Public Affairs is a term for the formal offices of the branches of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...

whose purpose is to deal with the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

and community issues. The term is also used for numerous media relations offices that are created by the

U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

for more specific limited purposes. Public affairs offices are staffed by a combination of

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States m ...

, civilian officials and contract professionals. Public Affairs offices play a key role in contingency and deployed

operations Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. The typical Public Affairs office is led by an officer who is in charge of planning, budgeting for, executing and evaluating the effectiveness of public affairs programs, and provides public affairs advice, counsel and support for commanders and senior staff members.

Duties and responsibilities

The Public Affairs Officer (PAO) is responsible for developing a working relationship with

reporters A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and other media representatives, maintaining a robust community relations program, keeping contact with other

government agencies A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administratio ...

, and keeping internal and external publics informed on issues that may affect them. Known as "PAO's" for short, they are expected to coordinate with the appropriate agencies prior to contacting and releasing information to the media on conditions that might result in favorable or unfavorable public reaction, including releases and public statements involving local, regional and national news. PAOs are responsible for preparing information relative to unit participation in military operations, world events, and environmental matters through news releases, special activities, photographs, radio and television, and other informational material. They also review materials such as speeches, news articles, and radio and television shows for

security policy Security policy is a definition of what it means to ''be secure'' for a system, organization or other entity. For an organization, it addresses the constraints on behavior of its members as well as constraints imposed on adversaries by mechanism ...

review and integration with the objectives of the military, and determine appropriate topics. PAOs oversee the production of base newspapers, magazines, and internal information produced by enlisted Public Affairs specialists that include coordinating media visits (if possible) and writing stories to share with fellow deployed personnel as well as audiences back home, both military and civilian. They also produce speeches and act as ghost writers for commanders, often completely developing a commander's public persona. Additionally, PAOs act as a liaison with Hollywood, actively courting

Film Studios A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

through Entertainment Liaison Offices based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

(as an example,

Navy Office of Information West The Navy Office of Information West, also referred to as NAVINFO West, is a public affairs office in Westwood, Los Angeles that serves as the primary Navy liaison to feature films, documentaries, and television programs depicting or involving the ...

). This ensures the accurate representation of the United States Armed Forces through PAOs trained in understanding the needs and requirements of

Film Production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, as well as the complex military culture to find an acceptable arrangement that allows the production to get the necessary footage while protecting the taxpayers investment in the Armed Forces. Tyrese Gibson's character in Michael Bay's

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...

series was a perfect example of the positive results through cooperation between the

and Hollywood. Bay gained access to USAF bases and assets for the film, while the Air Force was not only able to showcase sophisticated USAF aircraft in the movie, they also helped develop one of the main characters - a

combat controller United States Air Force Combat Control Teams, singular Combat Controller (CCT) ( AFSC 1Z2X1), are an elite American special operations force (specifically known as "special tactics operators") who specialize in all aspects of air-ground communi ...

(1C2X1).

In the United States

Training

The Public Affairs community of the United States

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

consists of

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service. India The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be ...

and reserve officers, enlisted personnel, civilians and consultants to provide support for managing the flow of news and information for the military. Public Affairs Officers (PAO) and enlisted members often attend the

Defense Information School The Defense Information School (DINFOS) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) school located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. DINFOS fulfills the Department of Defense's need for an internal corps of professional journalists, broadcas ...

(DINFOS) at

Ft. Meade, Maryland Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command and th ...

prior to their first duty station and for online and instructor-led

professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensiv ...

coursework and advanced training throughout their careers.

Army

The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

's public affairs community is led by the ''Chief of Public Affairs''. As of April 2019, the Chief of Public Affairs is U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Amy E. Johnston. For more, see

U.S. Army Community Relations The U.S. Army Community Relations Division (CRD), headquartered at the Pentagon, serves as the Army's senior outreach activity for the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs (OCPA). Through events and relationships with a wide spectrum of businesses ...

