Hearts and Minds - History of Psychological Warfare - Seeker PDF

8/1/2018 Hearts and Minds: History of Psychological Warfare - Seeker
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to viewers in an online video. |

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 SEEKER
Hearts and Minds: History of Psychological Warfare

As with conventional warfare, innovation and technology open the door to new kinds of psychological offensives.
BY TALAL AL-KHATIB
PUBLISHED ON 04/29/2015   
1:56 PM EDT
With today's communications technology, information travels faster and farther than ever. This advance has changed the way we communicate
with one another, how we exchange goods and services, and even how we wage war.
Take the actions of the Russian government ever since it launched its not-so-clandestine offensive into Ukraine last year. Over the past month,
several stories have emerged about how the Kremlin manages the "information war." Writing in The Atlantic, author Jill Dougherty explains how
media is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most powerful weapons. Similarly, Peter Pomerantsev for The Guardian nds how Russian
military strategy is increasingly focused on winning not on the battlefield but in the "psychophere."
Psychological warfare may be a modern construct, but its origins trace back thousands of years. As with conventional warfare, innovation and
technological advances lead to new kinds of psychological operations. Often conventional and psychological military operations go hand-in-
hand.
https://www.seeker.com/hearts-and-minds-history-of-psychological-warfare-1769783167.html 1/20
Pharaoh Ramses II rides his chariot into the Battle of Kadesh in 1276 B.C. Kadesh likely hosted the largest chariot battle in history. |
Thinkstock/iStock
Invented more than 5,000 years ago as a means of animal-powered transport, the chariot found its way into military use centuries later. Initially
heavy chariots were used to trample enemy infantry, until lighter, two-wheeled vehicles emerged to support archers.
The chariot no doubt proved valuable for its tactical use on the battle eld. It also had the added bene t of being a means of psychological
intimidation. By ancient standards, chariots, particularly those of the lighter variety, were fast, agile and durable. They also made noise and kicked
up dirt and dust. Combine these characteristics together and a line of chariots charging all at once on an ancient battle eld would have been an
intimidating sight for many Bronze Age adversaries.
Photos: King Tut's Chariots: Ferraris of Ancient Egypt
A medieval version of an ancient invention, the catapult, is pictured. |

