It's Psychological Warfare for Dummies." The most interesting part of the book comes at the end, where the author describes the impact of psychological operations, or Psyops, that were developed during the Vietnam War. These efforts included false fliers describing atrocities by the Vietnamese army, as well as fake news stories created and circulated by American forces to disorient enemies. In the case of the Iraqi and Afghan armies, a number of techniques were used, including information operations — which aim to shape a narrative for an audience through public diplomacy and the spread of information through multiple channels. Another technique is the deliberate planting of "psychological land mines" — small incidents designed to sow chaos and distrust among allied forces. "No matter how hard they try to hide it, soldiers and civilians alike become trapped in their own small, enclosed world when [psyops are] used against them," the book says. The book includes an interview with Steven M. Simon, author of a number of books on the history of communication. He told the author that psychological operations go back as far as World War II, when the British deployed a form of psychological warfare called BLUF, or black propaganda. "The idea was that you would tell just enough truth that the enemy would believe you, and then reveal a lot more to really demoralize them," Simon said. "You can imagine an enemy with a high belief in God, for example, and then suddenly to hear from God speaking to them through radio and TV ... it could demoralize them in a way that could change the course of a war." In the same way, psyops aren't limited to the modern era. Indeed, the book argues that every war involving the U.S. military in the last half-century has involved some element of psychological warfare. In the interview, the author says that an example of psyops going awry is seen during the 2003 Iraq War. It was reported that a U.S. military vehicle had hit a mentally challenged man in the Iraqi city of al-Hillah. The event was subsequently reported in many newspapers around the world, but the Pentagon never confirmed the incident, suggesting it did not occur. The incident was used as an example of the war's effect on civilians, but it was eventually revealed as an attempt by the U.S. military to generate good press by creating a rumor — which was later denied by the Pentagon. What this all adds up to is that psychological warfare — or any of the other tools used by the U.S. military to influence an enemy's behavior or gain an advantage over them — should be undertaken with great care. "I'm not saying this book gives you the formula for psyops," the author said. "What I am saying is that this has been tried in the past, and many of these tactics have been successful. So there are many ways to do it. It's not just sending somebody over the border and shooting them." The author said that military and political leaders would do well to consider the long-term ramifications of such actions. "If you're thinking about invading a country, a lot of these things should be on your mind," the author says in the book. "And if you're thinking about some other way to influence an enemy, this is really a good set of tools to look at." The book is slated to be released next month, and will be available on Amazon. Photo: Flickr/U.S. Navy See Also:- Pew: More Americans Believe the U.S. Is on the Right Side of History