. On October 1, 2018, the

merged the enlisted Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) 46Q Public Affairs Specialist and 46R Public Affairs Broadcast Specialist into a single MOS, 46S Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist. All Army enlisted public affairs Soldiers in the ranks of

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supe ...

fall under this new MOS, while those in the ranks of Sergeant First Class to

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in t ...

will remain in MOS 46Z Chief Public Affairs NCO. Army officers from the 18 primary officer branches are able to apply to join the Public Affairs Functional Area (FA46) upon being selected for promotion to 1st Lieutenant. If selected by the Voluntary Transfer Incentive Program (VTIP), officers are given the officer Functional Area code 46A. They will then serve as Public Affairs Officers at the Brigade level and higher.

Marine Corps Communication Strategy and Operations (formerly Marine Corps public affairs)

The

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

made significant changes to the organization and naming conventions of its public affairs occupational field in 2017 and 2018. The overall goal of the changes was to enhance situational awareness and command and control for the rest of the Marine Corps while improving the Marine Corps’ overall ability to exploit opportunities and maneuver in the modern information environment. In October 2017, the 43XX public affairs and 46XX combat camera occupational fields merged into a single 45XX occupational field and was designated Communication Strategy and Operations (CommStrat). In September 2018, the Office of U.S. Marine Corps Communication was renamed Communication Directorate (CD). The name change was purely administrative and the mission, tasks, and organization of the office was unchanged. The Director of the CD remained a brigadier general. During this re-organization, the Communication Strategy and Operations Company became a single entity as part of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Information Group (MIG). The mission of the CommStrat Company is to plan and execute inform operations, to include public engagement and the acquisition, production, and dissemination of communication and other information products. Marines within the Communication Strategy and Operations community are identified by Military Occupational Specialties (MOS):

Enlisted *4531 (Combat Mass Communicator) *4512 (Combat Graphics Specialist) *4541 (Combat Photographer) *4571 (Combat Videographer) *4591 (Communication Strategy and Operations Chief) *4511 (Recruiting Station Marketing and Communication Marine; this is an alternate MOS)

Officer *4502 (Communication Strategy and Operations Officer) *4503 (Visual Information Officer) *4505 (Communication Strategy and Operations Planner)

Navy

The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

public affairs community is led by the ''Chief of Naval Information'' (CHINFO) within the U.S. Navy Office of Information. As of June 2019, the Chief of Information was Rear Admiral Charles W. Brown. Rear Admiral (lower half) Paula D. Dunn serves as the Vice Chief of Information. Enlisted members of the Navy public affairs community are rated as '' Mass Communication Specialist'' (MC). Officers in Navy public affairs are Restricted Line Officers and hold the Special Duty Officer (Public Affairs) designator 165X. The annual CHINFO Merit Awards (CMA) Program recognizes outstanding achievements in internal media products produced by Navy commands and individuals.

Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs (SAF/PA) serves in the leadership role for the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

's public affairs community. Air Force public affairs officers hold the 35P

Air Force Specialty Code The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing ...

(AFSC). The enlisted public affairs AFSC is 3N0X6, Public Affairs apprentice, journeyman, or craftsman, depending on skill level.

Coast Guard

The Director of Governmental and Public Affairs (CG-092) serves as the senior executive public affairs officer for the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. The current director is Rear Admiral Anthony J. Vogt. Enlisted Coast Guard members are rated as Public Affairs Specialist (PA) after attending the

and come from the Active and Reserve components. Based at the Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building in Washington D.C., The Office of Public Affairs (CG-0922) oversees PAs in support of media relations stationed in major media markets throughout the United States. They work for public affairs officers on district and area commanders' support staffs or in small public-affairs detachments located in major metropolitan areas.

References

External links

United States Navy Public Affairs Alumni Association
(USNPAAA)
United States Army Public Affairs Alumni Association (APAAA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Affairs (Military) United States Department of Defense Public relations Mass media of the military of the United States Military supporting service occupations