PSYOP and the Problem of Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) for the Combatant Commander

Abstract

Abstract : Perhaps the greatest psychological operations (PSYOP) campaign is the one in which the PSYOP community has exalted the effectiveness of their trade as a combat multiplier and peacetime contributor in the pursuit of national and military objectives. This often one-sided viewpoint dismisses the difficulty of PSYOP assessment and only exacerbates the key problem of which the total PSYOP program suffers. The Combatant Commander needs full disclosure of the facts based on the PSYOP principle of truthfulness. The reader is introduced to the doctrinal definitions of PSYOP and Measure of Effectiveness (MOE) and examples of PSYOP used in Operations ALLIED FORCE and ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan. The thesis for this research paper is that PSYOP measures of effectiveness (MOE) are a significant problem that the Combatant Commander will need to address in planning and the actual conduct of war. The purpose of this paper is to assist the Combatant Commander in gaining a greater understanding of PSYOP MOE by exploring: 1) the scope of the problem, 2) the methods and procedures used to address the problem, and 3) four broad recommendations.