Thinkstock/iStock
Like the chariot, the catapult is an ancient weapon of both practical military and psychological value. Catapults are designed to weaken an
enemy's forti cations during a siege, which took far longer prior to the invention of this war machine. The Greek siege of the city of Troy in 1200
B.C., for example, lasted for 10 years, according to legend.
As forti cations adapted to siege weaponry, campaigns against walled defenses took more time. In addition to the physical damage in icted to
city walls, catapults also psychologically wounded a city's inhabitants. As related in "Ancient Machine Technology: From Wheels to Forges,"
ancient catapults were large, with some reaching the height of a modern-day telephone pole. They could launch arrows up to 13 feet (four
meters) in length or heave stones 172 pounds (78 kilograms) in size.
Soldiers would bombard cities day and night, preventing any rest for the inhabitants within the walls. Greeks and Romans also weren't above
launching the heads of slain soldiers into opponents' forti cations as a means of sapping the morale of anyone inside.
Ancient Weapons Emerge From Melting Arctic Ice
A closeup of one of the terracotta warriors that stood at attention for centuries in the tomb of China's first emperor. |
Corbis Images
Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," arguably the most famous war manual in history, contains 13 chapters dealing with governing philosophy, military
strategy and battle eld tactics. Most of the book deals with the practical aspects of warfare, such as determining strategic opportunities for an
attack and launching an offensive from the best terrain.
"The Art of War" also includes guidance on gaining a mental advantage over an opponent, as in this excerpt:
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive;
when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
Sun Tzu's claim that warfare is based on deception elevates the psychological element of the battle eld over the physical component.
Secrets of Chinese Terra-Cotta Warrior Weapons Revealed
This fresco depicts Hannibal's crossing of the Alps on the back of an elephant. Few of the elephants in Hannibal's army survived the journey, however. |
Thinkstock/Photos.com
Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian general considered among the greatest military strategists in history, famously crossed the Alps in the third
century B.C., bringing with his armies a number of war elephants to intimidate his Roman opponents. What soldier after all would even consider
standing his ground against a giant, charging, tusked war beast?
Hannibal's use of war elephants was bold, but not completely original. The history of war elephants starts a century before Hannibal's armies
entered the Iberian peninsula. The forces of Alexander the Great faced off against the military of Darius III, who had 15 elephants in his service, at
the Battle of Gaugamela. The Persians borrowed the idea from the Indian armies to the east.
Although Alexander was triumphant in battle, the sight of the elephants rattled him initially. Following his victory, he incorporated the the 15
elephants from Gaugamela into his own armies, and gradually expanded the elephant corps as he won more battles against the Persians.
Whatever psychological value the elephants held in battle, Hannibal never used these animals tactically quite as effectively as they were originally
intended. Most of Hannibal's war elephants perished in the Alps, and the ones that survived were ineffective against a Roman military that had
developed defenses against these war beasts, their shock value diminished through experience and counter-strategy.
Toxic Wine Might Have Killed Alexander the Great
Genghis Khan, depicted in this statue, is revered in Mongolia, despite his status as a villain elsewhere in the world. |
Thinkstock/iStock
Genghis Khan didn't conquer more land than any human being in history with brawn alone. He used psychological tactics as a means of gaining
an advantage over his opponents.
Prior to invading a new territory, Genghis would offer its rulers an opportunity to surrender, provided they pay him a tribute, often in the form of
gold and manpower. If the rival government acquiesced to the Mongols' demands, they would be spared. If not, the Mongol armies would
slaughter nearly everyone on the opposing side, sparing only a few to tell neighboring cities and states of what happened in order to spread fear.
Genghis also knew how to divide his opponents. Spies for the Mongols would actively gather information on a potential rival along with any
weaknesses. If there were tensions among different groups, Genghis would seek to exploit them. For example, if class divisions were present, he
would declare himself a liberator for the poor. But for the wealthy, he would de ne himself as a friend of commerce.
Ancient Mongolian Tomb Holds Skeleton of Western Man
A statue of Francisco Pizarro, the conquistador who conquered the Inca empire. |
Thinkstock/Hemera
How did Francisco Pizarro manage to bring an entire empire, the Inca, to its knees with only 168 men? As HowStuffWorks' Josh Clark explains,
the answer lies in gunpowder, horses and disease, the combination of which took a brutal physical and psychological toll on the Inca. These same
factors helped explorers and conquistadors overwhelm indigenous populations throughout the Americas.
Guns and cannons are no doubt deadly, but they're also noisy and emit a bright ash upon ring. The Inca would have no precedent for these
kinds of weapons and ed at the sight of them. Although Pizarro only brought 37 horses with him, these were trained military animals ready to
charge an opponent, and the Inca again had never seen anything like it. Disease nally proved to have the biggest impact, destroying an
estimated 95 percent of native populations within 130 years, which left psychological scars for generations.
Photos: Colonial Settlements That Failed
A painting commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. |
U.S. Department of Commerce
The American Revolution was won by the colonists not simply because of military might, but also effective propaganda. The American
revolutionaries' information campaign was two-pronged: casting the British army as agents of a tyrant and de ning American identity, which
didn't yet exist. After all, if the colonists weren't English subjects, who exactly were they? And more importantly, what did they stand for?
"The Boston Massacre." "The Boston Tea Party." "The Intolerable Acts." These were names given to the actions of and responses to a tyrant,
dramatized and embellished effectively to gain public sympathy and eventually support.
The colonists also aimed their psychological operations at opposing troops. American forces would distribute lea ets comparing conditions in
British camps unfavorably with those in Revolutionary bases in order to demoralize the red coats.
When the British crown enlisted tens of thousands of Hessian mercenaries for the war effort, for example, the Founding Fathers hatched various
plans to encourage them to desert or defect. According to "Secret and Sanctioned: Covert Operations and the American Presidency", one such
plan included a letter by Benjamin Franklin written in German claiming to be from a Hessian count to a battle eld commander. The letter urges
the commander to increase the number of Hessian casualties to increase the count's payment from the British. These tactics -- as well as
inducements by colonists for the Hessians to abandon the British -- contributed to thousands of soldiers deserting.
Photos: Warrior Women of America
American World War I pilots outfit their planes with cameras for enemy surveillance. |
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
World War I saw a number of advances in the science of warfare. One of the inventions devised during war was a new kind of bomb, the lea et
bomb.
A tactic tracing back to the colonial era, the use of lea ets, often written by a commander to a targeted enemy military or civilian population,
expanded in World War I through various means of distribution. The British and Germans would drop lea ets from airplanes or balloons, or launch
lea et bombs using modi ed artillery.
The use of lea ets was so widespread by the Allies in particular that they were referenced in the memoirs of German generals Paul von
Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff.
Photos: A Century of World War I Tech
The mugshot of Iva Toguri following her arrest for treason. |

