Psyops

Psychological Operations.  That’s what a military apparatus (including its political allies) does to its enemy, to confuse and demoralise them.
The definition of who counts as an enemy is, of course, flexible.

Crucial for keeping some things off the agenda, or at worst forcing the opponent to expend enormous resources just getting into the ‘arena’, where they can be easily polished off…

See also information warfare, perception management etc