I was a Planner at an ABCT and since they're built to conduct Joint Forcible Entry, my IO Officer and I built that plan around that.

Understand your operational environment and figure out how your commander wants to do business. You're his SME on all Information Related Capes (IRCs), since, if I'm not mistaken, FA30 IO Officers are no longer on the BCT MTOE.

Work from the tactical to the operational: if you were a TMT Chief attached to one of your battalions with no guidance from higher, how would you support that battalion's operations? Answer that question and then build your SOP and all subsequent Annexes to suit, while also giving that TMT Chief the lattitude to do tactical PSYOP. Give some thought to the types of support you'd need as a TMT assigned to an infantry battalion.

Last, but also critically important, conduct training for Company level leaders so they know what we bring and what we can do, and how we can positively affect their missions. It is SO vital that Company Commanders and PLs know who you are, but even more importantly, what their PSYOP support will look like, what it can and cannot do.

Your key task is to ensure that your BCT Commander knows what we can do, and your PSYOP support element knows the Commander's intent and guidance.
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SSG Jacob Pederson
SSG Jacob Pederson
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Thanks for the response! I am not MOSQd yet, so there is A LOT that i do not know yet. I have been researching like crazy to find all regs and fm's that pertain to psyop. We are under the 34th ID. One of the main points that i have been really trying to find is what you mentioned about conducting training for Company level leaders. They want to know how I can be asset to the Company/BDE and how we can positively affect the missions. This has been one of my first tasks. I have to be honest, after researching all drill, while i have found lots of valuable information, i just dont know how to portray that to them because of my lack of knowledge. There is ONE PSYOP slot in our whole state, its mine. I have an IO officer who just completed IO recently and i am unaware of any other PSYOP support elements. I really appreciate you replying with such a detailed response!
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SFC Marcus Belt
SFC Marcus Belt
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Ok, so while I was the PSYOP Planner for 3/82d, before Active Duty, I served in the 29th ID, Maryland ARNG, 1/156th Cav.

Tactical PSYOP is mostly Civilian Non-Interference, Consequence Management/Mitigation and Tactical Call-outs. Also, as an added extra, if you can do Biometrics and Tactical Questioning (BIT-TQ), you provide an added asset to the commander on the ground, because it frees up one of his shooters to do shooter stuff. Those are the things your TPTs/TMTs will be doing when they are attached to your Battalions and sliced down to your companies. Make your SOPs and the annexes you write reflect that.

Overall themes and messages are theater-dependent, so find out what the STRATCOM guidance is for whatever area you're heading to and then use that to develop your AO specific messaging.

Are you on Fort Bragg? There are two whole Groups there AND three BCTs, each with a planner. Crosstalk with them, and they can tell you how they go about their business.

PSYOP is a very small tribe within the SOF Clan, but we have very little doctrinal regarding fighting a conventional fight. You'll have to make up a bunch of stuff based on the synthesis of a lot of different sources.
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