15.2 Military Communication (AFH-1 Section 15B)

15.2 Military Communication (AFH-1 Section 15B)

Quick Answer: Communication—oral, written, and nonverbal—is a foundational competency. Effective communication includes presenting complex information articulately and concisely, tailoring it to the audience's concerns, voicing disagreement without triggering a defensive response, attending to non-verbal cues, and communicating with sensitivity. Communication has three parts: sender, message, and audience. Strategic communication aligns actions, words, and images. Public Affairs communicates timely, accurate, and useful information. You own what you post. Organizational communication culture is proactive, innovative, adaptive, leader driven, and sustainable.

Section 15B is ADTC B for SSgt and TSgt. It is the "why and who" of military communication. How to write a bullet, deliver a speech, or format an email is 15D–15F, not this section.

Communication as a foundational competency

The USAF has defined effective communication to include those four skill clusters.

The communication process

AFH 1 repeats that communication breaks into three parts: the sender, the message, and the audience. You are responsible for how you communicate, including how it is perceived. If the audience hears a different message than you sent, the process failed even if your facts were right.

Strategic communication

Airmen must ensure audiences know what the USAF needs, where it is going, and how it can be positioned for success. Strategic communication is designated a special area of emphasis.

The Department of Defense broadly defines it as purposefully using communication to advance national interests and objectives through synchronized integration of information with other elements of national power. Implement it by aligning actions, words, and images to obtain specific objectives. Leaders use strategic messaging to advocate the unique functions and distinct capabilities of airpower.

Enterprise perspective and the USAF story

An enterprise perspective empowers leaders to inform and appropriately influence key audiences by delivering truthful, timely, accurate, and credible information, analysis, and opinion. Truth is the foundation of all public communications, in both credibility and capability. Timely, agile dissemination is essential; conduct it at the time, level, and manner intended.

USAF leaders want every Airman to be a communicator or spokesperson and, through the enterprise perspective, to tell their USAF story. Integrate your personal experience into a message that adds credibility to USAF, DoD, and national strategic communication.

Public Affairs

As stated in AFI 1-1, the purpose of Public Affairs (PA) operations is to communicate timely, accurate, and useful information about USAF activities to DoD, the USAF, and domestic and international audiences. The PA representative is the commander's principal spokesperson and advisor and a member of the personal staff. PA advises on public perceptions of command decisions, supports operational success, and needs resources to push information—including visual information—in near real time. Integrate PA at all levels of command. AFH 1 points to AFI 35-101, Public Affairs Operations, 20 November 2020.

Activity not aligned with good order, discipline, and national security can generate a negative perception. Commanders may address those situations while remaining mindful of the member's right of expression. AFH 1 points to DAFI 51-508, Political Activities, Free Speech and Freedom of Assembly.

Social media and operations security

Airmen interact face-to-face, by telephone, letter, e-mail, text, and social media (AFH 1 names YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat). Individuals are responsible for what they say, share, or post. Blog comments may not reasonably be anticipated or intended to degrade morale, good order, and discipline; be service-discrediting; or degrade the trust and confidence of the public. Social-network "friends" and "followers" may affect background investigations and periodic reinvestigations for security clearances. See DAFH 33-337, The Tongue and Quill, and DAFI 35-101.

Social media magnifies OPSEC lapses. Classified information, controlled unclassified information (CUI), and other official DoD information may not go on social networking services or non-DoD e-mail without proper authority.

Military references and the phonetic alphabet

AFH 1's communicating references: JP 1-02, DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms; the Air University Style and Author Guide (AU-1); the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual; The Tongue and Quill (most PME papers and presentations); and civilian MLA, Chicago, and APA guides.

All U.S. Government and military departments use the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) alphabet for radio communication. The U.S. Armed Forces adopted it in 1956; NATO countries and civil aviation still use it. AFH 1 Table 15.1 lists letters, code words, and pronunciations from Alpha through Zulu.

Organizational communication

Organizational communication is the strategic sharing of information, internally and externally. A culture of communication that stays relevant lets people own the message at every level. Citing Caldwell, Stroud, and Menning in Fostering a Culture of Engagement, AFH 1 says an effective organizational culture must be proactive, innovative, adaptive, leader driven, and sustainable.