The improvement of the means of armed struggle, which has been taking place especially rapidly in recent decades in the armies of the leading countries of the world, gives rise to an understandable desire and need to revise its existing forms and methods and to search for new, more effective and universal ones.
Recently, the strategy of any aggressor state has ceased to rely only on military force, and the state's combat potential no longer plays a decisive role in achieving strategic goals. A new type of war is entering the arena of interstate confrontations - information-psychological, in which the concepts of front and rear are absent, and the entire population of the country and its state apparatus becomes the object of influence. Suffice it to recall the series of "color revolutions" that took place in many countries of the world in the late 20th - early 21st centuries.
In the proposed material, which is devoted specifically to the topic of information-psychological warfare in an undeclared war, the authors are ambiguous in their assessments. But this opinion of the authors does not necessarily coincide with the point of view of the editorial board. We hope that readers will express their opinion on the problem, which has recently become more and more urgent.
Each state has a unique cultural code (spiritual, social, psychological, national memory). The cultural code includes an integral historically formed system of attitudes of the population and its unconscious reaction to a situation associated with a threat to the country and the life of the people. The elements of the cultural code are culture and national interests.
From the standpoint of the general theory, there are six generalized strategic priorities for managing society (we will list them without disclosure):
- the first is an ideological priority;
- the second is chronological priority;
- the third is factual priority;
- the fourth is economic priority;
- the fifth priority is the weapon of genocide;
- the sixth priority is weapons of destruction.
The stated priorities give reason to believe that by influencing them, the aggressor country can achieve its goals.
The modern information and psychological impact must be considered within the framework of the theory and practice of waging wars of the fourth generation (The 4th Generation of Warfare), or the 4GW strategy - an independent type of influence on the enemy aimed at depriving him of his will to resist. The goal of the 4GW strategy is to crack the cultural code and subjugate the alleged adversary.
The theory and practice of waging fourth-generation wars (4GW strategies) has been implemented by the United States of America in military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Ukraine.
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Let's outline the basic principles of the 4GW strategy.
1. The principle of asymmetry of the conflict. In the context of the transformation of modern society under the influence of globalization processes, transnational corporations and states are parties to the conflict. Formally, it looks like a conflict between states, since the impact on the enemy is carried out with the help of a "third party".
The principle of asymmetry of the conflict lies in the use of such methods of struggle, such technologies that radically surpass the capabilities of the enemy. State-
the aggressor arms, trains and finances the forces of this "aggressive non-state actor", plans and provides for his subversive operations, provides them with political, informational and legal support.
2. The principle of maneuverability. In the 4GW strategy, traditional military force is losing its importance, the combat potential of the state is no longer a decisive factor. The entire enemy society with material and spiritual values becomes a "battlefield", the concept of strategic rear disappears. The blow is applied to any vulnerable points, it can be critical objects, monuments of cultural heritage, personalities with a fighting spirit and who know how to consolidate society. The main principle is not the violent destruction of the state, but the moral and ethical impact on the population and the country's leadership.
3. The principle of interaction of network W-communities. The areas of responsibility of military leaders are being replaced by a separate combat unit of information operations using global media. A multi-stream control system of a mesh-network type with several universal decision-making centers is being formed. As a result, the population begins to openly support the opponents of their government.
4. The principle of popular guerrilla war, or "war without rules." This is an "amorphous" but well-coordinated attack with a single target in different directions. There is no concept of a front. Moral victory over the enemy is achieved by striking his weaknesses.
5. The principle of chaos, or the creation of an atmosphere of complete uncertainty. The impact is aimed at splitting the ideological basis of the state and ousting it from the spheres that have come under the influence of the enemy.
6. The principle of special effects. The enemy's attention is focused on the economic, political, cultural foundations of the security of the victim state through the introduction of various sanctions, the use of various psychological techniques aimed at "rocking" society.
7. The principle of a combat pack, that is, the principle of operation of autonomous or semi-autonomous combat groups associated with decentralized, unconventional tactics within the framework of pursuing a single strategic goal.
8. The principle of individualization of responsibility, or "victory without control." Individual training of special operations forces is of great importance. In the situation of a time limit in isolation from the management level, this unit should be able to independently make a decision, determine the main thing.
The method of the 4GW strategy is the concept of MISO (Military Information Support Operations), which consists in conveying the necessary information and guidelines to foreign audiences to influence them. The goal is to influence the behavior of key cells in society.
Since the goal of the struggle is to break the will of the enemy to resist, it follows that the 4GW strategy has political, social and moral motives aimed at reducing the role of the state's influence on society.
In the United States, the organization for the formation of information and psychological impact is called the Military Intelligence and Security Group (MISG). This is a military intelligence and security group. Until recently, these tasks were addressed by psychological intervention services (PSYOP).
Military Information Support Operations Battalion is an operational information support battalion that provides and filters information on radio, television and in print.
The 4GW strategy involves a wide range of technologies that form the MISO "tactics" aimed at depleting the military and financial resources of the enemy country in the course of incessant and daily externally fueled guerrilla war and terrorist activities.
Consider these tactics.
First, the tactics of technology lawfare, "legal war" as one of the forms of "asymmetric war". This is the illegal application of the norms of domestic and international law in order to harm the opponent.
Second, the tactics of economic and political sanctions. This is putting all forms of pressure on the victim country. As an example, the organization of "color revolutions", demonstrations, pickets, rallies and campaigns of non-violent disobedience using political and economic technologies.
Third, the tactics of terror or "military component". It is the organization of various rebel movements and terrorist actions of a different nature in the target country. The task is to undermine the morale of the people and the army, cause confusion and provoke panic.
Fourth, the tactics of destroying traditional family values, or the "civic" component. This includes technologies aimed at disuniting society, destroying the traditional community and family. MISO forms targeted aggressive attacks on traditional cultural and historical values of the population.
Fifth, the "high-speed operations" tactic. MISO is waging a sophisticated and high-tech psychological warfare of manipulating the media to shape global public opinion on specific events.
Summarizing what has been said, it should be emphasized that the modern war of the fourth generation can be presented as an information-psychological war or as a political-psychological process that is aimed at changing the attitude of the mass consciousness of the population of a conditional adversary to the values and national interests that have formed on the territory of this state. This is done by undermining the unique cultural code of a given nation, influencing its strategic culture in order to destroy confidence in the correctness and feasibility of ideas.
The ultimate goal of psychological warfare is to cause discontent and destructive actions in the mass consciousness against opponents. These are mass demonstrations to overthrow the political regime, arousing interest in social and political constructions of an alternative nature. Information-psychological warfare affects the unconscious, irrational states of people, their emotions, feelings, instincts, prejudices, prejudices, mythological constructions of the population of a potential enemy. There is a transfer of the direction of the struggle from one sphere to another, to the level of everyday, everyday psychology. This is achieved through the massive introduction into the minds of people of a multitude of false stereotypes of perception and thinking, perverted ideas about the views prevailing in their environment, as well as the events taking place in the world.
Questions arise: how to resist the directed impact of our "partners" on the spiritual sphere, strategic culture, national interests of the people and the state, how to preserve the cultural code, public opinion, values, views, socio-psychological climate in society? The authors do not provide answers to these questions, although today it is vitally important for us.
It is clear that the ultimate goal of all the listed activities of our "friends" is to sow fear and uncertainty in the future in Russians, cause them distrust of the activities of the authorities and government, create an atmosphere of discontent and anxiety in society, which will contribute to the emergence of opposition groups and stimulate anti-government activities. But, we repeat, how should we resist all these destructive attempts? We hope that our readers will be able to find answers to these difficult questions.
