HEADQUARTERS ARKANSAS WING CIVIL AIR PATROL UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY 2201 Crisp Drive Little Rock, AR (501)

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1 HEADQUARTERS ARKANSAS WING CIVIL AIR PATROL UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY 2201 Crisp Drive Little Rock, AR (501) PUBLIC AFFAIRS PLAN CY 2016 Introduction. IAW CAPR Civil Air Patrol Public Affairs Program, Arkansas Wing submits a Public Affairs Plan each calendar year, defining objectives and evaluating performance for routine public affairs, media and government relations, and marketing activities. Purpose and Need. CAP Regulation a(1) and (2) require the Wing PAO to develop goals and initiatives that help build relationships with external constituencies and develop strategies that emphasize CAP s importance, member recognition, retention and encouragement of member participation in Wing activities and training. The Public Affairs Plan is created to provide goals and metrics to improve the effectiveness of Arkansas Wing Public Affairs. Authority and Responsibility. This plan augments and does not supersede the chain-ofcommand, existing SWR or NHQ policies, Delegations of Authority, or Memorandums of Understanding. Evaluation of CY 2015 Public Affairs. Wing assistant PAO Maj Blake Sasse maintained the Arkansas Wing website, Facebook page and service during CY Wing gatherings, en masse training classes and noteworthy news events were disseminated through social media, website and channels. Maj Sasse is a former Wing PAO, fully qualified as a trained Public Information Officer. During CY 2015, Sasse served as Arkansas Wing s primary point of contact for public media. Annual Review. This plan is prepared NLT 30APR annually by ARWG/PA, reviewed by ARWG/CS and SWR/PA, and submitted to ARWG/CC for approval. Effective date shall be immediately upon his/her approval. Promulgation. This plan, upon approval by ARWG/CC, shall be made available for access in the Arkansas Wing website Public Affairs Section and submitted to SWR/PA and CAP/PA for official purposes. Submitted: 16 SEP 16 Approved: (date) Bradley W. Kidder, Jr., Capt, CAP ARWG Public Affairs Officer Art Formanek, Col, CAP ARWG Commander Page 1 of 8

2 Section 1: Public Affairs Needs and Opportunities: Situation Analysis: The Wing structure is comprised of o Ten composite squadrons o One command & administration flight o Membership of 261 seniors and 149 cadets Arkansas Wing air assets consist of: o Four Cessna 182Ts (G1000) o Two Cessna 182Rs o Three Cessna 172s In CY 2015, 32 Arkansas pilots flew 1,232 hours in wing aircraft Arkansas Wing Public Affairs personnel: o Wing: One primary and one assistant wing PAO, both of whom are trained PIOs o Squadrons: Eight squadrons have primary PAOs, four of whom have assistants One squadron has an assistant PAO with no primary designated One squadron has a commander serving as PAO, with no assistant and not enrolled in the PAO specialty track. Arkansas Wing s annual activities consist of: o Low-level route surveys as requested by the Air Force and Air National Guard o Special Purpose and Homeland Security missions as directed by higher HQ o Wing-led combined- and distributed SAR exercises o Flight clinics o Aircraft movements to facilitate scheduled maintenance o Disaster Relief sorties, usually driven by weather requiring photography or Highbird relay services o Search and Rescue sorties, both electronic and visual, for persons, aircraft and activated ELTs o FEMA/ADEM tabletop exercise for state-wide natural disaster response o Cadet Orientation Flights for CAP and AFJROTC o Ground Team Academies o Cadet Leadership Academies o Cadet Leadership Encampment o Commander s Calls o Arkansas Wing Conference Arkansas s geology is prone to seismic activity; meteorological events are common due to latitude (1/3 north of the equator) and east-west locale on the continental US land mass. Floods in rain-fed tributaries and waterways entering- and coursing through the state are increasingly frequent. Arkansas typically has o 3-10 flooding events o 2-5 tornadic events o missing person/aircraft/elt missions (likely multiple sorties each) The Arkansas Wing Public Affairs Office received a Successful rating in the 2014 Compliance Inspection and has no pending items for correction or improvement. Page 2 of 8

