46x: The fight to reform DOD Public Affairs

06/19/2026

Public affairs has spent decades thinking about foreign audiences in terms of message: what we say, and how we say it. The contest has moved. In a growing number of markets, influence is won earlier, at the point where local outlets decide what to run. Whoever supplies the content that is easiest to publish shapes the coverage before a single message is drafted.

The Solomon Islands openly show the strategy. CCTV+, China's state-owned international video news service, has offered the Media Association of Solomon Islands and the outlet In-depth Solomons free use of its raw footage. According to Reporters Without Borders, several local outlets have already signed on. A 2022 case documented by OCCRP went further. The Solomon Star sought about 140,000 US dollars from Beijing to upgrade its operations, pledging in return to promote China as the islands' "most generous and trustworthy" partner.

This is a PRC strategy, not a one-off. The mechanism is simple and not propaganda. A newsroom on thin margins has airtime and pages to fill, but not enough budget to do so. Free, broadcast-ready content solves that problem the moment it arrives. Beijing never argues a position. The position rides along with the footage.

For DoD public affairs, this is the foreign information environment we now operate in, and the response does not need a new program or a line in the budget. It needs the PAO to use what is already in the shop. A few low-cost moves:

- Map the supply. In your AOR, know which outlets run adversary-supplied content and why. That is an information-environment assessment, the same scan you already ran for tone and narrative.

- Be the easier source. Package attributable b-roll, footage, and ready-to-run material and push it to partner media through DVIDS and direct contact. You already produce this. The win is making it the most convenient option on the desk.

- Build the relationship before you need it. Offer partner-nation journalists access, interviews, and embeds around the exercises and engagements you are already running. A trusted source beats a free feed.

- Brief it up. Put the content-supply picture in your IE reporting so the commander sees the competition that rarely makes the slide.

The adversary is not winning the argument. It is winning the loading dock, the place where content enters the newsroom. A PAO can compete there this week, with footage already shot and relationships already in reach. Be the easier source. Brief the gap. Close it.

06/07/2026

AI Tells:
It’s not just one tell, it’s a pattern. -The em dash splitting a thought right down the middle - The “not this, but that” pivot. The confident hot take built entirely on a hypothetical that never happened.
In today’s fast-paced landscape, the signs are everywhere. 🚀

Or the dry ranked version:

3. The em dash slicing every other sentence in half
2. The “not X, but Y” reveal
1. The post that opens with a fake anecdote and links to a study that doesn’t exist

And the deadpan close (your original, tightened, with a kicker):

The em dash splitting sentences. The “not this, but that” transition. And the worst one — the breathless post built on a hypothetical nobody can find.

Anyway, written by Claude. 😉

Happy Sunday

05/16/2026

I just finished an article called "Read Past the Podium" on LinkedIn. Ill paste it below, or check it out with the link:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/read-past-podium-46x-q667f/
Many international "events" in the wire aren't events. They are posture statements. A senior figure stands at a podium, expresses concern, calls on the parties to act, and reaffirms a commitment. The camera rolls. Nothing changes.

Public affairs officers consume these by the hundred each week. The concern is passing the updates unfiltered to the commanders, as if a statement and an action were the same object. They are not.

The cost is the command's decision space. Every minute a commander spends weighing a posture statement that produced nothing is a minute not spent on the action that produced something else. Compound that across a deployment, and the command operates in the theater while the actual environment moves underneath it.

Clean reporting is faster reporting. The staff who supply it are consulted and build trust.

When a statement crosses your desk, ask yourself four questions before logging it as news.

Did anything change because of this? A signature, a vote, a unit moved, a transaction cleared, an arrest made. If no, the item is posture. Note it for the file.

Who acted? Posture statements describe what someone said. Actions name a doer and a deed. If you cannot name both, you are reading PR.

What was the second-order consequence? Real actions move other actors. A sanction triggers a counter-move. A vote triggers a recalculation. A strike triggers a posture shift. If there is no ripple within 48 hours, the event was inconsequential or not what it appeared to be.

Who is the statement-maker's audience? If the answer is their own electorate or coalition, you are reading domestic positioning dressed as international news.

Run a week from the past through these filters. Please include a line in your notes for the G7 communique. The summit photo gets a citation. The treaty signed without implementing legislation gets a citation. The strike that killed an adversary commander is included in the brief. The arrest of a designated entity gets the brief.

You will surface fewer items per day. The ones you surface will matter.

This is not skepticism for its own sake. The statement-makers are playing their role. They are positioning themselves with their electorates, holding diplomatic space and signaling to coalitions. Those are real functions. They are not ours.

We sit upstream of the commander's decision. The information we filter forward shapes what the command considers and what it ignores. Pass posture through, and the commander gets muddled in vagaries. Filter it out, and the commander gets the actions that matter.

The public is already fatigued by the endless commentary and false outrage. They have seen the pattern. The officers we serve cannot afford to be fatigued. They have to decide.

I recommend making your media analysis short, sharp, and grounded in events that impact decisions.

Read past the podium. Document the move. Brief the action.

Have a great weekend.

Many international "events" in the wire aren't events. They are posture statements.

