USAF commanders are looking for better ways to use the global information environment to win the hearts and minds of Muslim populations and retain the goodwill of traditional allies. Their efforts occur against a backdrop of individuals who advocate the integration of public affairs and information operations and those who argue for their separation. As the public face of our joint forces, public affairs cannot thrive unless it is integrated with all core operational capabilities, including information operations.

Introduced in 1998 by the Department of Defense, the concept of information operations (IO) proposed to revolutionize the ways in which warfare, diplomacy, and business were conducted. However, this transformation has not come to fruition. Two large gaps remain: between policy and theory, and between the funding needs of IO initiatives and the actual funds the federal bureaucracy is willing to provide to support these operations. These two discrepancies are central to the overall discussions of Information Operations Matters. Leigh Armistead explains why these gaps exist and suggests ways to close them. Also in discussing best practices in IO, he clarifies how the key agencies of the U.S. government can use the inherent power of information to better conduct future strategic communication campaigns. Information Operations Matters presents a more pragmatic approach to IO, recommending that IO policy be made surrounding usable concepts, definitions, theories, and capabilities that are attainable with the resources available. To meet the threats of the future as well as those facing us today, Armistead argues, it is necessary to use this new area of operations to the greatest extent possible.

A guide to strategic communication that can be applied across a range of subfields at all three levels—grand strategic, strategic, and tactical communication Communication is a core function of every human organization so when you work with communication you are working with the very core of the organization. Written for students, academics, and professionals, Strategic Communication Theory and Practice: The Cocreational Model argues for a single unified field of strategic communication based in the three large core subfields of public relations, marketing communication, and health communication, as well as strategic communicators working in many other subfields such as political communication, issues management, crisis communication, risk communication, environmental and science communication, social movements, counter terrorism communication, public diplomacy, public safety and disaster management, and others. Strategic Communication Theory and Practice is built around a cocreational model that shifts the focus from organizational needs and the messages crafted to achieve them, to a publics-centered view placing publics and their ability to cocreate new meanings squarely in the center of strategic communication theory and practice. The author—a noted expert in the field—outlines the theories, campaign strategies, common issues, and cutting edge challenges facing strategic communication, including the role of social media, ethics, and intercultural strategic communication. As the author explains, the term "strategic communication" properly refers only to the planned campaigns that grow out of research and understanding what publics think and want. This vital resource answers the questions of whether, and how, strategic-level skills can be used across fields, as it: Explores the role of theory and the cocreational meta-theory in strategic communication Outlines ethical practices and problems in the field Includes information on basic campaign strategies Offers the most recent information on risk communication, preparedness and terrorism communication, and employment in strategic communication Redefines major concepts, such as publics, from a cocreational perspective

Over 1,600 total pages ... CONTENTS: AN OPEN SOURCE APPROACH TO SOCIAL MEDIA DATA GATHERING Open Source Intelligence – Doctrine’s Neglected Child (Unclassified) Aggregation Techniques to Characterize Social Networks Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Issues for Congress A BURNING NEED TO KNOW: THE USE OF OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE IN THE FIRE SERVICE Balancing Social Media with Operations Security (OPSEC) in the 21st Century Sailing the Sea of OSINT in the Information Age Social Media: Valuable Tools in Today‘s Operational Environment ENHANCING A WEB CRAWLER WITH ARABIC SEARCH CAPABILITY UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA TO FURTHER THE NATIONWIDE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTING INITIATIVE THE WHO, WHAT AND HOW OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLOITATION FOR A COMBATANT COMMANDER Open Source Cybersecurity for the 21st Century UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE: CAN BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS HELP PREDICT WHO WILL COMMIT UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION? ATP 2-22.9 Open-Source Intelligence NTTP 3-13.3M OPERATIONS SECURITY (OPSEC) FM 2-22.3 HUMAN INTELLIGENCE COLLECTOR OPERATIONS