Fuel for Thought?

According to a Washington Post article yesterday, the military's strategic communication efforts in Baghdad have a credibility problem. The story center's around the free Baghdad Now newspaper, which it claims is produced by an Army PsyOps unit.

Among Baghdadis, the pamphlet is not exactly popular, according to the Post.

A U.S. Army officer in Baghdad, speaking on the condition of anonymity so he could express criticism of the product, said the Iraqi soldiers at his outpost mock the publication and are more interested in the editorially independent Department of Defense newspaper, Stars and Stripes, and in the magazines soldiers get in the mail.

"They say it's childish," the officer said. "Baghdad Now makes a good fuel source at the Iraqi checkpoints."

While defense officials are quick to call for more money for strategic communication, they are tight-lipped about exactly what their projects entail.

A recent DOD report revealed ongoing work on strategic communication plans covering Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and the goal of "countering violent extremism." Curiously, there is also one on ballistic missile defense.