The Gulf War Two only lasted only for 3 weeks; 20,000 coalition
combat troops defeated entire Iraqi troops and occupied most of Iraqi territories.
This victory not only proved that high-tech weapons and well-planned strategies
played major roles in modern battlefield, but also showed the importance of
psychological warfare. Psychological warfare had definitely detrimental and
beneficial effects on both sides through out this war.
Before the battle was broken out in Iraq, Psychological warfare had
been frequently used by the U.S military. It was a phase of war that had no
collateral damage and could avoid slaughtering thousands of innocent people.
Their aim was to create an environment in Iraq that promotes surrendering once
the invasion started. All means of communication were exploited before the first
missile was ever lunched at Baghdad. The U.S warplane dropped tons of leaflets
through out Iraqi territories. The messages were clear: either disarm or die for
Saddam Hussein.
English: Former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein,...
April Glaspie shakes hands with Saddam Hussein
Republic of Iraq Former President Saddam Hussein, ...The leaflets were very effective during the Gulf War One since
most of Iraqi soldiers were holding coalition leaflets when they surrounded. On
the ground, U.S. official stated that they knew the names of every division
commander in Iraq and had made personal phone calls and e-mails to persuade
them not to fight. In the air, U.S. EC130 Commando Sole aircraft controlled the
electronic spectrum of radio, television and military communication bands in a
focused area. Those aircrafts constantly flew over Iraq and conducted radio
broadcasts to criticize Saddam Hussein's policies and to explain U.S. role in the
region. Psychological attacks were also lunched by pentagon thought Internet to
break into Iraqi defense system. Psychological warfare proved to be on of the most
important phases of the conflict with Iraq.
Although U.S. military also applied psychological warfare during the
war, the goal was the same: to...