You are in the process of becoming a spokesperson for the Department of Defense. To be successful in this field you need to understand the Department s philosophy concerning release of information, and the battle space in which you will be working. In this lesson, you will learn the specific policies governing the release of information. National Security and PA As a PAO, you will often need to describe how your command's actions support the larger U.S. effort. Understanding the context in which military operations are part of a larger effort is essential in this profession. You have a unique role as communicators in advancing U.S. national security interests and supporting U.S. military objectives. We live in a period of tremendous complexity for the United States and the world. On the one hand, since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, traditional American principles including representative democracy, respect for individual rights, adherence to broadly accepted standards of international law, free market economics and open trade policies, have spread across the globe. These advances have created opportunities to further peace, prosperity and greater cooperation among nations. Previous adversaries, including the nations of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, often now cooperate with the United States on a range of international issues. Some have become members of NATO. The dynamism of the global economy is transforming commerce, culture, communications and global relations. Individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies now operate across national borders in a manner that would have been impossible 20 years ago. Yet, on the other hand, we face many dynamic, difficult and varied national security and foreign policy challenges. Ethnic conflict and outlaw nation-states still threaten stability in many regions of the world. Weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, organized crime, competition for natural resources and even environmental damage are global concerns that transcend national boundaries. Unlike the Cold War years, today the ability to inflict significant damage on a nation or people is no longer the sole province of nation-states. Small groups, empowered by the spread and ready availability of advanced technology, pose a growing and potentially violent threat to international peace and stability. In addition to these evolving issues, the U.S. must still remain fully prepared to confront the rise, or in some cases the re-emergence, of rival nation-states competing for power, authority, and influence on the international stage. Taken collectively, these factors have created a new and very different global environment for the United States. Defending U.S. interests against such varied threats presents an extraordinary challenge for our military. We are condemned, it seems, to live in interesting times, as the Chinese proverb states. The purpose of this class is to provide an overview of this new global security environment and discuss the ways in which the United States government and its military approach these challenges. Most importantly for our group and for Department of Defense Public Affairs professionals, we will discuss your unique role as communicators in advancing U.S. national security interests and supporting U.S. military objectives around the globe and across the full spectrum of military operations. The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 1
(continued) Photo courtesy of www.usma.edu 2 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Instruments of National Power The instruments of national power are diplomatic, informational, military and economic. They are the tools the United States uses to apply its sources of power, including its culture, human potential, industry, science and technology, academic institutions, geography, and national will. The DIME concept is useful in understanding how each of the major elements of U.S. power can be used in coordination with one another to achieve our nation s security objectives. It is important to also understand the elements of the DIME overlap. As you ll see the role of the military in foreign policy and national security spans the entire DIME spectrum in a wide variety of ways. In fact, each element, if used effectively, complements the others and may be employed across the full range of policy options. 1. "D" is for Diplomacy a) Diplomacy is the principal instrument for engaging with other states and foreign groups to advance U.S. values, interests, and objectives. The Department of State (DOS) is the lead agency for the U.S. government (USG) for foreign affairs. b) The credible threat of force reinforces and often enables the diplomatic process. c) The U.S. ambassador and the corresponding country team are normally in charge of diplomaticmilitary activities in countries abroad. d) Military leaders have a responsibility to understand U.S. foreign policy and to assure that those responsible for U.S. diplomacy have a clear understanding of the capabilities, limitations, and consequences of military action. Diplomacy has traditionally been considered the first line of national power. Our government has a policy of engagement with friends and foes alike to prevent or deter conflict. The military supports diplomacy in many ways, such as military-to-military training efforts and the combatant commander s respective Theater Security Cooperation plans. Theater Security Cooperation includes those activities conducted by combatant commanders to further broad secretary of defense goals to build relationships, expand allied and friendly capabilities for self-defense and coalition operations, and to enhance U.S. forces peacetime and contingency cooperation with key regional partners. In addition, other military operations such as a show of force or joint military exercise are often used to support diplomatic programs and objectives. 