Page 25 - Coespu 2018-3

The modern approach to operational communications in

Peacekeeping Operations

By Capt.(r) Paolo ROLLI

State, political and military
organizations have always tried to
obtain and maintain consensus,
also using techniques of
persuasion. From here, the first
persuasive communications were
born, and along the time have
become operative communications.
Practically, the psychological
operations ante litteram.
Nowadays, the management of
communications and the
circulation of information in the globalized society have reached a relevant importance in all
sectors, from advertising to marketing, from institutional to economic communications, including
those connected to modern military operations. The ability to perceive and consequently the
attitudes of people change quickly, also because of the media bombing to which they are exposed.
The results are naturally different according to the major or minor difficulties in communicating, to
the geographical and cultural context, to the use of different tools and codes. The difficulty of
obtaining effective communication, in fact, is further accentuated when, in addition to having to
transmit effective information between different cultures and perceptions, there are also technical
problems linked to the availability of communication media, from the capacity of transmission to
the possibility of reception.
Today, operational communications (psyops), as they are intended, are communication activities
carried out with the aim of acquiring, increasing or consolidating the consensus of the populations
involved towards international military peace support operations. They are conducted primarily
towards the people living in the areas where the military operations take place, with the aim of
promoting a correct understanding
of the mission.
To do it, traditional face-to-face
direct contacts even in the
technology-dominated world are a
primary and effective form of
communication. However, they are
limited in scope. Psychological
operations thus exploit other
classic means of communication,
from flyers to posters, from radio
to television, but also modern and

23