U.S. National Archives
By the start of World War II, psychological tactics were used by all sides in order to demoralize troops and confuse or intimidate the enemy. All
sides employed old technologies, such as lea ets, as well as emerging innovations. One of the most famous examples of psychological operations
in the Paci c theater employed radio, a technology in its infancy during World War I but widespread by World War II, to target Americans
servicemen.
"Tokyo Rose" was the name given by American GI's to a group of female, English-speaking broadcasters who served as propaganda agents on
behalf of the Japanese. With the aim of encouraging American sailors to give up and go home, Tokyo Rose would tell of Japanese victories and
Allied defeats.
The search for "Tokyo Rose" became a sensational story in the United States following the conclusion of the war. Two reporters eventually
tracked down one Japanese American, Iva Toguri, who participated in the broadcast. Although her role was minimal, American courts convicted
Toguri of treason and sentenced her to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 ne. In 1977, President Gerald Ford pardoned Toguri after evidence
surfaced that vastly undermined her conviction.
Video: WW2 U-Boats Hit Close to Home
An investigation by the U.S. Congress, led by Sen. Frank Church, uncovered the details of Project MKUltra. The Church committee sought to rein in the capabilities of the intelligence community following its
investigation. |
Corbis Images
The Cold War showed how far nations were willing to go to control the "psychosphere." This era created an arms race not only in nuclear
capabilities but also psychological operations. Paranoia led to all kind of bizarre experimentation to test psyops capabilities.
One of the most famous and controversial experiments during this time was Project MKUltra. MKUltra was a CIA-funded program involving
dozens of American university and research institutions to identify drugs that could be used for the purposes of mind control. Tests on human
subjects included combinations of hypnosis, sleep deprivation, verbal and sexual abuse, involuntary LSD administrations and even torture.
Cold War psychological operations borrowed heavily from the successes of World War II and in uenced modern psyops. Both the United States
and the Soviet Union set up propaganda infrastructure meant to win the information war. The United States, for example, created radio and
broadcast agencies, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and Voice of America, which still exist today. In fact, the success of these networks in
advancing American interests abroad and the desire for a similar outlet led the Russians to create Russia Today, or RT, in 2005, which now serves
one of Moscow's major propaganda arms in the West today.
Top 10 Spy Tactics
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Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images
 CLIMATE
Improved ‘Chemical Looping’ Burns Fossil Fuels Without Emitting Carbon