2. "I" is for Information a) The USG believes in the free marketplace of ideas. Information is exchanged with minimal government controls, except when national security and individual privacy are jeopardized. b) Information readily available from multiple sources influences domestic and foreign audiences including citizens, adversaries, and governments. It is important for the official agencies of government, including the armed forces, to recognize the fundamental role of the media as a conduit of information. c) It may take several forms. Formal U.S. government efforts such as Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Radio Marti, and the Voice of America have an important role in informing and educating particular international audiences. In addition, the U.S. military conducts psychological operations, often as part of a coordinated information operations effort, in support of particular mission objectives. 3. "M" is for Military a) The purpose of the Armed Forces is to fight and win the nation s wars. b) As the military instrument of national power, the Armed Forces must ensure their adherence to US values, constitutional principles, and standards for the profession of arms. c) The United States wields the military instrument of national power at home and abroad in support of its national security goals in a variety of military operations. In coordination with the other DIME elements, the threat or initiation of armed conflict remains the backbone of deterrence, and is a foundation of U.S. international influence. It is important for PAOs to understand that many Americans only become interested in a foreign crisis when armed conflict is imminent. Often people tend not to see the diplomacy, sanctions The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 3
Instruments of National Power (continued) and psychological tools employed by the U.S. government. As a DOD PA, it is your responsibility to ensure the communication aspects of military operations are planned and executed to support a commander s overall objective and in coordination with broad U.S. foreign and national security policy goals. 4. "E" is for Economic A strong U.S. economy with access to global markets is a fundamental engine of the general welfare, an enabler of a strong national defense, and an influence for economic expansion by U.S. trade partners worldwide. One example of how the military and economic elements of U.S. power may be successfully integrated might include forward deployed naval forces used to threaten or to enforce a trade embargo, U.S. or international sanctions, or other restrictions on economic activity. Now that we have reviewed some of the tools the U.S. shapes and influences the international environment with, let s take a look at the national policy documents that provide strategic guidance for military operations. As the world s largest economy, the U.S. provides billions of dollars in foreign financial assistance, either directly or in the form of trade. The offer of financial aid, or threat to withhold it, has great influence over the actions of foreign governments. Photo courtesy of wdrb.images.worldnow.com 4 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
National Policy Documents There are three fundamental national policy documents that chart the course for our country, and more specifically, our military. The United States anticipates, prepares and responds to the full range of threats we face as a nation, in part, through the development of strategic guidance. Although this guidance can take many forms there are three major national security documents that provide us with direction for operating in this new and complex operational environment. The three documents we will discuss and with which you should become familiar as a DOD PA professional are the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the National Military Strategy. The first document we will review is the National Security Strategy, which is signed by the president of the United States and provides a comprehensive blueprint for advancing and defending our nation s interests at home and around the globe. The National Security Strategy is used to develop both the National Defense Strategy and National Military Strategy, which are each subordinate to the National Security Strategy. National Security Strategy The National Security Strategy is a comprehensive report prepared annually by the president for Congress. It outlines the major national security concerns of the US and how the administration plans to address them using all instruments of national power (JP-5, p. II-2). The president s National Security Strategy provides a description of overall U.S. National Security objectives coordinating all interagency aspects of U.S. power think DIME not just the military element. The NSS overview states the following: It is the policy of the United States to seek and support democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. In the world today, the fundamental character of regimes matters as much as the distribution of power among them. The goal of our statecraft is to help create a world of democratic, well-governed states that can meet the needs of their citizens and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system. This is the best way to provide enduring security for the American people. Our national security is founded upon two pillars. The first pillar is promoting freedom, justice and human dignity, while working to end tyranny, to promote effective democracies, and to extend prosperity through free and fair trade and wise development policies. The second pillar is to confront the challenges of our time by leading a growing community of democracies