conference paper
Organizing the United States government for the contemporary environment
Abstract
The United States has ceded the informational aspects of the Global War on Terror through lack of a campaign plan and lack of organization to execute it. As a result our enemies are free to foster the perception of a dichotomy between the policies and ideals of the United States government to the detriment of the United States and its allies as well as their efforts to free people around the world. This paper outlines a plan for a strategic-level information campaign and proposes an interagency approach to support it led by a Deputy to the National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and a Strategic Communications Task Force. The Deputy for Strategic Communications will incorporate Strategic Communications considerations into policy formulation at the highest level. As lead for a Strategic Communications Task Force made up of Undersecretarylevel representatives from State, Defense, Education, Homeland Security, and US Agency for International Development (among others), he would be responsible for integration of Strategic Communications into policy execution. As communications with people is becoming much more important than communications with governments, Public Diplomacy will be strengthened through increased personnel and better training. A Corporation for Public Diplomacy will be established to conduct Public Diplomacy beyond Embassy efforts. A Public Diplomacy Institute will study Public Diplomacy methods and train practitioners. The US Information Agency will be revitalized and expanded to leverage all media including print, terrestrial and satellite television, radio and the Internet. A law similar to the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols act will make Public Diplomacy experience and training a requirement for advancement in the State and other Departments to senior supervisory positions. Public Affairs efforts will be expanded to make the government and its actions more transparent to the public of the United States and its allies. Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs practitioners will be assigned to all Department of Defense Combatant Commands and USAID missions. All Departments in the Government will be responsible to integrate information operations into all operations including military to military operations and training, counter-drug and law enforcement operations.
Author keywords
information operations, information warfare, interagency cooperation, national security council, organization, strategic communication, whole-of-government approach