3 Wing Assessment Strengths: Arkansas enjoys a cadre of experienced, willing and safety-conscious pilots flying a fleet of well-maintained mission capable aircraft. The aircraft are dispersed throughout the state with advantageous wing-wide coverage, able to deploy on short notice. At least two Squadrons place great emphasis on ground team training and readiness. One Squadron has an exemplary cadet corps and color guard, a result of exceptional leadership and proactive senior member involvement. Cooperative relationships and a history of success between the Arkansas Wing and county/state/national disaster management agencies, the Coast Guard, the Air Force and Arkansas Air National Guard ensure that our services are on the short list of emergency response resources. The quality and dedication of our membership and their professional execution of CAP missions guarantee continuing opportunities for favorable news copy from the Arkansas Wing. Wing Assessment Weaknesses: Public Affairs has no flying budget for squadron visits and static displays. Prospective members are frequently not welcomed. New members frequently experience stagnation. Flight hours are not being actively promoted and utilized, resulting in missed opportunities for visibility of members and aircraft to the general public. Membership attrition exceeds recruitment. Wing Assessment Opportunities for Improvement: CY 2016 offers opportunities for broad public visibility: o CAP 75 th anniversary o Congressional Gold Medal for Service in World War II, Mr. Ralph Watson Internal interest in the Public Affairs specialty track through solicitation, publication and by-line recognition of submissions from general membership. A welcoming atmosphere for prospective members through handshakes, name usage, and introductions. o The PAO, RRO and Commander should be proactive in greeting unfamiliar faces and recognizing returning visitors. o Pamphlets, business cards and contact phone numbers should be readily available. An awareness of stagnation with new members who may not have been assigned a mentor or been given initial guidance for fundamentals or professional development. o The PAO, PDO, and Commander should be proactive in guidance regarding fundamental training and specialty tracks. o eservices, OpsQuals, and the Learning Management System must be made plainly accessible. Operating and flight budgets. An effective PA program would benefit from: o Discretionary funds to support public appearances and material assistance o Flight hour fund allocation for airshow static displays and squadron visits. Article Submissions: Contributors at Squadron-level social media and authors of local news media releases are being recognized at Wing, the key participants of which are Page 3 of 8

4 willingly becoming involved in broader-scope PA activity. Authors, both cadets and seniors, with- and without an interest in PA, are increasingly willing to submit paragraphs and photos as the Wing PAO makes reasonable expectations for voluntary effort. Provided with basis facts, the Wing can refine the product and add body before sending it to Region for further review. Removing this intimidation factor and adding the tangible reward that comes from seeing one s name in the by-line has already yielded positive results. National Exposure for Arkansas: As the volume of writing from the Squadrons increasingly manifests itself in Regional exposure, the next step is to submit worthy stories at the National level. Congressional Gold Medals for Service in WWII, the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, Spaatz cadets these are all stories happening within Arkansas in CY 16 that are opportunities for national recognition. Intra-wing Communication: The Wing PAO is soon to establish a monthly report process with Squadron PAOs, to initiate a circulation of ideas and environment of involvement. Social Media Activity: o Three squadrons have active Facebook pages. At least one other squadron has a volume of activity worthy of their own page. o Contributors to squadron media are good candidates for wing-level media. o Incorporating Twitter into Wing PA is in work. Newsletters: Develop Squadron newsletters to encourage writing and share information about past and planned activities. These articles and authors can be developed for use at Wing, Region and National outlets. This requires an uncommon skillset and dedication and therefore comes with implementation challenges. Address Standardization: The Wing s communication, continuity and perceived stability would benefit significantly from an in-house server providing addresses specific to office symbol with a standardized domain. The server-side POP3 and/or web access would be managed by the IT officer. Uniform Wear: Squadrons should encourage uniform wear beyond the corporate polo, through a designated award night or other recurring event. Wearing the Air Force-style blues or corporate gray-and-white boosts esprit de corps, promotes an enhanced sense of pride in appearance, and promotes professional development through the acquisition and wear of achievement ribbons. Wing Assessment Threats: Reality: As volunteers with personal lives and commitments outside of Civil Air Patrol, demands upon our membership must remain reasonable. Deadlines will be missed, omissions will occur, accidents happen, and people forget. Hierarchy: CAPR is specific regarding the relationship between a Commander and his/her Public Affairs Officer, and between the Public Affairs Officer and his/her Unit. o CAP s enhanced focus on trends in membership requires an elevated regard for Public Affairs and Recruiting/Retention as key functional elements. o Given its role in morale and influence on recruitment, Public Affairs should be considered a crucial component of mission success any time members are assembled. Page 4 of 8

