Soldiers

Armed force and diplomacy are interconnected. Soldiers practice media relations, manage military exchanges, serve as embassy attachés, and conduct civic action programs that influence the thinking and behavior of civilian populations. This chapter examines the modus operandi of two rival practitioner communities in the military’s information domain: psychological operations, also known as military information support operations, (PSYOP/MISO) and public affairs (PA). PSYOP/MISO practitioners in multiple wars have dropped leaflets, used loudspeakers, broadcast from aircraft, provided media support for humanitarian relief, and struggled to operate with a doctrine that encapsulates both open information and falsehoods as military necessities. Military and civilian PA practitioners engage in public diplomacy, although not so named, through their actions with embedded journalists, press pools, and media appearances by top officials and commanders.