On Monday, the CAC Commander, LTG Caldwell came to the Information Proponent Office (IPO) to talk with the FA30 Qualification Course students and IPO staff. The topic: Culture of Engagement. This was my first opportunity to really hear LTG Caldwell speak up close and personal about a topic that is very personally and professionally important to me. First impression: The CG really gets it. As the CAC commander, the Chief of STRATCOM at MNF-I, and a Division commander, he learned the value of communicating and engaging with the public. Here are some notes and impressions from yesterday’s talk.

LTG Caldwell made it very clear that Information is key terrain in the 21st Century. David Kilcullen, in his book, Countering the Terrorist Mentality, New Paradigms for 21st Century Conflict summed the problem our current force has with planning and integrating information versus the techniques and methods of our adversaries by saying, 

“We typically design physical operations first, then craft supporting information operations to explain our actions. This is the reverse of al-Qaida’s approach. For all our professionalism, compared to the enemy’s, our public information is an afterthought. In military terms, for al-Qaida the ‘main effort’ is information; for us, information is a ‘supporting effort’.”

We often spend 90% of the time planning the maneuver and logistics of an operation, and only 10% on Information. Our adversaries first figure out the information impact they are trying to make and then worry about how the maneuver will support that concept. This is the reason the development of FA30s is critical to the future of our Army. On an interesting side note, the general made a comment that the new FM 5.0 will codify the importance of weaving information throughout planning AND execution.

LTG Caldwell stated that GEN Casey understands the importance of Information as well. GEN Casey uses the phrase, “a culture of engagement.” Every leader in our Army needs to be thinking about how we inform, educate and engage others, and what tools and mediums we will use. We must continue to fight to have those critical staff positions like the G/S-7 filled with FA30s to advise the commanders on Information Engagement with publics and actors. And, we must be culturally astute. But it is not the staff members job to do those engagements; it is their job to prepare our commanders and key leaders to become capable communicators. This is Commander’s business and the G/S-7 staff enables him/her.

This culture of engagement needs a comprehensive approach as well. As already mentioned, we need to integrate information at all phases of planning and at all levels of execution and across all agencies. Information is the element of combat power that crosses all warfighting functions. All methods need to be considered, including new technologies. The CG provided several anecdotes describing the Army coming to grips with the use of new technologies and web based applications. From starting up YouTube at MNF-I to breaking down the Army’s bureaucratic structures to allow CGSC students to Blog, we need to share our story and utilize all venues and tools available.

We must be proactive with our Information; we cannot just remain in a “respond to query” mode. The cry over non-combatant casualties in Afghanistan, often caused by enemy misinformation, is a good example of the need to be proactive with Information as part of the planning and execution process. Operational planning should start by first considering the informational impacts and staffs must prepare Information actions for release in conjunction with or at the completion of maneuver operations. The CG used the recent example of the war in Gaza. Now our Government would most likely not be as restrictive as Israel, but real lessons can be learned on how they approached the use of information.

LTG Caldwell emphasized the importance of the message getting out. With new media, there is no news cycle. The command climate must embrace speed, creativity, and adaptability. Because of this new media, there is often fragmentation of the audience. To reach these fragmented audiences we must be consistent with our message!! He highlighted, “One message with many messengers and many methods of delivery.”

The CG wrapped up the session with advice to the students to just get out there and talk. The Army and by extension, each of us, has a wonderful and compelling story to tell. We need to share the Army story and develop leaders that are competent, confident and capable.

Oh, btw… after the CG’s comments, we now have a Facebook page. Cool.

John Perrine
MAJ, 30A
Assistant Seminar Leader, FA30 Qualification Course
Information Proponent Office