[Air-L] Investigations Conclude: Canadian Military Broke the Rules

[Dr. Emma Briant]

Dear Friends,


Some of you may recall back in October last year I published an article
revealing
<https://emma-briant.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7f9f1379bf0f0311ebba75d7&id=d6a24013c1&e=ba76ce6920>
a
company called Emic, spun off from the Cambridge Analytica parent SCL, had
been hired by several western militaries in the last few years to train
their information operations and public affairs officers - despite the
ongoing investigations into the linked firms. This made big news
particularly in Canada, where the military was already in the middle of a
breaking scandal for targeting its own citizens during the pandemic with
methods normally reserved for foreign psychological operations. I am
delighted to be able to bring you an update... the Canadian parliament and
military took it very seriously and launched no less than four
investigations into what we revealed which have just concluded.

Here is reporting of the outcome of the investigations from David
Pugliese 'Military
violated rules by collecting information on Canadians, conducting
propaganda during pandemic: report
<https://emma-briant.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7f9f1379bf0f0311ebba75d7&id=bffa268ee9&e=ba76ce6920>'
in the Ottawa Citizen. The reports concluded not only were rules not
followed, but senior leaders also had no authority to conduct such
initiatives. As reported, a June 9 document signed by acting Chief of the
Defence Staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre and Deputy Minister Jody Thomas stated
that “Errors conducted during domestic operations and training, and
sometimes insular mindsets at various echelons, have eroded public
confidence in the institution”.


This is especially important to see because I was attacked and there was a
lot of pushback from those seeking to protect people involved.


Brig Gen. Jay Janzen who was reported to have overseen these developments
in propaganda called them "on the leading edge."  It is vital that
abandonment of democratic values and restraint not become recast as
innovation.


I wrote here
<https://emma-briant.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7f9f1379bf0f0311ebba75d7&id=6f92ef585d&e=ba76ce6920>about
the importance of the need for other NATO governments learning from this
example and indeed I hope whoever becomes future Director of the
Communications Division at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers
Europe) will take the outcome here on board following Mark Laity's
departure from his important NATO role. Militaries must learn on their feet
to respond to disinformation and the most important lesson here is in a
democracy they must give citizens reason to trust in their good conduct.


Best wishes to you all - do feel free to share this if you feel your
students or colleagues may find it of interest.



Emma
-- 
Dr Emma L Briant
Independent Researcher/Author/Analyst
Associate Researcher at Human Rights Program
Bard College,
Annandale on Hudson
New York

Website: www.emma-briant.co.uk
Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global
Change *from
Manchester University Press
Co-Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* with Prof. Greg Philo and Dr. Pauline
Donald from Pluto Press.
Follow me on Twitter @emmalbriant