Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General released the “Evaluation of the DoD’s Military Information Support Operations Workforce.”
The evaluation examined the effectiveness of the DoD’s recruitment, training, and retention of personnel conducting Military Information Support Operations (MISO), specifically concerning the Army’s Psychological Operations (PSYOP) career field, the DoD’s primary MISO workforce.
"MISO is a relatively small but very important area within the DoD, crucial to competing with adversaries in the information space," said IG Storch. "Recruiting, training, and retaining professionals in this community must remain a priority."
The report found that Army PSYOP forces face structural and capacity challenges within the active and reserve components. The report also found that these challenges can be traced back to the Army not comprehensively analyzing the issues affecting its active and reserve MISO workforce in over 20 years. Lastly, the report found that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness has not monitored and reported on the growth and sustainment of the DoD’s overall Information Operations workforce, including Army PSYOP forces, as required by DoD policy.
As a result of these gaps, Army PSYOP units will remain understaffed and unable to meet a growing global demand for MISO. Moreover, the high operational tempo required of this already under-resourced force risks burnout of Army PSYOP personnel.
The DoD OIG recommended that the U.S. Army Special Operations Command initiate a Capabilities-Based Assessment to learn what changes to the force would improve the Army’s ability to conduct MISO. We also recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness monitor the accession, promotion, and retention within the Information Operations career force and report their findings annually to the Secretary of Defense. The DoD OIG will continue to monitor the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness’ progress toward full implementation of these recommendations.