03/03/2026

Last night I had the honor of interviewing Zolal Habibi, an Iranian leader in the fight against the regime. Check it out at:
Website:
https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/podcast/
Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-ca-podcast/id1371006736
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2mdBzFrTTLq04MyfHaNfK3
Audible:
https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-One-CA-Podcast/B08JJP8KZT
iHeart:
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-the-one-ca-podcast-31081128/

One CA Podcast is here to inspire anyone interested in traveling to work with a partner nation’s people and leadership to forward U.S. foreign policy. We bring in current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences and give recommendations for...

01/13/2026

With the Iranian protests and killings, I am releasing an interview with Zolal Habib, one of the leaders of the Iranian resistance. This is part one, focused on the protests. Next week is part two, where she talks about a future Iran after the regime:

Website:
https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/podcast/

Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-ca-podcast/id1371006736

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2mdBzFrTTLq04MyfHaNfK3

Audible:
https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-One-CA-Podcast/B08JJP8KZT

iHeart:
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-the-one-ca-podcast-31081128/

12/22/2025

Some Thoughts on Press Statements

Working with cohorts and spokespeople, I’ve seen many different approaches to drafting press statements. Most rely on the 5 Ws; others also use Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Each tool plays an important role. The 5 Ws ensure the essential facts are clear, while RCA helps anticipate how the media will interpret those facts and what follow‑up questions they may ask.

The challenge is that when communicators use one tool without the other, gaps often appear. Reporters fill those gaps with assumptions, leading to more questions and avoidable clarifications. To make the process easier and more consistent, I combined both models into a simple, straightforward approach that pairs factual clarity with anticipatory thinking. The hybrid model should help writers produce more complete press statements that reduce avoidable follow‑on questions and speed accurate reporting to the public. A better front-loaded statement means cleaner reporting, which improves audience knowledge and trust.

The Combined 5 W / Root Cause Analysis Approach
Start by drafting the core 5 Ws to establish the statement’s baseline. Then apply root‑cause analysis by predicting the first underlying question a reporter is likely to ask. These questions typically focus on accountability, causality, timing, impact, or risk. Write one clear, defensible sentence answering each predicted question. Once you have all the drafted answers, look for where the rationale may not fully address the issue. Use these insights to tighten the main statement. These extra steps keep the process efficient while ensuring the final message is complete, consistent, and ready for scrutiny.

Example: A city transit authority is changing bus routes
The 5 Ws
Who: Metro Transit Authority (MTA)
What: Adjusting three major bus routes
When: Changes begin April 10, 2026
Where: Downtown and Eastside corridors
Why: To improve reliability during peak hours

Resulting in the Statement
The Metro Transit Authority will adjust three bus routes in the downtown and Eastside corridors beginning April 10, 2026. The changes are to improve reliability during peak hours.

This version is factually correct but leaves unanswered questions about who decided this, why it’s happening now, why the MTA chose these routes, and what’s driving the issues—exactly the gaps reporters tend to fill on their own. Below, I use the RCA method to vet the 5 Ws and test for gaps in the statement.

Root Cause Analysis in a Q&A Format
Q (Who): Who made this decision, and who is most affected?

A: The MTA board approved the change after reviewing six months of performance data showing repeated delays on these routes.

Q (What): What problem is this change actually solving?

A: The adjustments address chronic congestion points that have caused the majority of missed connections system‑wide.

Q (When): Why implement this now? Was there a failure or trigger event?

A: April 10 aligns with the quarterly scheduling cycle, allowing the shift without disrupting operator assignments.

Q (Where): Why these corridors—are they being deprioritized or underserved?

A: The downtown and Eastside corridors account for 40% of peak‑hour delays, making them the highest‑impact areas for improvement.

Q (Why): Is “improving reliability” the real reason, or is this driven by budget or staffing issues?

A: Reliability issues have increased due to operator shortages and construction bottlenecks, and the route changes are the most effective short‑term fix.

Root‑Cause Patterns Identified
Operator shortages are a key driver
Construction impacts are temporary but significant
The affected corridors have disproportionate congestion
The board decision was data‑driven, not budget‑driven

Answering these questions will help you avoid future questions and Freedom of Information Act responses.

Refined Statement
The Metro Transit Authority will adjust three bus routes in the downtown and Eastside corridors beginning April 10, 2026. The changes target the areas responsible for most peak‑hour delays and align with the system’s quarterly scheduling cycle. Recent performance data shows that congestion and operator shortages have reduced reliability, and these adjustments are the most effective way to restore consistent service for riders.

Thanks for reading. I hope it helps save you from endless assumptive follow-up questions.

article also on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/press-statements-46x-mftfe/?

12/17/2025

Army PAO Deputy Director position for CJTF-HOA located in Djibouti has just been posted on Tour of Duty (https://mobcop.aoc.army.pentagon.mil/).

Note it is posted as an O3 position but ideally looking for an O4 or O5.

This is a 400-day mobilization (365 BOG) w/ a CRC report date of 10 Jun 2026.

The ToD position ID is 420389.

We’ll start looking at applications in the Jan/Feb timeframe to make a selection NTL Feb/Mar 2026 to start the orders process which can be lengthy as after ToD packet makes it through, then a CONUSA order needs to get published before the 12302 IMO is cut.

Thanks all,


Peter C. Babich, Jr.

LTC, AG

CJ-1 Director

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa