PSYOP at NTC: Deception, Integration, and Mission Success Pt 1 (Ep. 45)
Off the Radar, Special Operations Training DetachmentShow Notes
This is part one of a two-part episode focused on Special Operations Psychology Operations executing Combat Training Center rotations specially the National Training Center. SOF PSYOP’s role in Large Scale Combat Operations, executing multiple domain operations and integrating with ARSOF and conventional forces. SOF PSYOP executing information operations ins training environment. .
About the Guest: SSG Phil Smith: SOF PSYOPer from First PSYOP Group. Prior to that he served as an Infantryman and then before that an Air Force C-17 mechanic. Phil has SOF PSYOP operational experience in SOUTHCOM and has served as a PSYOP OC/T for 2 years. Phil went ARSOF to work in a career field that allowed him to make a difference in support of the Nation’s Objectives.
About the Host: CPT Weston Rich is the of SOF Plans Chief at the NTC and former member of Burro Team, the Special Operations Training Detachment OC/T Team at NTC. Prior to his time at NTC, Weston served as a Detachment Commander with 1st SFG (A) and as an Infantry Officer with 3-509th IN (ABN)/4/25 ID (now part of 2/11 ABN DIV). Following his time at NTC, Weston will attend Carnegie Mellon University with a follow-on assignment to Army Futures Command.
This episode covers:
- comparing training for PSYOP to operational PSYOP
- PSYOP integrating into SF AOB at a CTC, give a capabilities brief and build rapport
- add value to the AOB staff by getting involved in the staff functions and working groups, leverage special skill sets and knowledge you have to provide value
- Tactical Deception (TAC-D) vs Deception in Support of Operations (DISO): TAC-D creates an action in the enemy force, DISO used to protect OPSEC
- use information operations to create effects now (in near real time)
- SOF direct action raid example: DISO- protects planning and execution of raid, TAC-D influence enemy to move away from objective area
- deception mine field example
- NTC has pre-approved information operations series, don’t reinvent the wheel, use what is already available, share information and ensure AOB knows what you know
- messaging can get approved through higher In 24-48hours at NTC, messaging must be forecasted
- measures of performance and effectiveness must be identified prior to the message going out, have a baseline understand of environment and decision points for messaging and information operations
Please like, subscribe, and share these episodes with ARSOF any conventional Soldiers and Leaders to spread the knowledge of ARSOF in LSCO.
To provide feedback please email the host, CPT Rich, at [email protected].
Produced, edited, and sound engineering by Micah Popp of Salty Sounds
More from Off the Radar, Special Operations Training Detachment
This episode is a year in the making. We talk with the Commander of Special Operations Training Detachment. We pick his brain on the state of ARSOF, training priorities, and the future of CTCs. The National Training Center and SOTD are in the middle of a transformation and modernization effort to increase lethality and improve readiness; let's see what the leadership's take on it is.
We continue our discussion with the Civil Affairs Company leadership as we talk Realistic Military Training during the rotation and their take aways from the exercise.
In this episode of Off the Radar, we sit down with leaders from B/96th Civil Affairs Company fresh off their rotation at the National Training Center (NTC). Operating within a Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) scenario, the unit faced the complex realities of supporting maneuver forces while simultaneously navigating civilian populations, governance challenges, and information dynamics in a contested environment. The conversation dives into how the company adapted its traditional Civil Affairs skill sets—key leader engagements, civil reconnaissance, and population analysis—to a high-intensity fight where access was limited and the pace was relentless. Leaders reflect on friction points, including integration with supported brigades, survivability on a kinetic battlefield, and maintaining relevance. The episode highlights critical lessons learned: the importance of early integration into the planning process, the need to digitize and rapidly share civil information, and the challenge of balancing influence operations with physical security constraints. Wrapping up, the team explores how these insights are shaping future training and readiness for their unit, and how these lessons learned will influence them.
In this episode of OTR, MAJ Casey Phillips, a career SOF Logistician and past NTC Observer, Coach, and Trainer, shares his experiences from the SOF community. We explore how special operations logistics operate, balancing speed, knowledge, and flexibility. From improvised resupply in austere environments to integrating with conventional forces during large-scale operations, SOF logisticians ensure that elite units—and the broader joint force—can sustain momentum in complex missions. Whether it’s supporting a small team deep behind enemy lines or enabling large-scale operations alongside conventional units, the logistics professionals working behind the scenes prove that sometimes the most critical part of the mission is the part no one sees.
As the calendar turns and a new training year begins, Special Operations Training Detachment is sharpening the force for the challenges ahead. In the vast training environment at NTC, Fort Irwin, CA, innovation and fundamentals are not competing priorities — they are pillars of readiness. This episode dives into how the detachment is setting the tone for the year by strengthening ARSOF integration, accelerating modernization, and recommitting to the core skills that define elite performance and success.