Blog Posts from October, 2009
Does social media allow you to care now?
Maj. Kristi Beckma is the Chief of Social Media for European Command Public Affairs
So, based on my fellow blogger, Maj. Jim Gregory’s, last post on the relevancy of European Command, I’d like to take that one step further and put you on the spot, in a nice way of course!
It’s obvious EUCOM is relevant. We’ve been around for 57 years so we’re doing something right. We are a huge provider for NATO, an incredible organization that simply put, brings partner nations together under one umbrella to work world issues TOGETHER.
But, is EUCOM relevant to YOU? Do you care about what the more than 84,000 servicemembers and their families are doing over here, and most importantly if you don’t care, then why not?
I tell you what, I’m going to be honest here…I didn’t care about EUCOM prior to coming here and I’m in the U.S. military!
Of course I knew what EUCOM was and why it existed. For us military folks, (and it’s no different in the civilian sector in your corporations) no matter what your job is, you’ve got to understand where your cog (mission) fits into the machine (overall mission) and then you’ve got to understand how all those others cogs (the rest of the military) work together to make that machine run. So, yah, I knew about EUCOM, but I didn’t really care to read about EUCOM because I was too busy keeping up with my current mission.
I cared about the job I was in and not much else, whether it was working for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, or deploying to Joint Task Force Liberia, that was what I cared about. I didn’t “follow” EUCOM.
I know the plethora of information that goes out daily from the U.S. military is intense. But it’s because we are busy folks and we want the world to know all the great things we’re doing or trying to do. Why do we want the world to know? Because we work hard, dangit! We work so hard to do our part to make our world a better place to live and unfortunately that is a daunting task and it seems to get harder as we move further into the future.
At EUCOM alone, we work daily with our 51 partner nations who all have the same purpose. We all just want to live our lives in peace and make something of ourselves. And obviously as two, or rather 51 heads, are better than one, we are determined to work together to make a difference. But does anyone care?
Not sure if I’m making any sense here… I just think our lives get incredibly busy and 24 hours is not enough time to devote yourself to your current mission of YOUR job, YOUR family, YOUR life, and then take the time to care about other missions such as EUCOM.
Nowadays, because of the social media explosion and the tools available to communicate, I find myself following and reading about people and businesses that I wouldn’t otherwise care about. So, if I’ve changed my tune, does that mean that many others have as well?
Are my readers/communicators just going to be folks in Europe or folks who have military members stationed here? How much time do you have to devote to learning about the plethora missions out there? Are my readers just going to follow me when a crisis occurs or are they going to care now? Tell me what you think!
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Project Handclasps helps sustain HA efforts in EUCOM
On Oct. 22, I had the most rewarding day since being assigned as the Bilateral Affairs Officer to the U.S. Embassy, Vilnius, Lithuania. That day, I was in charge of organizing the delivery of hygiene and medical material donated as part of Project Handclasp, the Navy’s space available program for shipping humanitarian donations.
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Making the Team Stronger
I would submit that at the Major League level, pretty much all of the players have comparable amounts of training, so absurdly large amounts of it is not the key. But then what is?
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Joint Honor Guard Experience at the NFL Game in London
I had a pretty exciting day Sunday as I had the privilege of traveling to London, England, with the Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe Analytic Center Joint Honor Guard. The Honor Guard was invited to the NFL game to present the colors and I couldn’t wait to experience this with them!
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On the Road with Dr. Hubner
In support of EUCOM’s efforts to do more interagency partnering, I found myself driving through the pouring rain out of Tirana, Albania to visit a remote hospital in Kukes. Kukes is one of 14 hospitals in Albania we would like to connect to the main Albanian hospital through telemedicine. This project would combine the efforts of USAID, an NGO and the DoD to link the hospitals by using the internet for training, counsel and a second opinion via a program like Skype. It will allow Albanian citizens with complex or rare medical conditions to receive high quality care from Albanian and potentially world-wide specialists. This is a major feat for a country with a poorly developed transportation system and difficult living conditions. Interagency team made up of: J4-Medical Readiness, Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Minister of Health of Kukes, University of Arizona, Tucson, director, Kukes Regional Hospital, J4-Humanitarian Assistance. (Photo by Tara Clark)
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Defense Ministerial
I’ve just returned from Bratislava, Slovakia where the NATO Fall '09 Defense Ministerial was held, followed by an official visit to Slovakian senior defense leaders.
