Information Engagement to Garner Public Support: TTPs from World War II
Abstract
There are many critics who have concluded that the US Government has not successfully conducted communication with its public during the current, persistent conflict, but perhaps one of the earliest was Ted Koppel. In 2001, responding to a question from Martin Kalbas to how successful the government is in conveying its message to the American people, Koppel said, 'Not very good at all.' More recently [2007], Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, 'it is just plain embarrassing that al-Qaeda is better at communicating its message on the internet than America.' In the current conflict against violent extremists and in the pursuit of an acceptable end state in Iraq and Afghanistan-Pakistan, lessons can be learned from the information engagement (IE) operations of World War II (WWII) and applied today to better garner the support of our citizens at home. The fight for hearts and minds does not begin at the water's edge. Our enemies seek to undermine domestic support for our military actions abroad, so we must counter their efforts as part of our strategic communication (SC) campaign. Public Support for WWII was significant, widespread, and persisted. That level of public support contributed to the success of the war. Because a government for the people and by the people requires their support in its endeavors, looking at successful public affairs campaigns might uncover tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) suitable to the current persistent conflict. The legal status of a declared war versus a conflict has a direct impact on the type of information, persuasion and propaganda that can be delivered to the American Public and is vastly different.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 14, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA505020
Entities
People
- Kathleen B. Farren
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College