TAKE OUT IRAQ TV

23 March 2003 | Alex Wilson

[AlexW]

I do not understand why we let Iraqi TV stay on the air. Should we not take them out and overlay, on the same channel, "Free Iraq" TV? I am sure we have the ability to do this from high flying aircraft.

It makes no sense that we allow them to make the citizens think all is well. We need to let them know that they may not even have a Sadam now. We could do the same for their radio stations.

[tomahawk]

I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT!!!

[dep]

we're currently getting more from their television than we're losing. when the ratio changes, they'll go dark.

dep

[COBOL2Java]

In a sick way, this allows the world to see how barbaric these Saddamite thugs are. The world can contrast the way captured Coalition forces are treated vs. the way we are treating Iraqi enemy POWs.

[optimistically_conservative]

Timing's not right for TV, yet.

Psychological Operations
Getting the U.S. message to Iraqis
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/iraq/articles/qatar030321.htm

BY JEFF GLASSER
Jeff Glasser, a U.S. News senior editor, is reporting from Central Command headquarters in Qatar.

DOHA, QATAR–As the first bombs crashed down on Saddam Hussein's capital city shortly before dawn Thursday, an unusual message aired on Baghdad radio. "This is the day we have been waiting for," a speaker in Arabic declared. "The attack on Iraq has begun."


In an audacious escalation of the information war, U.S. Commando Solo EC-130E planes apparently "drowned out" Iraqi state radio and replaced it with an American broadcast, says Nick Grace, editor of ClandestineRadio.com, a Web site that monitors opposition radio stations. The Iraqis eventually changed frequency and restored programming three hours later, but the jamming demonstrated the importance the Pentagon is placing on psychological operations.

The radio propaganda represented one component of a concerted campaign to convince both Iraqi civilians and military that resistance is futile. The "psyops" effort has also included trying to turn Iraqi military leaders with targeted E-mail and even cellphone messages; driving the imposing 7th Cavalry deep into Iraq with television correspondents present; and blanketing the country with 21 million leaflets on Saddam's past transgressions and blunt advice to give up the fight or die.

While some of the dollar-size pamphlets urged Iraqis to tune in U.S. radio broadcasts and to avoid unleashing chemical and biological weapons, their major focus was to provide Iraqi soldiers directions for surrendering. "Park vehicles in squares," the leaflets say, with white flags on top and artillery and air defense systems exposed.

American military planners hope to repeat the experience of the first Gulf War, when 87,000 Iraqi troops surrendered–"most of them clutching the leaflets or hiding them in their clothing," says Ed Rouse, a retired U.S. Army psyops expert. By week's end, hundreds of Iraqi troops had surrendered, but it was too early to know whether thousands more would fold or fight.

Some of the leaflets tell Iraqis to tune in to the U.S.-run "Information Radio." The Commando Solo crews, when they are not jamming Iraqi broadcasts, try to offer Information Radio as an alternative on competing frequencies. Information Radio mimics the format offered by Iraq's Voice of the Youth, a radio station run by Saddam's elder son, Uday. The Americans mix 1980s pop hits with traditional Arabic music and news reports. "In a very commercial sense, we're competing for the same market share," says U.S. Marine Maj. Pete Mitchell, a CentCom spokesman. But this isn't about entertainment. "We're trying to prevent needless loss of life, needless casualties," Mitchell says.

The information war has its limits–and the United States ratcheted up the psychological and physical stress by launching the threatened "shock and awe" air campaign Friday evening. The war of bombs had overtaken the war of words.

–With Joellen Perry on the uss Constellation

[AlexW]

Can you tell me what we are getting that we do not already know?
The population of Iraq is also getting more then they should have.

[Indy Pendance]

We have been discussing this here at home. Most likely, we are gathering intelligence and other critical information. Also, it could be possible that other arab television stations which are sympathetic to saddam could be used for propaganda broadcasts.

[optimistically_conservative]

Also, think about the ramifications of US imposed TV, versus a free Iraqi television that turns against Saddam's regime at the moment Baghdad is liberated.

[smith288]

Keeping it up leaves Ba'ath exposed to possible locations and where the leaders are. creating news sotries that they are dead and what not provokes them to put their ugly mugs on tv and allows special ops to track them (my guess)

Taking it down would prevent the propaganda machine and possibly raise the chances of an uprising against Ba'ath....

I happen to think taking it out is more helpful than keeping it up but that is just my opinion.

[Boundless]

> I do not understand why we let Iraqi TV stay on the air.

Well, for one thing, we want to discover who survived the
decapitation attacks.

According to Rummy comments, we could take it down at any
time, and likely eventually we will (guess: probably as soon as a
Commando Solo aircraft can safely orbit Baghdad continuously,
and broadcast on the same channels).

[southernnorthcarolina]

I agree, Alex. Here's what I said yesterday on another thread:

There were news reports two or three days ago to the effect that the U.S. had "taken over" the Iraqi government radio. What happened? A bogus story?

I'm no military "strategerist," but it seems to me that it would be a simple matter to take out their broadcasting towers. No need even to destroy the studios if we're reluctant to do so for some reason. With the towers gone, we could start broadcasting on the same frequency from a mobile facility of some kind, or from a plane or even a satellite, couldn't we? Take out their TV capability entirely (no need to replace it at this time), and start a "New Iraq Radio Network."

Or is it more complicated than that? What am I missing here?

[Mike Darancette]

The problem is that the Ministry of Information and TV & Radio assets are in civilian areas so the are trying to avoid collateral damage.

That said it's time to try those e-bombs they have been talking about. Get TV, radio and al Jazeera.

[BunnySlippers]

My thoughts EXACTLY. After today's attrocities we should have dropped that microwave bomb that disables all their communications. Why can't be do it now? We don't their propaganda and photos of our young soldiers in their barbaric hands,

[AlexW]

It was my idea that the replacement TV broadcast would be
from opposition Iraqi leaders.
As it is now, we have left the lights on in Baghdad, and the citizens assume that Sadam is tearing us to pieces.

[rintense]

Take out Al Jazzera as well.

[Swampmarine]

Remember TET? We won the battle and lost the war!

[tessalu]

We read about the ebomb, but we do not even use what is available to us, and I am digusted. I see the cars on the streets of Baghdad, and I see the Iraqi Information station running, and I wonder what is wrong with the USA?
Now I am seeing our dead servicemen on the TV, and I strongly suggest that the USA get down to business, and if this is a war, fight it to win. One American life is one too many to waste on Saddam Hussein!

[Terridan]

I cannot believe that early this morning, the media all televised the speeches given by the Irai devils, without screening them first!!! It gives the Iraqi's the advantage of inciting their starving militants false hopes to continue to fight. It also incites the idiots protesting here, to become even more destructive and disruptive. Protestors were sort of commended by that ass, and that Americans will begin to see the terror on their own ground. (Lock and Load people) I am all for new releases, but block out the non English speaches, and pray they don't cause further harm to our men on the move.

[optimistically_conservative]

And that's all still possible, but remember we are only a few days into this, and the battleground for Baghdad is still developing, with our conventional forces still a few days away.

We are already on radio, TV is a different animal and it seems to me better to use personalities that Iraqis are familiar with than imposed ones.

I'm just not willing to become so impatient so early to second guess what seems to be going very well. This was never going to be easy, and we need to be prepared for harsh images and propaganda.

[Mamzelle]

Just knowing where the broadcase originates is useful. Watching couriers move toward that site would be useful. And the images bear some truths that we have to endure.