8th Psychological Operations Group

8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne)^[1]
8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne)
	Distinctive unit insignia
Active	August 26, 2011 – present
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Role	Psychological operations
Size	1,070
Part of	1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)
Garrison/HQ	Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Commanders
Current; commander	Colonel Jeremy S. Mushtare
Insignia
Unit beret flash
1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) shoulder sleeve insignia, worn by all subordinate units
Former combat service identification badge

The 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) or 8th POG(A) is one of the United States Army's active Psychological Operations (United States) units alongside the 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne). The unit was activated August 26, 2011. The activation ceremony was held on Meadows Field at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Fort headquarters. Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland, Jr., served as a host. The 8th Group assumed responsibility for the 1st, 5th and 9th Psychological Operations battalions.^[3] The unit is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is a part of the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne).

As of June 2015, both the 4th POG(A) and the new 8th POG(A) are operational. However, the group's former parent unit (originally envisioned as a Brigadier General-level command) known as Military Information Support Operations Command (MISOC) (Airborne) and created at the same time as 8th MISG, in 2011, enjoyed only a very brief operational existence before being dissolved in 2014. The MISOC(A) exists now only as a historical footnote. The 4th POG(A) and 8th POG(A) were subsequently reassigned under the newly established 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (SFC(A)), under U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).^[4]

Campaign participation credits[]

The unit has not participated in any military campaigns yet.

Organization[]

8th POG(A) currently consists of a headquarters company, two regional psychological operations battalions (or POBs), and one tactical psychological operations battalion. The regional psychological operations battalions are regionally oriented and support the regional combatant commands in the planning and production of MISO programs:

1st POB(A) – United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)[]

Organized 8 November 1950 in the Regular Army at Fort Riley, Kansas, as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group.
Reorganized and redesignated 1 September 1951 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, 8239th Army Unit.
Consolidated 21 February 1955 with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Battalion (constituted 30 November 1954 in the Regular Army) and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Battalion; concurrently reorganized at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Reorganized and redesignated 24 June 1960 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Psychological Warfare Battalion. Reorganized and redesignated 20 December 1965 as the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion.
Reorganized and redesignated 16 March 1990 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Psychological Operations Battalion.
Reorganized and redesignated 16 November 1995 as Headquarters, Headquarters and Support Company, 1st Psychological Operations Battalion.

5th POB(A) – United States Pacific Command (USPACOM)[]

Constituted 3 March 1951 in the Regular Army as the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company, Army.
Activated 19 March 1951 at Fort Riley, Kansas
Reorganized and redesignated 8 June 1953 as the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company
Reorganized and redesignated 24 June 1961 as the 5th Psychological Warfare Company

Paratroopers from 5th PSYOPS BN in Germany conduct exercise, ca. 1966

Play media

Reorganized and redesignated 25 June 1965 as the 5th Psychological Operations Battalion
Inactivated 20 June 1975 in Germany
Redesignated 30 December 1975 as the 5th Psychological Operations Group; concurrently withdrawn from the Regular Army, allotted to the Army Reserve, and activated at Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Reorganized and redesignated 18 September 1990 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Psychological Operations Group
Inactivated 15 September 1994 at Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Redesignated 18 November 2003 as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 5th Psychological Operations Battalion, withdrawn from the Army Reserve, and allotted to the Regular Army (organic elements concurrently constituted)
Battalion activated 16 October 2004 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina

9th POB(A) – (Tactical)[]

This is the Tactical PSYOP element and supports ground commanders in the planning and production of MISO programs.

Constituted 14 April 1952 in the Regular Army as the 9th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company, Army.
Activated 26 April 1952 at Fort Riley, Kansas
Reorganized and redesignated 27 May 1953 as the 9th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company
Inactivated 25 September 1953 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Redesignated 22 March 1963 as the 9th Psychological Warfare Company
Activated 1 April 1963 in the Panama Canal Zone
Reorganized and redesignated 1 April 1967 as the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion
Inactivated 31 December 1974 in the Panama Canal Zone
Activated 15 April 1985 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Reorganized and redesignated 16 March 1990 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion
Reorganized and redesignated 16 November 1995 as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated with personnel from provisional units)

References[]

^ The Army's psychological operations community is getting its name back, Army Times, by Meghann Myers, dated 6 November 2017, last accessed 4 March 2018
^ 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) award ceremony, 8th POG(A)'s official Facebook page, dated 9 July 2018, 9 July 2019
^ 8th Military Information Support Group (Airborne) activated at Fort Bragg
^ USASOC Headquarters Fact Sheet Archived 2016-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, from the USASOC official website, last accessed 8 October 2016

External links[]

[PSYOP-1] The Army's psychological operations community is getting its name back, Army Times, by Meghann Myers, dated 6 November 2017, last accessed 4 March 2018

[2] 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) award ceremony, 8th POG(A)'s official Facebook page, dated 9 July 2018, 9 July 2019

[3] 8th Military Information Support Group (Airborne) activated at Fort Bragg

[USASOC-4] USASOC Headquarters Fact Sheet Archived 2016-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, from the USASOC official website, last accessed 8 October 2016

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show v t United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
United States Army USASOC	Units U.S. Army Special Forces Command U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School 75th Ranger Regiment 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment 4th Psychological Operations Group 8th Psychological Operations Group 95th Civil Affairs Brigade 528th Sustainment Brigade Types Special Forces Rangers Psychological Operations
United States Marine Corps MARSOC	Units Marine Raiders Marine Raider Regiment Types United States Marine Corps Critical Skills Operator
United States Navy NAVSPECWARCOM	Units Naval Special Warfare Group 3 Naval Special Warfare Center Types Navy SEALs Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen
United States Air Force AFSOC	Units 1st Special Operations Wing 24th Special Operations Wing 27th Special Operations Wing 352d Special Operations Wing 353d Special Operations Group Types Pararescue Combat Control Team Special Reconnaissance Combat Rescue Officer Special Tactics Officer
Special mission units JSOC	Army 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force) Intelligence Support Activity (ISA) Navy Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU / SEAL Team Six) Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron (24 STS)
Theater Special Operations Commands	SOCAFRICA SOCCENT SOCEUR SOCKOR SOCPAC SOCSOUTH SOCJFCOM
Source: SOCOM 2013 Fact Book