An Army psy-ops unit operating out of Kabul, Afghanistan, was ordered to target visiting American dignitaries, including Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman and Al Franken, as well as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, Rolling Stone's Michael Hastings reports. Lt. General William Caldwell ordered the operations in order to put more pressure on American politicians to send more troops and more money to the Afghan theater. We also learn that Caldwell had earlier hatched plans to use Army psy-ops units on Wikipedia and on blogs, in an attempt to influence American public opinion.
Michael Hastings' article from Rolling Stone is posted below...
Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators
By Michael Hastings
The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war, Rolling Stone has learned – and when an officer tried to stop the operation, he was railroaded by military investigators.
The orders came from the command of Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops – the linchpin of U.S. strategy in the war. Over a four-month period last year, a military cell devoted to what is known as "information operations" at Camp Eggers in Kabul was repeatedly pressured to target visiting senators and other VIPs who met with Caldwell. When the unit resisted the order, arguing that it violated U.S. laws prohibiting the use of propaganda against American citizens, it was subjected to a campaign of retaliation.
"My job in psy-ops is to play with people’s heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave," says Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes, the leader of the IO unit, who received an official reprimand after bucking orders. "I’m prohibited from doing that to our own people. When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressman, you’re crossing a line."
The list of targeted visitors was long, according to interviews with members of the IO team and internal documents obtained by Rolling Stone. Those singled out in the campaign included senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Jack Reed, Al Franken and Carl Levin; Rep. Steve Israel of the House Appropriations Committee; Adm. Mike Mullen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Czech ambassador to Afghanistan; the German interior minister, and a host of influential think-tank analysts.
Continue reading at Rolling Stone...
--
Lt. General William Caldwell speaking with Katie Couric in Kabul - Aug. 18, 2010.
--
Caldwell speaks with Senator Lisa Murkowski in Kabul - Jan. 9, 2010.