5 o An effective manager attracts and encourages participation of subordinates while providing defense from misdirected scrutiny, and accepts responsibility for overall performance of their office and its assigned personnel. Communication: Information flow within the Wing is vital to an effective Public Affairs program and our perceived stability by other entities. o Advance notification of significant scheduled events will contribute to thorough and timely media activity and allow for employment of appropriate PA resources. o Timely PA involvement for coverage of wing events will reduce the probability of requests from CAP region or national for post-event, forensically-produced reports. Public Affairs Initiatives for CY2016: Identify and foster relationships with individuals in each squadron who demonstrate an ability promote the visibility of their squadron, recognize achievements of unit members, and possess a willingness to produce articles for wider distribution. Train willing members for recruitment into the Public Affairs specialty track. Enhance the usage of social media (Facebook, Twitter) for events, awards, etc., throughout the wing, to create a professional first impression for page visitors. Enhance the Wing website (arwing.org) to be: o A functional resource of productivity tools for wing members o A host for wing documents and photos o A reliable venue for timely announcements and news o A source of departmental function and contact information Increase visibility and improve reputation of the Arkansas Wing within CAP via the number of article submissions to CAP Regional and National media outlets. Management of the Google Groups message facility. Submit monthly PA reports to SWR/PA and ARWG/CS. Section 2: Public Affairs Goals 1) CAPR a Increase awareness of Civil Air Patrol s local, state and national missions, and its contributions to the nation 2) CAPR b Develop and conduct a comprehensive internal and external Public Affairs plan 3) CAPR c Promote cooperation between CAP and other aviation organizations, the military, business, industry and civic groups 4) Internal CAP Participation Increase the number of written submissions by wing members 5) External CAP Visibility Expand audience for social media and the wing website 6) CAPP 204 Expand participation in the Public Affairs specialty track Page 5 of 8

6 Section 3: Action Strategies 1) CAPR a Increase awareness of Civil Air Patrol s local, state and national missions, and its contributions to the nation: Publish to public media outlets o Ensure stories and promotions are sent to appropriate media o Know when events and promotions occur o Maintain an accurate media contact list o Send press releases to television, radio and newspapers as appropriate for event o Use CAP-provided literature and PSAs Speak with targeted audiences, to include government leaders, aviation organizations, military, business community and civic groups o Network and acquire names of beneficial contacts o Exchange business cards o Schedule engagements o Invite appropriate dignitaries Place aircraft on static display at aviation gatherings, and provide personnel for PA. Nurture ongoing relationships to maintain favorable reputation o Maintain impeccable integrity, not making unrealistic promises while honoring agreed obligations o Use handshakes, eye contact and spoken names in conversation Hold focused public affairs campaigns around major Wing and National events. o Produce news releases for cadet competitions, cadet leadership encampment, SARex activities, and Arkansas Wing Conference o Assure broad coverage for events such as CAP 75 th and WWII CGM Know when to provide uniformed CAP personnel with literature at public events o Research when and where events will occur, and schedule resources accordingly o Encourage members to provide information on upcoming events in their area where CAP might benefit from visibility o Ensure squadron PAOs possess or have access to CAP literature 2) CAPR b Develop and conduct a comprehensive internal and external Public Affairs plan: Comply with CAP regulations, directives and instructions, and support the PA/Marketing Plan, Strategies and Goals of CAP National Headquarters, Southwest Region and Arkansas Wing o Monitor CAP eservices news and regulatory updates o Maintain active dialog with ARWG/CC and SWR/PA Participate in webinars and workshops o Be aware of webinar and workshop schedule and attend accordingly o Utilize feedback and recommendations in development of PA plans Mentor and train PA staff by ensuring PAOs are aware of available PA resources with direction to guidelines, best practices and useful tools Promote involvement through delegation of responsibility, with assignments which bring recognition for successful results Page 6 of 8

