Public Affairs: Inform, Educate, and Influence
Abstract
As operations in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrate, America's adversaries are capable of manipulating the domestic and international media with lies, distortion, and propaganda disseminated via the internet or media outlets. The U.S. military's inability to dominate the global information environment, as it does on conventional battlefields, represents a strategic and operational weakness that must be addressed. This study investigates the roles and responsibilities of deployed military public affairs officers as they pertain to influencing selected target audiences to gain and maintain popular support. Current and past doctrine is examined along with marketing and advertising practices to determine military applicability. The research explores mass communication theories and techniques that can improve public affairs officers' ability to influence these key audiences. The author concludes that influencing audiences, to include the U.S. domestic audience, is the primary role and responsibility of military public affairs officers. Recommendations include altering Public Affairs Joint and Service doctrine to reflect the responsibility of public affairs officers to influence their audiences, and change public affairs training to incorporate mass communication theories.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 12, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA510942
Entities
People
- Jeffrey S. Pool
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College