DECEMBER 9, 2025 – Effective immediately, the Department of War (DoW) will use the term Psychological Operations (PSYOP) instead of Military Information Support Operations (MlSO) to describe planned operations that convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences in an effort to influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable toward DoW objectives.
In 2010, DoW replaced the term PSYOP with MISO in an attempt to provide a more accurate description of the relevant operational activities and to disassociate such activities from misleading or negative connotations.
With fifteen years of additional perspective, it has become clear that the term PSYOP more closely align functions with branding, eliminates confusion, and directly supports my priorities to reestablish deterrence and revive the warrior ethos.
My intent is for this change to be fully implemented by the end of fiscal year 2026.
Pursuant to this, the Under Secretary of War for Policy will revise DoD Instruction 3607.02, “Military Information Support Operations,” June 13, 2016, to ensure consistency with this memorandum.
DoW elements may continue to refer to “MISO” when quoting U.S. statutes.
“PSYOP,” as used in this memorandum, is intended to have the same meaning as, and to be interchangeable with, “MISO” as used in statutes pre-dating this memorandum.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict is lead for this topic and will provide additional guidance as appropriate.
View the memorandum here.