5th Psychological Operations Battalion
The 5th Psychological Operations Battalion was formally activated on Oct. 19, 2004, becoming the sixth subordinate battalion of the 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne).
The battalion has responsibility for all PSYOP activities in the U.S. Pacific Command, or PACOM, theater of operations, which includes the Far East and the Pacific Rim.
The unit's lineage dates back to 1951, when it was created at Fort Riley, Kan., as the 5th Loudspeaker and Leaflet Company. Over the next 24 years, the unit was reorganized three times until it was deactivated from the Regular Army in 1975 and transferred to the Army Reserve as the 5th Psychological Operations Group.
After being deactivated from the Army Reserve in 1994, the unit was redesignated into the Regular Army as Headquarters and Service Company, 5th PSYOP Bn., on Nov. 18, 2003. The Army officially activated the battalion Oct. 16.
Prior to the battalion's activation, the three existing regional battalions pooled their resources to cover PSYOP responsibilities in the PACOM region. That task-organized provisional unit, which was officially deactivated during the ceremony, had been designated in 1997 as the PACOM Psychological Operations Battalion and relied heavily on assets from the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion.
