Media Effect on the Operational Commander: Are You Prepared for It?

Abstract

Most over the age of 3O have grown up accepting the premise that wars are waged by generals and later analyzed by historians. As the twentieth century bids us adieu, this is no longer the case. Today, instantaneous broadcast satellite technology and the Internet can put the battlefield into your living room or onto your computer screen as it unfolds. This paper's focus is on why and how the operational commander's assessment and planning for the military-media interaction can and will directly influence the level of success. This paper begins with an investigation of historical examples to learn how the military-media relationship evolved simultaneously with advances in information technology. The author then examines recent military operations highlighting military-media lessons learned or not learned. Finally, the author recommends several improvements to improve military-media success in future operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 07, 1997
Accession Number
ADA325163

Entities

People

  • James G. Macneil

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Information Systems
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Education
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Students
  • Training
  • War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • International Journalism and Media Studies.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space