Abstract

The job of military public affairs encompasses a wide range of functions and capacities that specifically affect a number of relationships within military commands and civilian media realms. Because the public affairs professional is at the apex of these relationships, their job is central to positive communication between the military and the outside media. Perceptions of the military by the general public can suffer unless everyone involved in this circle of communication understands the role, function, and job of the military public affairs professional.

The purpose of this project is to compare the function of public affairs as defined by the Department of Defense (DoD) and each branch of the service, and the perception of the job and function of public affairs professionals (PAs) as seen by commanding officers, the media, internal publics, and military public affairs professionals. The outcome of this project will show how each of these four groups perceive the job and function of military public affairs and examine ways to enhance the relationships between them.