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Doing More with Less - Is Social Media the Answer?
Well, the NATO Secretary General is blowing me out of the water for sure on the blogging side of the house. It's been seven days since my first blog. Does the excuse that I just got here and I've got a staff of two count? And oh by the way, that staff of two was down to one this week? Yah, I didn’t think so…
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Is European Command still relevant?
I thought I'd throw this topic out for some conversation and I'd like to see what others think:
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“Off with a bang” Logistics Exercise 2009 (LOGEX09)
The exercise started off with a bang. Not from a fictional bomb, but rather from a crafted problem given to the leadership of our notional Adriatic Brigade minutes after exercise start time. So what was this bombshell of a problem? Well, within the scenario, our three nations began moving personnel and equipment from home station toward the “Dark Continent”. Across the Balkans, there are notional convoys of materials and equipment moving down highways, ships that are arriving to the departure seaports, and airplanes getting ready to whisk soldiers off to Africa. The logistics staff officers from each country are wrestling with time requirements and movement schedules. Their plan was written and prepared; however, we in the control group notionally forced an unanticipated “problem” into the mix.
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How to Social "Medialize" at EUCOM?
So, here starts my first-ever blog as the Social Media Chief for European Command Public Affairs. I’ve been on the job a mere 18 days now, I know… a long time! In that brief period, I’ve already learned quite a bit about Social Media, something I knew dreadfully nothing about before I arrived here.
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Three Days in Afghanistan
In three busy days in Afghanistan, I focused on Helmand province and the British and U.S. Marine Corps forces. Over the course of lunch with the provincial Governor - a man in his early 60s and a survivor of many challenging events in Afghanistan - I talked with him about the needs of the district.
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15 Things for Leaders
I’ve now spent over three years “on the bridge” of two very large organizations --- U.S. Southern Command in Miami and, of course, more recently U.S. European Command. As I reflect on my experience, both at this level and really since becoming a ship captain, I have come away with 15 things that have stood kept me in pretty good stead. Some of them I’ve picked up from my bosses along the way, some I’ve discovered through reading biography biographies of people I admire and history of events that have impacted my life and thought, and others are purely my own, often learned from my own failures and shortcomings.
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The International Legal Conference promotes lively exchange between 33 EUCOM nations
Over 100 senior military and civilian attorneys from 33 nations joined together in Garmisch, Germany last week for the EUCOM / Marshall Center International Legal Conference.
Comments: 4
Hey Paul, Oh yah, have things changed dramatically since that fateful day! I can remember USAFE/EUCOM being much different back then. Seems like eons ago though. I don’t think we’ll every get back to those days which is why EUCOM is so much more relevant now. I’ll get with you soon on the .com issue. Thanks for the comment!
Kristi, nice post and nice site. Great to see you guys are embracing this. As you may remember, we used to wonder back in 2001(ish) about the relevancy of USAREUR/EUCOM when 9-11 happened. I think it's important to remind everyone that the world is a dangerous place and every command is relevant. After all, who would have thought CENTCOM and Afghanistan would be this high on our radar on 9-10... Another process question on your blog... I see it's hosted on a .com site. Did you have to apply for a waiver to operate an "official" military web presence on a .com domain. Our site (www.taskforcemountain.com) is being threatened with being shut down by our CIO. By our antiquated regs (AR 25-1) you have to have a waiver to operate on the .com side of the house. Of course this reg was crafted by Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble and hasn't been updated to address social media - but never let it be said an OBE reg should stop you from doing something good and righteous... Best, Paul
Curtis, Thanks for the response! I'll do my best to keep everyone posted. Just keep reading!
Yes, I care. Social media allows me to reconnect with the European US culture I enjoyed during my family's two tour of duties in Germany. Following EUCOM and Mr. Rasmussen (NATO), helps me maintain the cooperative worldview I developed while overseas and support our troops, even now from the mountains of Virginia. Kudos to you for carving out the time to keep us apprised of EUCOM's hard work and accomplishments. TweetDeck makes it easy to track a variety of folks with a quick moment's review. Social media certainly makes the world much smaller and closer. Keep up the good work! (and let us know)