Lieutenant Colonel Michael Holmes, a military intelligence officer who led the Information Operations Field Support Team at Camp Eggers in Kabul, alleged that psychological-operations techniques were used against visiting officials, including Senators John McCain and Carl Levin, government ministers, and European diplomats. His disclosure was reported by journalist Michael Hastings in Rolling Stone, which also described alleged retaliation against Holmes and his unit after they resisted the orders. The episode raised concerns about whether military influence capabilities were being directed at U.S. lawmakers and foreign visitors under the cover of routine briefing work.
General David Petraeus ordered an investigation after the reporting. Army investigators concluded that Holmes’s allegations of illegal psychological operations were “not substantiated,” found no PSYOP units under Lieutenant General William Caldwell’s command, and determined that Caldwell’s staff had prepared “information packages” on congressional delegations and other visitors—a practice they deemed common and neither illegal nor improper. Investigators also could not substantiate retaliation against Holmes, citing insufficient evidence. The case therefore documents a serious whistleblower allegation and an official inquiry, not a proven misuse of psychological operations.
