Blog Posts tagged with "Public Affairs"

I believe most people think that special operations forces never interact with the media.  That is, of course, until something bad happens, forcing someone to explain the situation in an ambiguous manner.

I have actually been that “someone” and can tell you that in fact; there is more to it than simply saying “NO” to the media or explaining the situation away in a stream of vagaries.  Sure, there are some aspects of special operations that cannot be publicly released, and responses that effectively explain why certain details cannot be released are important to convey.

But more often than not, we within special operations must make it a point to engage with the media to be successful in today’s 21^st century battle of ideas.  In fact, we must do it often and long before crises emerge, not just occasionally or WHEN crises arise.  Doing so develops rapport with individual media members, and more importantly, with the public as a whole.

A Polish special operations officer explains the importance of detailed planning within the CJSOTF operations center to a group of Polish national media during Exercise Jackal Stone's Media Day, Sept. 20, 2010. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric J. Glassey)

It’s about putting money into what I call “the trust bank.”  By communicating often with others, special operations forces build trust amongst the public (making deposits into the “trust bank”) so that when something goes wrong – and something will inevitably always go wrong at some point – the public maintains their faith in the special operations community.  But if there are no assets in the “trust bank,” the public will turn on the community.  Of course, there will always be those who will support the military in general and special operations forces specifically, and there are those who will never support either, but both are minority populations.  It’s those in the middle that we must address.

This is all easier said than done though.  Special operations forces are often the best in their specific fields and are laser focused on accomplishing whatever mission they are assigned, many of which are highly classified. Additionally, the community is composed of men and women who do not seek the limelight; they actually avoid public credit.  So, the special operations culture is inherently averse to what may be misconstrued as boasting.

Additionally, some, because they have endured extremely difficult situations by mitigating all risk, also believe that there is no value to engaging with the media unless they can strictly control the outcome or unless there is direct and immediate benefit associated.  I believe both anti-engagement arguments are misguided, primarily for the reason described above (the “trust bank” reason).  That’s why, in part, during Exercise Jackal Stone, the annual multi-national special operations exercise coordinated by U.S. Special Operations Command Europe and hosted this year by Poland and Lithuania, media were invited to the exercise.

From left to right, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne E. Derse, Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Rasa Jukneviciene, Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, and Lithuanian Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius visit the Dragunu Batalionas, where they are briefed on the Jackal Stone 2010 exercise in Klaipeda, Lithuania. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christopher A. Calvert)

Sept. 20 in Poland and Sept. 21 in Lithuania served as the Jackal Stone 2010 Media Days.  In Poland, media were first given a tour of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF – pronounced See-Jah-So-Tif) Operations Center so they could understand the importance of operational “enablers.”  They were then shown a Polish-led multi-national task unit in action, so they could better understand the tactical aspects of special operations.

In Lithuania, media were shown static displays of special operations equipment and afterward, in both countries, a press conference followed. Key political leaders (Polish Minister of Defense Bogdan Klich and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė in their respective countries) attended the events and answered questions about the exercise and its importance to them, thereby placing “funds” into the SOF “trust bank” and creating a climate of engagement.

Of course, Jackal Stone’s Media Days were not the beginning nor were they the end of special operations media engagement.  Perhaps, it could be argued, they were not enough, but they did serve as another step in the right direction.

The days of 100% secrecy are long past.  We must embrace the new environment or lose credibility in the eyes of those we serve.  As long as the special operations community continues to open up, when possible, to tell the story about what we do and why it is important, the “trust bank’s” assets will grow, and special operations forces will be more effective in their ability to accomplish any mission.

MAJ Jim Gregory
SOCEUR PAO