An enigmatic recruitment video has been unveiled by a discreet unit within the US military, featuring mysterious messages and unsettling visuals.

Operating out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the 4th Psychological Operations Group-Airborne (4th PSYOP) is dedicated to crafting influence strategies that alter enemy perceptions, reactions, and communication methods.

The video begins with a scene of a 1980s-era CRT television engulfed in flames, suddenly switching on to reveal the spectral figure from Fleischer Studios’ 1930 animated short, ‘Swing You Sinners!’

Soon after, viewers are transported to a shadowy woodland where leaflets cascade from the treetops, interspersed with images of soldiers intermingled with civilians, while the phrase ‘We are everywhere’ briefly appears on screen.

The footage then seems to rewind, taking viewers back to a World War II bombing mission, showcasing an aircraft releasing pamphlets over a crowd below.

A narrator says: ‘There’s another force applied in combat that we generally don’t think of as a weapon of war. That weapon is words.’

His gravel-voiced warning repeats: ‘We are everywhere. Words are our weapon.’ 

The reel ends on the unit’s lightning-bolt patch and a pulsing QR code directing viewers to goarmy.com/PSYOP.

The 4th Psychological Operations-Airborne has released a new recruitment video, with the opening scene featuring a clip from a 1930s cartoon

The chilling tagline of the video is ‘We are everywhere’

The video is being hailed as the Army’s strongest pitch yet for its influence-warfare unit, designed to attract recruits who can craft viral memes as confidently as they can jump out of aircraft.

It opens with a grainy shot of an old Zenith TV in a dark void, VHS lines rolling as a ghostlike version of Koko the Clown flickers on the screen. 

The cabinet edges glow with animated flames, and faint 1930s jazz plays under a modern beat

The pacing ramps up immediately. Arabic-script leaflets fall from an aircraft. A soldier rides in a tank strapped with a massive loudspeaker blasting distorted messages.

And there is a brief animated segment that appears to show a quill turning into a dagger.

Inside a dim command tent, PSYOP specialists type across multi-lingual dashboards that track sentiment and morale.

The video is packed with unexpected Easter eggs: nods to conspiracy theories, the WWII ‘Ghost Army’ that tricked Nazi generals, and even a Pepe the Frog GIF decked out in a clown suit. Pepe is a hate symbol by the alt-right movement.

The WWII ‘Ghost Army’ was a secret US Army unit officially called the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. 

The video shows what appears to be WWII, with bombers dropping leaflets from the skies 

The 4th Psychological Operations-Airborne, based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, specializes in influence campaigns aimed at shaping how enemies think, react and communicate.

Another part of the video conveys the idea of blasting messages to the public as soldiers move through worn-torn towns

Their mission was to deceive German forces about the location, size, and movements of Allied troops. 

They used inflatable tanks, trucks, and artillery to create the illusion of large forces where there were none. 

Soldiers also played pre-recorded sounds of troops and vehicles over loudspeakers to simulate army movements. 

They sent fake radio traffic to trick German intelligence into thinking units were present. Live actors and props were sometimes used to stage fake headquarters.

Their deception efforts saved thousands of lives by diverting German troops from real operations. 

The unit’s work remained classified for decades and is only recently widely recognized. 

The 4th PSYOP is known to conduct ‘influence activities to target psychological vulnerabilities and create or intensify fissures, confusion, and doubt in adversary organizations.’

‘We use all available means of dissemination – from sensitive and high tech to low-tech, to no-tech, and methods from overt, to clandestine, to deception,’ the organization’s official website reads.

Soldiers looking to join the PSYOP must endure a physically and mentally demanding training pipeline, which starts with a grueling assessment and selection that lasts for 10 days. 

And there is a brief animated segment that appears to show a quill turning into a dagger

Master Sgt. Mathews, the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) in Charge of the PSYOP Assessment and Selection course, told Task and Purpose: ‘We’re looking at soldiers who are adept at conducting research to understand target audiences.

‘And use critical thinking to determine the best methods and arguments to influence and effectively communicate verbally and in writing using multimedia.’

The first 10 days of PYSOP focus on a candidate’s physical fitness, mental resilience, critical thinking, communication skills and sustainability.

Candidates are not just doing physical challenges, but are writing reports, crafting narratives, or presenting arguments, simulating real-world PSYOP tasks.

These individuals also undergo psychological evaluations to determine their suitability for the demanding nature of the operation’s roles.

A narrator says: ‘There’s another force applied in combat that we generally don’t think of as a weapon of war. That weapon is words’

Candidates who meet the standards are invited to continue with the Psychological Operations Qualification Course.

This includes studying human psychology, sociology and cultural dynamics to design effective influence strategies, identifying and analyzing groups for tailored messaging and crafting messages that align with mission objectives and resonate with target audiences.

During this time, soldiers will test their abilities in dynamic environments, using tactics to confuse and find vulnerabilities within each other.

They also train on the ethical considerations of PSYOP missions, including avoiding manipulation that violates international law or military ethics. 

After the 10-day assessment, soldiers are put through 41 weeks of physically and mentally demanding training, called the PSYOP Qualification Course.

The last few months have seen soldiers learn how to use propaganda and other methods to influence the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of a target audience, often in an enemy territory.