Here we go, more PSYOP questions...

[Autorotate]

Okay, I've been reading this site for a few hours and all I've learned is PSYOP soldiers get PISSED if you add an "s" to the end...

Joking aside, I recently received one of those SORB "You can be PSYOP, too!!!" emails. I have always liked the sound of the job, so I checked out the links, read about the POG at Bragg, scanned Google, and found out there really isn't much info out there. Finally, I found this forum. Hopefully you all have the experience, and will, to answer a few questions...thanks in advance.

Specific Question #1:
My wife - who is an experienced and very independant military spouse - wants to know how often she can expect me home/gone? Specifically, is she looking at year-long deployments, a few months here and there, or the whole range? Also, can she expect to be stuck at Bragg for the rest of my career?

Specific Question #2:
My wife also wants to know how you see the unit cohesion, morale, FRG, community, etc? I guess she's asking about family support. Specifically, do they encourage PSYOP families to stick with other PSYOP families (in our experience, Aviation does)?

Specific Question #3:
How are the detachment/company level officers? Do they get time with the troops? What capabilities does a detachment have? Am I looking at a mostly desk job or field work? Do the officers become subject matter experts or more administrative in nature?

I'll stick with these for now and see if I can survive the onslaught.

[ilots]

Okay, I've been reading this site for a few hours and all I've learned is PSYOP soldiers get PISSED if you add an "s" to the end...


I'll stick with these for now and see if I can survive the onslaught.

I hope you are looking fwd to lots of deplyments, hope you love FBNC, and the answer to number three is "YES! all of the above" - seriously. You will find that much is dependent on what role you will fill in 4th POG. Though each could be the rank of CPT, a tactical PSYOP detachment commander's role is very different a Plan & Programs Officer's, or EBO/Targetting LNO's, or the XO for a product development company who is located outside the theater and supporting the fwd deployed units' "reachback" (hahaha -sorry) capability. For such a relatively small 'field,' PSYOP offers a huge range of opportunities, from tac to strat, from speaker monkey to SME/LNO/advisors, from making leaflets to pretending to disseminate them ;)
That internal diversity, and the push of responsibility down to a relatively low command level, are some of the field's charms.

Your questions seek very current and specific answers on the current nature of 4th POG, so I defer to the current 4th POG'ers.
I'm sure one will be along directly.
Best of luck.

http://www.bragg.army.mil/capsyop/default.htm

[PSYOP ROB]

ILOTS, I concur with your assessment. Regarding the FRG, it is what you make of it. If the one at your unit is somewhat lackluster, you have the opportunity to breathe new life into it. Everything else is sort of METT-T dependent.

[TPD1280]

ilots hit the nail on the head.

Autorotate, if you PM me your details, I will ask a certain LTC at HQs USACAPOC to give you a call. He was my last CO Cdr, and is very good at cutting through the BS and giving the straight skinny to O's looking to move into PSYOP.

[psyopranger]

Here is my 2 cents:

Question #1 = 6-8 months out of the year you will be gone. There are now jobs outside of 4th POG that many are getting tasked for. Planners for ABCT, LNO to USSASOC, etc. I am currently a planner for a CJTF in Europe after 3 years in the POG.

Question #2 - It depends on the FRG and unit cohesion

Questions #3 - As ILOTS said, there are so many diverse areas in 4th POG that it's hard to say. It depends on your language, your battalion and your experience. I worked with some great O's and had some that thought they were SME when they didn't even speak the target language or understand the culture.

I like 4th POG and the people. It is small enough to know almost everyone and big enough to make a difference. Now would be a good time to get in on the future growth and opportunities.

[PSYWAR 1-0]

I worked with some great O's and had some that thought they were SME when they didn't even speak the target language or understand the culture.

I thought we just had O's around to do all that higher math required for Leaflet Drop Calc's:cool:

[TPD1280]

Shit dude, that's a BNCOC task. You want to trust that to a Lieutenant? :eek: :D

[Autorotate]

Maybe that's why they don't let us in 'till we're Captains? I fly helicopters for a living, but dropping leaflets! That's just way out of my league!

[Autorotate]

Thanks to everyone answering...still no responses from the SOF recruiters, oh well.

I hear ya on the gone 6-8 months of the year thing...are these long or short? Is it 6-8 months straight or a month here, then 2 weeks home, then gone for another month type thing?

I have somewhat of a Middle Eastern background...no firsthand experience, just a lot of book knowledge and some language experience...is it possible I would get a different geo region or would they be most likely to keep me focused on the Middle East?

[PSYWAR 1-0]

Shit dude, that's a BNCOC task. You want to trust that to a Lieutenant? :eek: :D

DCAV I can handle, but leaflet calcs just have too many variables. Nothing like getting it all done, then to find out that PDB didnt have the right paper for the whole load, and all the calcs start again!

I would hope that there is a computer program to do it now.

[37F5V]

Shit dude, that's a BNCOC task. You want to trust that to a Lieutenant? :eek: :D

I DX'd that shit from the course a good while back.... I found it to be about as relevant as making printing presses out of potatos....

[TPD1280]

but potato printing was fun in Mrs. Dietz's first grade class!

Now if we can really get things relevant to leadership put back into the Leadership FM, oh...things like the 11 Principles of Leadership.

Problem is, Leaders scare Managers.

nice to see you around these parts again, new job keeping you busy? :D

[PSYWAR 1-0]

but potato printing was fun in Mrs. Dietz's first grade class!

Now if we can really get things relevant to leadership put back into the Leadership FM, oh...things like the 11 Principles of Leadership.

Problem is, Leaders scare Managers.

nice to see you around these parts again, new job keeping you busy? :D

I even deployed on my first FID/UW mission with a sack of potatos............, only to have my visions dashed by that dammed Reachback concept:D

New job is nice, verraa nice. SA's can be like LT's at times, but LT's are so much better than LBG's it aint even funny!

[ilots]

Reachback concept

Did the same reality v/s theory exist then, as it did a few years ago?
A reachback concept that equalled a reach-around reality.

[PSYWAR 1-0]

As in "We can do this better at Bragg than you can there with eyes on the the objective"

the biggest problem at the time was that the commo wouldnt support them doing the loudspeaker broadcast from the PDB barracks, my job was just to point the 40B at the angry crowd half a world away, and well if the Bragg Language school trained guy didnt get the block of instuction that DLI folks get that that saying the message that way, thru a loudspeaker would make the crowd revert to a crazed frenzy of machete toting tribalist, well thats my fault LOL

[ilots]

Language school trained guy didnt get the block of instuction that DLI folks get that that saying the message that way, thru a loudspeaker would make the crowd revert to a crazed frenzy of machete toting tribalist, well thats my fault LOL
Why not - the day will come when you just put down a TV and play the key communicators a "US rapport & you" video - after all, if "they" wanted feedback, they'd issue it.

NATO (ISAF) is currently seeking bids for multiple VSAT connected radio "station" bases around their AORs, allowing them to broadcast from a single HQ station.