Reporting Live from Planning Principles for War in the Information Age

摘要

The media covered the war in the Gulf. The free press is guaranteed by theConstitution the Armed Forces swear to uphold and defend. The press is also a business that both serves and is beholden to the public. Campaigns of the future will protect American vital interests, as opposed to ensuring national survival. Campaigns protecting American interests require the sustained support of the American public and Congress; this support is developed and maintained through the media. This monograph seeks to answer the question: What principles should guide the operational level commander's media campaign realizing that the media transmits the story of the campaign. The monograph begins with a separate examination of military and public affairs theory. The criteria used as a basis for discussion throughout the monograph are derived from public affairs theory and applied to several historical events that occurred during the two campaigns presented in the history section of the monograph. The campaigns, Grant's final campaign in Northern Virginia, and Operation Desert Storm, were conducted under intense media scrutiny and offer the best means of discerning possible planning principles. The conclusion presents three proposed planning principles for operational and public affairs staffs. These three: Planning, Anticipation, and Objective can serve as aids to judgement in planning for war in the media age.