The 77th Brigade
 The 77th Brigade      | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent organization | UK/Army |
| Interests | Cyberwar, Information Operations, Psyop, Propaganda |
| Membership | • Christopher Bell • Dawn Singleton • Paddy Nicoll • Cristina Wade |
| The British Army "psyops" unit.[1] | |
The 77th Brigade is a British Army unit (formerly the Security Assistance Group) which became operational in April 2015 and is based at Denison Barracks in Hermitage, Berkshire RG18 9TP.[2][3][4] The "Brigade" – in reality a unit slightly smaller than an infantry battalion, with a target manning strength of 448 people – was under strength by about 40 per cent in 2017, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.[5]
Contents
New reality of warfare
In a November 2018 Wired magazine article, Carl Miller reported:
"Walking through the headquarters of the 77th, the strange new reality of warfare was on display. We’ve all heard a lot about 'cyberwarfare' – about how states could attack their enemies through computer networks, damaging their infrastructure or stealing their secrets. But that wasn’t what was going on here. Emerging here in the 77th Brigade was a warfare of storyboards and narratives, videos and social media. An engagement now doesn’t just happen on the battlefield, but also in the media and online. A victory is won as much in the eyes of the watching public as between opposing armies on the battlefield. Warfare in the information age is a warfare over information itself."[6]
US partner
The 77th Brigade is cooperating with the US side through a partnership between the 21st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC) and United Kingdom's Force Troops Command (TFC), to which the 77th Brigade does belong.[7]
Social media
The 77th Brigade uses social media such as Twitter and Facebook as well as psyop techniques to influence populations and change behaviour. David Miller said that it is "is involved in manipulation of the media including using fake online profiles".[8]
Exposure
The Integrity Initiative Leak revealed the names and email addresses of some members of the 77th Brigade, and that they were conferring (if not collaborating) on various activities.[9][10]
Covid-19 psychological operations
The UK’s Chief of Defence Staff, Sir Nick Carter, confirmed live on a press briefing on 22 April 2020[11], that the military disinformation brigade is being used against the UK population during the coronavirus lockdown. When it was formed, an army spokesperson said that 77th Brigade "is being created to draw together a host of existing and developing capabilities essential to meet the challenges of modern conflict and warfare. It recognises that the actions of others in a modern battlefield can be affected in ways that are not necessarily violent."[12][13]
In 2022, Tiago Henriques, the creator of the ‘Died Suddenly News’ Facebook Page, said the 77th Brigade had tried to infiltrate their group, but were effectively thwarted from doing so. Instead, the 77th tried to shut them down by alerting the BBC, who again contacted Facebook.[14]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:How to spot a Twitter troll | blog post | 2 July 2019 | Craig Murray | Exposure is the simple way to nullify the vast state propaganda programmes on social media |
References
- ↑ "Bored bloke takes control of British Army 'psyops' unit's Twitter"
- ↑ "British army creates team of Facebook warriors"
- ↑ "Army sets up new brigade 'for information age'"
- ↑ Individuals whose expertise is in activities that contribute to the changing or maintaining of another’s attitudes and/or behaviours, and are interested in joining the 77th Brigade, are invited to contact 77x-Recruiting-GpMailbox@mod.gov.uk by email. - "77th Brigade: How to apply"
- ↑ "Army social media psyops bods struggling to attract fresh blood"
- ↑ "Inside the British Army's secret information warfare machine"
- ↑ "21st Theater Sustainment Command forges UK partnership"
- ↑ "Scottish Labour candidate facing questions over links to 'secretive military propaganda unit'"
- ↑ Document:5_July_Seminar;_Potential_guest_list_for_discussion
- ↑ Document:Institute for Statecraft Event Nigeria
- ↑ https://videopress.com/v/JZGdJOb1
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/31/british-army-facebook-warriors-77th-brigade
- ↑ "Army spies to take on antivax militants (Sunday Times, November 29 2020)"
- ↑ https://thehighwire.com/videos/episode-288-justice-for-all/ at 10 minutes and 10 seconds mark
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