Psychological operations - (DOD) Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the originator's objectives. Also called PSYOP. See also overt peacetime psychological operations programs; perception management.
Strategic psychological activities - (DOD, NATO) Planned psychological activities in peace, crisis, and war which pursue objectives to gain the support and cooperation of friendly and neutral countries and to reduce the will and the capacity of hostile or potentially hostile countries to wage war.
Overt peacetime psychological operations programs - (DOD) Those programs developed by combatant commands, in coordination with the chiefs of US diplomatic missions, that plan, support, and provide for the conduct of psychological operations, during military operations other than war, in support of US regional objectives, policies, interests, and theater military missions.
Psychological operations impact indicators - (DOD) An observable event or a discernible subjectively determined behavioral change that represents an effect of a psychological operations activity on the intended foreign target audience at a particular point in time. It is measured evidence, ascertained during the analytical phase of the psychological operations development process, to evaluate the degree to which the psychological operations objective is achieved.
Psychological operations assessment team - (DOD) A small, tailored team (approximately 4-12 personnel) that consists of psychological operations planners and product distribution/dissemination and logistic specialists. The team is deployed to theater at the request of the combatant commander to assess the situation, develop psychological operations objectives, and recommend the appropriate level of support to accomplish the mission.
Psychological consolidation activities - (DOD) Planned psychological activities across the range of military operations directed at the civilian population located in areas under friendly control in order to achieve a desired behavior that supports the military objectives and the operational freedom of the supported commanders.
Psychological operations support element - (DOD) A tailored element that can provide limited psychological operations support. Psychological operations support elements do not contain organic command and control capability; therefore, command relationships must be clearly defined. The size, composition and capability of the psychological operations support element are determined by the requirements of the supported commander. A psychological operations support element is not designed to provide full-spectrum psychological operations capability; reachback is critical for its mission success. Also called PSE.
Confusion agent - (DOD) An individual who is dispatched by the sponsor for the primary purpose of confounding the intelligence or counterintelligence apparatus of another country rather than for the purpose of collecting and transmitting information.
Propaganda - (DOD) Any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly.
Black propaganda - (DOD) Propaganda that purports to emanate from a source other than the true one.
Grey propaganda - (DOD) Propaganda that does not specifically identify any source.
White propaganda - (DOD) Propaganda disseminated and acknowledged by the sponsor or by an accredited agency thereof.
U.S. Department of Defense PSYOP definitions 