Information Operations and Counterterrorism

There is an increasing awareness that TTOs and other asymmetric enemies seek to exploit Western vulnerabilities to cyberbased information operations.

The Mindsets of High-Technology Terrorists: Future Implications from a Historical Analog

An examination of the thoughts and actions of nineteenth century dynamite terrorists, as an historical analog that may provide insights into the psychological and political attributes of possible future nuclear terrorists.

 The main task of PSYOPS has been political and military deceptions in order to influence important individuals and populations, and to disrupt normal processes and functions, as well as to destabilize perceptions and belief systems among the civilian population and the military forces

Principles of the modern Russian INFOOPS/PSYOPS

 Facilitate the degradation of the adversaries’ defense capability, undermining the readiness and capabilities of the adversaries’ forces, weakening the trust of military and civilian leadership, destabilize the armed forces personnel and its moral, and enhance malfunctions in the rear echelons of the armed forces. 

2) Organize controlled chaos and crises by discrediting the political leadership, undermining state authorities and functions, and finally initiate disorder, panic and armed struggle among population. 

3) Concealment of own purpose of conflict and war to weaken critical elements of own population and create a perception of threat and danger directed to Russia.

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Smuggling network creating look-alikes

 15 and 16 July 2019, 
the Hellenic Police, supported by Europol, dismantled an organised criminal group (OCG) smuggling migrants from Turkey to Greece 

Using commercial flights in regional airports for the transportation of migrants from Greece to Western Europe. The network was providing the migrants with genuine documents which resembled the holder (look-alike method), and/or forged documents.

OCG was even using a specific hair salon in Athens to enhance the resemblance of the migrants to the legal owner of the travel documents.

Among the seizures made are identities cards from various EU countries, equipment for document forgery, cash and various electronic devices.