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Pentagon paid retired commanders for media appearances

Pentagon paid retired commanders for media appearances

U.S. military performing PSYOP on its own people

George Pillari
September 19, 2024

Read time 2m5s

Paul Vallely was a graduate of West Point and served in the army for more than thirty years. He was a Ranger and a decorated soldier who served in Vietnam. He retired a few ticks from the top as a Major General and the Deputy Commander of the Pacific, certainly a hero if there ever was one. He was also a force multiplier.

Paul Vallely

How can one solider, even one as accomplished as Vallely, be considered a force multiplier? Vallely did not have sophisticated top-secret technologies or specially trained troops. The Pentagon referred to Vallely as a force multiplier because of his vocal cords.

Along with Vallely, there were about seventy-five former military commanders who were paid by the Pentagon to promote the Pentagon’s agenda in the media. Regular briefings and the distribution of talking points were all in a day’s work for this group.

All of this is done to sway public opinion in favor of U.S. military objectives. It’s not much different than a branding and promotional campaign for a new type of protein shake.

It’s all about messaging to the audience to move them in a direction and, in the military, it is called a Psychological Operation or PSYOP. And in this case, the PSYOP was being performed not on the population of a war-torn country so the people would “like” the USA, but on the U.S. television audience to help the Pentagon build support for its actions. As The New York Times revealed, the U.S. government ran a PSYOP on its own people. And get this: Vallely was a PSYOPs expert.

The Pentagon paid a private contractor to evaluate the media effectiveness of the commanders using the same tools as corporate branding experts.

With major combat almost over in Iraq, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld drafted a memorandum to set up an ice-cream social with the guys. “Let’s think about having some of the folks who did such a good job as talking heads in after this thing is over,” he wrote.

Daniel Barstow, New York Times

When certified heroes like Vallely go to the dark side and become celebrities, there is little hope that the current state of the news (or is it all entertainment now?) can help us gain traction for understanding our world.

Key Takeaways

There is no such thing as an objective spokesperson. They all have some financial or other interest in what they are saying. Be skeptical.
Be aware of the well-dressed and well-credentialed individual (like Vallely) who is suddenly getting paid peanuts to let others use his brand. Something is off.
Decide what kind of person you want to be. Would you insist on disclosing your paid relationship with the US military or would you let people continue to believe you are speaking for the military because you’re a patriot?

Trusting the Media is one of the The Seven Deadly Stupidities.

Can FOMO Be Good for You?

There'e more to it than you think

www.stupid.blog/p/can-fomo-good