Pollution
Fossil fuels emit planet-warming carbon dioxide when burned, but Ohio State University researchers report advances in
capturing those gases before they enter the atmosphere.
BY GLENN MCDONALD
PUBLISHED ON 01/05/2018   
1:09 PM EST
As emerging technologies go, the idea is appealing — the ability to burn fossil fuels in order to generate energy but without emitting planet-
warming carbon dioxide.
That's the concept behind “chemical looping,” an evolving technology that's being aggressively developed by Ohio State University researchers. In
recent years, the technique has earned interest from both government and industry, and new research published this week describes recent
advances in making it a viable method for reducing carbon dioxide pollution.
In two papers published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, engineers detail a process by which shale gas can be processed into
gasoline and methanol while consuming carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Under certain conditions, the
same process can also be used with coal and biomass fuels.
Andrew Tong, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State, said the process is part of a larger set of techniques
sometimes referred to as “clean coal” technology.
“Using chemical looping concept, one can make many products such as electricity, liquid fuels, and other chemicals,” Tong told Seeker. “When
the fossil fuel is coal and electricity is the product desired, chemical looping can be used to produce electricity from coal while capturing the
majority of the carbon dioxide produced ef ciently and at potentially low costs, making it an advanced approach to clean coal.”
Andrew Tong |
Ohio State University
For more than ve years now, Liang-Shih Fan, a professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State, has been developing a
technology called coal-direct chemical looping (CDCL) combustion.
In a statement released with the new research, Fan said chemical looping can be used as a “stopgap technology” to provide clean electricity until
renewable energy systems like wind and solar power become commercially viable on a wider scale.
"Renewables are the future," Fan said. "We need a bridge that allows us to create clean energy until we get there — something affordable we can
use for the next 30 years or more, while wind and solar power become the prevailing technologies."
The core chemical mechanism of the CDCL technique involves the use of iron oxide particles, which supply the oxygen for chemical combustion
in a power plant or industrial facility. The metal oxide particles allow for the “burning” of fossil fuels and biomass without the presence of oxygen
in the air. After combustion, the particles take back the oxygen, and the cycle begins again.
L.S. Fan, a professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State University, holds samples of materials developed in his laboratory that enable clean energy technologies. |
Jo McCulty/Ohio State University
As a kind of side effect, this process also isolates the carbon dioxide that is otherwise generated by combustion. Under optimal conditions, the
technology captures more than 99 percent of all the carbon dioxide it produces, which is then stored.
The upshot is that the carbon dioxide never enters the atmosphere and can be repurposed as a raw material for other useful products, Tong
said. The challenge is to improve the ef ciency of the technique to the point that it will become a viable and affordable option for industry.
“Finding processes that can use fossil fuels to produce electricity and chemicals so ef ciently — with little to negative carbon emissions and at low
capital costs for investment – are necessary for widespread adoption of these processes across industries,” Tong said.
“If we can prove our chemical looping technology can emit no carbon or other contaminants to the environment while making high-value
chemicals and electricity," he added, "then industry will be responsive to adopting these low carbon footprint technologies.”
RELATED: A Geoengineering ‘Cocktail’ Could Dull the Pain of Climate Change
The new research published this week also details improvements in the chemical looping particle that makes CDCL combustion possible. Five
years ago, the particles for CDCL lasted through 100 cycles, allowing about eight days of continuous operation. Engineers have now developed a
new formulation that lasts for more than 3,000 cycles — enough for eight months of continuous use in laboratory tests.
The next step is to test the new formulation in an integrated coal- red facility, and OSU is actively pursuing partnerships with industry. If it proves
viable, according to OSU, the CDCL technique could be gradually adopted by industry within the next few years.
Funding for the research was provided by the US Department of Energy and the Ohio Development Services Agency.
Fan said he hopes these advancements will bring chemical looping technology closer to full commercialization, providing a bridge to future
renewable energy systems.
"This is my life's work," he said.
WATCH: Which Countries Run on 100 Percent Renewable Energy?
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Tetranite is applied to bone pieces |

Launchpad Medical
 SPACE
‘Bone Glue’ Experiments on the ISS Test Possible Treatment for Osteoporosis
Astronauts can lose 2 percent of their bone mass each month, and experiments on the International Space Station are testing a
method for countering bone loss in orbit — and back on Earth.
BY NANCY ATKINSON
PUBLISHED ON 01/04/2018   
5:06 PM EST
A
new experiment on the International Space Station is testing an innovative “bone glue” that might help reverse osteoporosis, the
crippling bone disease that affects over 200 million people worldwide. Additionally, the glue — called Tetranite — could be used
to repair bone loss in astronauts on long-duration space ights.
“If we can show that our material stimulates the production of new bone in the space environment, that will have a translational
value back on Earth, that it could be used to someday treat patients with osteoporosis,” said Brian Hess, founder and CEO of Launchpad Medical,
which created the glue. “But it could also be a material to help treat astronauts from the effects of deep space travel. That’s obviously a secondary
reason of why we are studying this in space, but it is an interesting duality.”
A SpaceX Dragon capsule launched from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 15 delivered the experiment to the ISS. Astronauts have now been working with
cell culture tests for the Tetranite experiment in the space station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox, which provides a sealed environment and built
in gloves for conducting science and technology experiments. At the conclusion of the 20-day tests in space, the experiment will be frozen and
sent back to Earth in January when the Dragon is scheduled to depart the station with more than 3,600 pounds of research, hardware, and crew
supplies.
Astronaut Joe Acaba works with cell cultures in the glovebox facility on board the International Space Station. |
Launchpad Medical
NASA has long been studying the progressive loss of bone mass since it is a known serious side-effect of extended space ight. On Earth, NASA has
done bedrest studies where subjects stay in bed for 90 days, simulating the effects of microgravity where the absence of Earth's gravity disrupts
the process of bone maintenance in its major function of supporting body weight.
“The microgravity environment puts very low force on your bones,” Hess told Seeker. “And the way your skeleton responds is that if you don’t use it,
you lose it. Astronauts lose up to 2 percent of their bone mass per month.”
RELATED: The ISS Bacterial Community Resembles What You'd Find in Your Home
Normal bones are constantly regenerating, with bone cells called osteoclasts breaking down bone and other cells called osteoblasts creating new
bone. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts usually coordinate well over a person’s lifetime for good bone health.
Previous studies have shown that the absence of gravitational forces causes both an increase in bone resorption by osteoclasts and a decrease in
osteoblast cellular integrity. This is also what happens with osteoporosis. And since osteoporosis affects so many people on Earth, researchers
hope that solving the riddle of bone loss in space will reveal important clues about what causes osteoporosis and other bone disorders here on
Earth.
Osteoblast cell cultures |

