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The role of Psychological Operations is to alter the behavior of foreign populations in a manner consistent with United States diplomatic, national security and foreign policy objectives. A Psychological Operations Specialist is an information and media specialist who can assess the information needs of a target population and develop and deliver the right message at the right time and place to create the intended result.
As a member of the Army Special Operations community, the Psychological Operations Specialist is primarily responsible for the analysis, development and distribution of information used for information and psychological effect.
Some of your duties as a Psychological Operations Specialist may include:
Research and analyze methods of influencing foreign population from a variety of information sources.
Develop marketing and media products that includes handbills, trifolds, brochures, leaflets, web postings and/or radio
scripts.
Operate and maintain Psychological Operations equipment such as ground tactical vehicles and shelter systems, loudspeaker systems, state of the art computer, analog and digital recording and playback devices and communication systems.
Disseminate products that include the development, production and broadcasting of relevant
information via television, radio, internet and newspaper media.
Travel to overseas locations in peace, crisis and conflict to assist U.S. and foreign
governments, militaries and civilian populations
Training
Job training for a Psychological Operations Specialist requires nine weeks of Basic Combat Training, where you’ll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 14 weeks of Advanced Individual Training (AIT) where you’ll learn the skills of a Psychological Operations specialist.
For active-duty Soldiers, graduation from AIT will be followed by three weeks of Airborne training and then four to six months of Language training. For Reserve PSYOP Specialists, airborne and language training are not required for qualification.
Some of the skills you’ll learn are:
Acquiring analytical skills and ability to conduct research using a variety of methods to include
standard library research, use of web browsers and other search engines and services.
Developing, producing, and disseminating relevant messages and media products.
Obtaining computer skills that include graphic design and innovative methods of information dissemination
Training with equipment to include vehicles, weapon systems and other PSYOP unique systems
Preparing cultural studies and target analysis reports.
Related Civilian Jobs
The skills you’ll learn as a Psychological Operations Specialist may help prepare you for a future with the Department of Defense, State, other federal government agencies or related fields in the commercial industry. The training you receive in researching, analyzing, documenting, developing and distributing information may prepare you for other fields, such as public relations, sales, marketing and advertising. Because of the time you will spend studying foreign cultures and social systems, you might be interested in a future career in the diplomatic service or as an anthropologist, journalist, social scientist, statistician, market analyst, advertising consultant, or sales manager.
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