In a startling revelation, the Pentagon has been implicated in a covert psychological operation (psyop) aimed at undermining the credibility of China's COVID-19 vaccine, Sinovac.
This information comes to light following an extensive investigation by Reuters news agency, which suggests that the operation was partly a retaliatory measure against China for its role in the global pandemic.
According to Reuters, the U.S. military launched this clandestine campaign at the peak of the pandemic, with the Philippines, a country severely impacted by the virus, as the primary target. The operation's objective was to cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of China's medical aid, including vaccines, face masks, and test kits. "Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the militarys propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign," the report stated.
The investigation identified approximately 300 accounts on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that were consistent with descriptions provided by former U.S. military officials familiar with the Philippines operation. These accounts, created in the summer of 2020, propagated the hashtag #Chinaangvirus, which translates to 'China is the virus' in Tagalog.
As reported by Reuters, the Pentagon's disinformation campaign did not stop at casting aspersions on the safety and efficacy of Sinovac. It also targeted Muslims with insinuations that the vaccines contained pork gelatine, a substance forbidden under Islamic law. This was despite Sinovac's assurance that the vaccine was "manufactured free of porcine materials" and the consensus among many Islamic religious authorities that the vaccines were permissible due to their life-saving nature.
The report further elaborated, "By summer 2020, the militarys propaganda campaign moved into new territory and darker messaging, ultimately drawing the attention of social media executives." An internal investigation by X identified over 150 fake accounts operated from Tampa by U.S. Central Command and its contractors, using IP addresses and browser data.
This revelation is particularly ironic given the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies' repeated warnings about the spread of "misinformation" concerning vaccines and other significant political issues, such as election fraud and alleged corruption within the Biden administration.
Adding to the irony is the fact that the safety and efficacy of America's own COVID vaccines have been called into question. While these vaccines may have prevented some severe cases, they have not stopped transmission and have been linked to numerous severe side effects, including heart attacks and blood clots.
This expos by Reuters raises serious questions about the Pentagon's role in spreading disinformation and its potential impact on global health and geopolitics. It also underscores the need for transparency and accountability in the dissemination of information related to public health, particularly during a global pandemic.
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