Launchpad Medical
Hess said space is the perfect environment to study key ndings in how Tetranite works with patients who have osteoporosis, since it provides
conditions that aren’t available on Earth.
The experiment focuses on how osteoblasts grow in microgravity in the cell cultures in the presence of Tetranite and without the material. It will
also test commercially available bone graft material. A duplicate of the experiment is being conducted on Earth.
If the results are promising, Hess hopes to do longer tests on the ISS using the space station’s rodent research facility. He said that his company
has successfully used Tetranite in rodent tests on Earth to stabilize dental implants and other tests on cow bones to determine the strength of the
bond Tetranite provides.
“We currently are doing testing on animals, and our next major milestone would be to get into human clinical trials for study, which we hope to
be able to do in the next year or so,” Hess said.
In addition to bone fracture repair, the company sees a potential for multiple orthopedic uses such as spinal fusion and dental repair.
RELATED:The Human Body Isn't Ready For Mars
Hess said he was inspired to create a bone glue when he worked with orthopedic surgeons as part of his previous job as an engineer of medical
devices.
“One thing I realized is that surgeons — although they are highly skilled and extremely talented — are like carpenters, putting people back together
from muscular-skeletal injuries,” Hess said. “But in a way they are using old technology, using screws to put bones of the human body back
together. I knew there had to be a less invasive, more elegant way to do this.”
Hess said surgeons have been looking for a glue that was injectable, that worked in liquids, and was biocompatible — three problems that have
been dif cult to solve.
“So far, no one has been able to do all three of those things, but we think we have it,” Hess said.
Tetranite was reverse engineered from what sea barnacles secrete to bond themselves to underwater structures and is made from calcium and
amino acids.
“The calcium and the amino acids react to form a gluey substance that hardens,” Hess said. “Over time the glue is resorbed by the body. What is
unique about our material is that we believe it not only facilitates a hospitable environment for cells to grow and proliferate, but could stimulate
activity of the osteoblast cells so there is a net increase in bone mass.”
Hess said the compound’s simple chemistry — small molecules from animal derived proteins — means a body doesn’t reject it. But because it’s
synthetic, it can be scaled up at low cost.
Hess named his company Launchpad Medical not because he thought he’d be doing experiments in space one day, but because he wanted to
help people “launch” new medical innovations.
But still, the chance for his company to conduct experiments in space provides a unique opportunity.
“The ISS is an exciting resource,” Hess said, “but it seems most people don’t really appreciate what is going on up there.”
WATCH: How Does Bone Marrow Actually Grow?
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8/1/2018 Hearts and Minds: History of Psychological Warfare - Seeker

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to viewers in an online video. |

Hearts and Minds: History of Psychological Warfare

Photos: King Tut's Chariots: Ferraris of Ancient Egypt

A medieval version of an ancient invention, the catapult, is pictured. |

Ancient Weapons Emerge From Melting Arctic Ice

Secrets of Chinese Terra-Cotta Warrior Weapons Revealed

Toxic Wine Might Have Killed Alexander the Great

Ancient Mongolian Tomb Holds Skeleton of Western Man

Photos: Colonial Settlements That Failed

Photos: Warrior Women of America

Photos: A Century of World War I Tech

The mugshot of Iva Toguri following her arrest for treason. |

Video: WW2 U-Boats Hit Close to Home

Top 10 Spy Tactics

READ THE COMMENTS

Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images

Improved ‘Chemical Looping’ Burns Fossil Fuels Without Emitting Carbon

"This is my life's work," he said.

WATCH: Which Countries Run on 100 Percent Renewable Energy?

READ THE COMMENTS

Tetranite is applied to bone pieces |

Osteoblast cell cultures |

RELATED:The Human Body Isn't Ready For Mars

WATCH: How Does Bone Marrow Actually Grow?

READ THE COMMENTS

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