in effective multinational efforts to confront varying threats from those presented by pandemic disease, to the proliferation of WMD, to terrorism, to human trafficking, and in responding to natural disasters. The president s NSS affirms the U.S. confronts a very different security environment. More specifically it acknowledges that two oceans no longer protect us. In addition, it emphasizes that while the U.S. has enormous power to address international challenges, we must also recognize the limits of what we can achieve by ourselves. It states that as a nation we will be idealistic in our goals but realistic about our means to achieve them. The NSS cautions that the U.S. must lead by both deed and example. The NSS also directs an active strategy to counter transnational terrorist networks, rogue nations and aggressive states that possess or are working to gain weapons of mass destruction or effect. It emphasizes activities to foster relationships among U.S. allies, partners and friends. Such relationships support efforts to strike globally at terrorist organizations and create conditions inhospitable to terrorism and rogue regimes. The NSS highlights the need to retain and improve capabilities to prevent attacks against the United States, work cooperatively with other nations and multinational organizations and transform America s national security institutions. The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 5
National Policy Documents (continued) National Defense Strategy and Quadrennial Defense Review Report These two documents elaborate on how DOD will support the National Security Strategy. The National Defense Strategy is completed by the Secretary of Defense. It is subordinate to the NSS and establishes a set of overarching defense objectives that guide the department s activities and gives direction for the National Military Strategy. The NDS objectives serve as links between military activities and those of other government agencies in pursuit of national goals (JP-5, pg. II-3). Quadrennial Defense Reviews are mandated by Congress to happen the first year of each Presidential administration. The QDR looks at the next 20 years, and the resulting report looks at defense strategy, national interests, threats, assumptions, and requirements. National Military Strategy To comply with the tenets of the NSS and NDS policies regarding employment of the military element of national power, the U.S. armed forces require a tailored, focused, national military strategy. Therefore, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, drafts and signs a National Military Strategy providing guidance for our uniformed services in supporting both the NSS and NDS. Of the three major strategy documents we ve discussed the NMS provides the most directly applicable guidance for us, as DOD PA professionals, in planning and executing communications in a manner that supports broad, U.S. national security goals. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff assists the president and secretary of defense in providing strategic direction for the Joint Force, in consultation with geographic and functional commanders and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The NMS provides guidance for our uniformed services to support the NSS and NDS (CRS Report for Congress: National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress, 2008, pp. 8-10). Specific required content in the national military strategy report, includes the strategy itself, the strategic environment, threats, military objectives, and the means for meeting those objectives (CRS Report for Congress: National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress, 2008, pgs. CRS 8-10). 6 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Security Environment The security environment, as defined in the current National Military Strategy 2011, is complex. There are many state and non-state actors gaining the capacity to influence. The multi-nodal world is characterized by shifting, interest-driven coalitions based on diplomatic, military, and economic power. Demographic trends global population increase, specifically in urban areas of the Middle East, Africa, and South Central Asia. Prosperity and security economic conditions have strained many nations, yet China continues to modernize and expand its interests. WMD regional stability is at risk with various countries achieving nuclear capabilities. Global commons and globally-connected domains sea, air, and space are global commons and cyberspace is a globally connected domain all are challenged by state and non-state actors. Non-state actors sometimes these are statesponsored who complicate deterrence and accountability by using technologies to spread extremist ideologies and attack U.S. interests abroad. Nations with weak, failing, or corrupt governments are likely to be considered safe haven for these groups. Today the United States faces a number of dangerous and pervasive threats. These threats arise from a variety of nations, organizations and individuals, as well as from disparate historical, cultural, political, economic and religious circumstances. Despite the complex and varied nature of the world we operate in, it is possible to organize these threats into three overarching categories. Doing so will improve our understanding and our ability to make informed decisions both as military professionals and as communications advisors and planners within our respective organizations. These three key categories, or aspects of the new global security environment, have unique implications for executing military operations and will drive the development of future defense strategies, concepts and capabilities. The three key aspects of the new security environment we will discuss are a wider range of adversaries, a more complex and