US military ran covert anti-vax operation during Covid-19 peak to counter China’s influence in Philippine – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the US military undertook a covert operation to counter China's increasing influence in the Philippines, a country severely impacted by the virus. This clandestine mission, which had not been previously disclosed, aimed to create doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid provided by China, according to a Reuters investigation. Utilising fake internet accounts that impersonated Filipinos, the military's propaganda turned into an anti-vaccine campaign. Social media posts criticised the quality of face masks, test kits, and Chinas Sinovac vaccine, which was the first available in the Philippines. The program was initiated under former President Donald Trump and continued for several months into Joe Bidens presidency. This was despite concerns expressed by social media executives to the new administration, warning that the Pentagon was spreading Covid misinformation. In spring 2021, the Biden administration issued a directive to halt the anti-vaccine effort, which also targeted vaccines made by other rivals, and the Pentagon commenced an internal review. Reuters claimed to have found at least 300 accounts on X (formerly Twitter) that fit descriptions given by former US military officials familiar with the operation in the Philippines. Most of these accounts were created in the summer of 2020 and revolved around the hashtag #Chinaangvirus, which means 'China is the virus' in Tagalog. COVID came from China and the VACCINE also came from China, dont trust China! one tweet from July 2020 read in Tagalog. The message was next to a photo of a syringe beside a Chinese flag and a rising chart of infections. Another post stated, From China PPE, Face Mask, Vaccine: FAKE. But the Coronavirus is real. After Reuters informed X about the accounts, the social media platform removed them, determining they were part of a coordinated bot campaign based on activity patterns and internal data. The US military's anti-vaccine effort began in the spring of 2020 and spread beyond Southeast Asia before being terminated in mid-2021, Reuters revealed. The campaign adapted its propaganda to local audiences across Central Asia and the Middle East, using fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to incite fear of Chinas vaccines among Muslims. A significant part of the strategy was to amplify the controversial claim that, because some vaccines contain pork gelatin, Chinas shots might be considered forbidden under Islamic law. The US military is prohibited from using propaganda to target Americans, and no evidence was found that the Pentagon targeted US citizens. Officials for both Trump and Biden did not respond to requests for comments regarding the clandestine program. A senior Defense Department official confirmed the US military engaged in secret propaganda to discredit Chinas vaccine in the developing world but refused to provide more details. A Pentagon spokeswoman stated that the US military 'uses a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks aimed at the US, allies, and partners. She added that China had started a 'disinformation campaign to falsely blame the United States for the spread of Covid-19.' In an email, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the US government has a long history of manipulating social media and spreading misinformation. The Philippine embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters' inquiries, including whether it was aware of the Pentagon's operation. A spokesperson for the Philippines Department of Health, however, commented, Findings by Reuters deserve to be investigated and heard by the appropriate authorities of the involved countries. Some aid workers in the Philippines reacted with outrage upon learning about the U.S. militarys propaganda effort. Upon being briefed by Reuters about the Pentagons secret anti-vaccine campaign, some American public health experts condemned the program, arguing it jeopardized civilian lives for potential geopolitical gains. They noted that a campaign designed to win hearts and minds ultimately endangered lives. I dont think its defensible, said Daniel Lucey, an infectious disease specialist at Dartmouths Geisel School of Medicine. Im extremely dismayed, disappointed, and disillusioned to hear that the US government would do that, added Lucey, a former military physician who assisted in the response to the 2001 anthrax attacks. Pandemic had hit Philippines especially hard In the wake of the US propaganda efforts, then-Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte expressed frustration over the low vaccination rates among Filipinos and threatened to arrest those who refused to get vaccinated. You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed, Duterte said in a televised address in June 2021, wearing a face mask. There is a crisis in this country Im just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government. When Duterte made these remarks, the Philippines had one of the lowest vaccination rates in Southeast Asia. Only 2.1 million out of its 114 million citizens were fully vaccinatedfar below the governments target of 70 million. By this time, Covid-19 cases had exceeded 1.3 million, and nearly 24,000 Filipinos had died from the virus, contributing to the highest death rate in the region. Some Filipino healthcare professionals and former officials were shocked upon learning about the US anti-vaccine effort, which they believe exploited an already vulnerable population. Public concerns about a Dengue fever vaccine introduced in the Philippines in 2016 had already led to widespread skepticism towards vaccinations in general, said Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination. The Pentagon campaign, she said, preyed on these fears. Why did you do it when people were dying? We were desperate, stated Dr. Nina Castillo-Carandang, a former adviser to the World Health Organisation and the Philippines government during the pandemic. We dont have our own vaccine capacity, she said, and noted that the US propaganda effort 'contributed even more salt into the wound.' The campaign also played into longstanding suspicions of China, exacerbated by Beijings aggressive actions in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Due to these suspicions, Filipinos were reluctant to trust Chinas Sinovac vaccine, which first became available in the country in March 2021, said Esperanza Cabral, a former health secretary under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Cabral mentioned that she was unaware of the US militarys secret operation.

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US military ran covert anti-vax operation during Covid-19 peak to counter China's influence in Philippine - The Times of India