Army Reserve PSYOP

[Ultrarunner2844]

Hey guys, I'm a former Marine looking to join the Army Reserves or National Guard PSYOP (preferably Army Reserve). I reside in Ft Lauderdale area FL. My recruiter basically said there's no chance because theirs no local "parent command". The nearest is in Bragg. However, I am well within traveling distance from Homestead (SOCSOUTH). I would imagine I'm not the only individual who has come across an issue similar to this. Anyone have any experience or a deeper understanding of how this all works and/or how I can make this potentially work?

If not, the recruiter told me he can more than likely get me to CA. I've looked this job up, but the descriptions are pretty vague. I get the overall gist, but I'm looking for something a little more based on what I read. Again, I'm completely ignorant and open to feedback. SF is off the table.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BK2004]

I’ll try to answer you as soon as my Luddite old man self can navigate getting verified.

 

[BK2004]

Well, for one thing, SF, CA, and PSYOP are all completely different missions. I’m not going to speak to SF or CA, since plenty here would be better suited for that.

The Black Knight’s job, on the other hand, is to manipulate the behaviors of foreigners on the battlefield and all along the competition continuum. We ask and answer the questions “what do I want them to do” and “how are we going to get them to do it”? The keys to success are how good your target audience analysis is and how imaginative are you at unpacking and answering those two questions. Then, we apply pressure (psychological, social, and/or physical) to make the TA do what we need them to do in order to support mission success. Sounds simple. Sometimes it is. Usually it’s not. But from very early in a career, we function well above our ranks.

RC Black Knights primarily support conventional missions. AC PSYOP primarily support SOF missions. Both are SOF capabilities, by law, and mainly governed by the Goldwater-Nichols (colloquially, JFK Special Warfare subset) and the Smith-Mundt Acts. These days, they are trained and selected differently, but the knowledge and principles they use are mostly identical.

Now that you know *what* we do (sorta), you should know that RC psyop units are spread out across the country. But there is almost always monthly funding available for you to get to the nearest unit to you. My guess is that’d be GA. If you’re still interested, I’m happy to put you in contact with them.

That said, there are LOTS of other opportunities, once you get thru the qualification pipeline and get your TS/SCI clearance with a little experience under your belt. At that point, you’re globally deployable, and we keep them busy. There are also IMA and DIMA positions with active duty units as close to you as Tampa. Can’t really start there, tho.

May I ask, why wouldn’t SF work out for you?