DISINFORMATION AS A DIRECTION FOR PREPARING AND CONDUCTING OPERATIONS “DESERT SHIELD” AND “DESERT STORM”: EXPERIENCE AND RESULTS

Abstract

The article examines the experience of organizing and conducting disinformation campaigns during the operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990–1991) in the Persian Gulf. Based on analytical and documentary sources, the study reveals the role of disinformation as an integral part of the information policy of the United States and its allies, aimed at misleading the Iraqi military and political leadership, lowering the morale of Iraqi troops, and shaping a positive international image of the coalition forces. It is emphasized that the campaign was carried out in accordance with a special plan approved at the highest state level and relied on close coordination between military, intelligence, scientific, and media institutions. Particular attention is paid to the role of mass media, which became the main instrument of the disinformation strategy. Through controlled leaks, manipulation of facts, and military censorship, the global community was persuaded to view Iraq as a global threat – a state allegedly possessing weapons of mass destruction and supporting terrorism. It is noted that control over the media space ensured the coalition an almost complete informational advantage: up to 70% of all news about the war worldwide originated from American sources. The article analyzes the main directions of disinformation against the enemy, including concealing the true plans of operations, simulating preparations for an amphibious assault, transmitting false orders, and applying psychological influences through rumors, religious, and cultural manipulation. These measures successfully misled Iraq’s leadership regarding the timing and direction of the coalition’s main offensive, which contributed to a rapid and low-casualty victory. The author argues that disinformation served not only a military but also a political function — legitimizing the war in the eyes of the international community. It is noted that the effective organization of such operations, using a wide range of information and psychological technologies, is a key factor in successful warfare. The article concludes that the experience of the Persian Gulf disinformation campaign should be taken into account in the context of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, where the information domain has become a battlefield of global confrontation, and control over perception and public consciousness has emerged as one of the crucial elements of national security.