distributed operational environment, and the diffusion of and widespread access to advanced technology. A Wider Range of Adversaries During the many decades of the Cold War, the primary, potential adversaries of the United States were other nation-states. Today however, adversaries capable of threatening the United States, its allies and our mutual interests range from states to non-state actors and organizations and even to super-empowered individuals. Because the United States currently enjoys an overwhelming quantitative and qualitative advantage in conventional military capabilities, these adversaries increasingly seek asymmetric tools, employed in innovative ways designed to exploit our weaknesses. Some of the characteristics of these adversaries include: Nation-States: States with traditional conventional and sometimes nuclear military forces as well as rogue states that violate treaties, secretly pursue the development/proliferation of WMD/E, reject peaceful resolution of disputes and display callous disregard for their citizens. Non-state actors/organizations: Proliferating nonstate actors, including terrorist networks, international criminal organizations and illegal armed groups, which operate within and across national borders to menace stability and security. While these organizations often operate independently of formal governmental authority, they are also sometimes covertly allied with nationstates that support their objectives. Individuals: As destructive technology becomes more widely available, a point we will elaborate on in a moment, even some individuals, super-empowered and super-angry may develop increasing means to disrupt international order. More Complex and Distributed Operational Environment Adversaries threaten the United States throughout a The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 7
Security Environment (continued) complex operational environment, extending from critical regions overseas to the homeland. This operational environment spans the global commons of international airspace, waters, space and cyberspace. Of particular importance for public affairs officers is the increasingly central role information plays in military operations. The global information environment, which includes traditional and social media along with the rapidly emerging universe of collaborative, networked methods of communication, is of growing concern for military commanders. It is more and more crucial to effectively plan what we are going to say (communicate to a worldwide audience) at the same time we plan what we are going to do. In this environment, adversaries take advantage of ungoverned space and under-governed territories, including cyberspace, from which they prepare plans, train forces and launch attacks. Technology Diffusion and Widespread Access Global proliferation of a wide range of technology and weaponry will affect the nature of future conflicts. Dual-use civilian technologies, especially information technologies, biotechnologies, high-resolution imagery and global positioning systems are now widely available. These relatively low cost, commercially accessible, open-source technologies will improve the disruptive and destructive capabilities of nation-states, non-state actors and individuals. They potentially place resources and tools with tremendous destructive power tools that were once the sole province of nation-states in the hands of smaller organizations and groups of individuals. Advances in automation and information processing will allow some adversaries to rapidly locate and attack targets both overseas and in the United States. Software tools for network-attack, intrusion and disruption are globally available over the Internet, providing almost any interested adversary with a basic computer network, an exploitation or attack capability. Now that we've looked at the National Military Strategy, what does this mean to us as public affairs professionals? Let's consider the implications. 8 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
PA Implications PA implications associated with the National Military Strategy 2011: Supporting National interests and National military objectives: here are some ways that PA supports the NMS: Maintain unity of effort with coalition partners coordinate messages and other communication activities with our partners. Deter adversaries disseminate information and imagery to convey to adversaries U.S. military capabilities, potentially avoiding the need to use force. Further U.S. security interests highlighting our global posture to domestic and international audiences (adapted from NMS, p. 10). Photo courtesy of cdn.timesofisrael.com The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 9
Conclusion Public affairs professionals, regardless of where your command is operating, need to understand how the communication plan at the smallest tactical unit is bolstered by aligning with the combatant commanders' guidance. That guidance will align with the National Military Strategy, which nests within the National Defense Strategy and QDR Report, which in turn supports the National Security Strategy. We have discussed the public affairs role in synchronizing communication at various levels and it will be important to remember this as you prepare for your future communication planning efforts 10 The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
References and Additional Resources Joint Publication - 1 Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States (2009 w/ch. 1) National Security Strategy (May 2010) QDR Report (Feb. 2010) Priorities for the 21st Century Defense (Jan. 2012) National Military Strategy (Feb. 2011) CRS Report for Congress: National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress (2008) The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 11