7 3) CAPR c Promote cooperation between CAP and other aviation organizations, the military, business, industry and civic groups: Participate in aviation groups such as AOPA, EAA, and FAASTeam. o Become a member, if feasible o Attend meetings and fly-ins o Provide business cards and literature o Promote synergetic relationship between CAP and the organization Speak to business and civic groups about CAP o Solicit opportunities for presentations at their meetings o Provide business cards and literature o Incorporate Color Guard, if appropriate o Participate with PA at expos and fairs held by these organizations Increase visibility in public schools o Provide literature points in school offices o Solicit and hold presentations at junior high schools o Participate in sponsored career fairs 4) Internal CAP Participation Increase the number of written submissions by wing members: Vet and enlist trustworthy contributors through activity in social- and local media Designate and grant authority to worthy assistants, appropriate to skill and discipline Keep expectations simple o Ask for three paragraphs (introduction, subject matter and conclusion) and two photos o Assure that writing skill is not a prerequisite, and no embarrassing release of attributed material will be released without review o Being a PAO and participation in the Public Affairs specialty track are not required for submissions Solicit personal articles with attributable quotes and photographs Ensure that contributors receive due recognition for effort o Authors and photographic credits shall be accurately attributed o Feedback must be relayed back to the author/photographer Foster a rewarding environment to the number of increase willing contributors Promote an environment conducive to unsolicited contribution Acknowledge and provide feedback for all submissions, published or not 5) External CAP Visibility Expand audience for social media and the wing website: Ensure posts are interesting, timely, and not superfluous Ensure that expired posts are removed Ensure that the interface is intuitive Ensure desired online material is easily accessible 6) CAPP 204 Expand participation in the Public Affairs specialty track: Recruit the most capable, proven contributors o Affirm how their effort positively influences squadron morale o Promote the value of rewarding members for good work Page 7 of 8

8 Promote the value of Professional Development opportunities in online and residential courses o Professional value in the private sector o Value in self-confidence and speaking ability Section 4: Performance Metrics 1) CAPR a Increased awareness of Civil Air Patrol s local, state and national missions, and its contributions to the nation can be measured by: An increased volume of invitations to participate in civic events, public presentations and activities by other agencies A growth in prospective member inquiries and their attendance at squadron meetings 2) CAPR b Development and execution of comprehensive internal and external Public Affairs plans can be verified by: Approval and publication of the Wing Public Affairs Plan Approval and publication of the Wing Crisis Communications Plan 3) CAPR c Promoting cooperation between CAP and other aviation organizations, the military, business, industry and civic groups will yield: An increased amount of verbal interest in CAP by members of these organizations An increase in reciprocal visits by members of these organizations An increased number of invitations to participate in events and activities affiliated with these agencies 4) Internal CAP Participation An increase in the number of written submissions by wing members is a measurable metric which will produce: An increased number of articles forwarded for publication in the Fly-by, CAP Volunteer, and CAP Volunteer now A possible increased interest in the PA specialty track 5) External CAP Visibility Expanding the audience for social media and the wing website can be determined by: An increase in the number of views and likes on Facebook An increase in the number of views and retweets on Twitter The number of site hits at the wing website Verbal feedback on the value and usability of the wing website by CAP members 6) CAPP 204 Increased participation in the Public Affairs specialty track is a directly accessible metric in OpsQuals Page 8 of 8