Military communicators should read. If you read and explore your organizations can depend on you as a communications expert. Public affairs officers who don’t expand their skills beyond DINFOS complain their commanders don’t listen to them.
The New Rules of War by Sean McFate has a little controversy surrounding it, I guess. I tweeted about it a few weeks ago and some guy systematically ripped the book apart. Impressive…and ambitious criticism – no matter, it’s still a good read.
As Joe Byerly said, the author certainly challenges our thinking; and he does this in a logical, seemingly historical way. Will contracted militias be the way of the future? They were the way of the past. We see plenty of real world examples of it today.
For us communicators, does non-attributed psyop win the day? Is this how nations will fight? If so, we’re very, very far behind. Here’s a good slap of realism:
Ny Times: Russian General Pitches ‘Information’ Operations as a Form of War
Will wars never be declared or won, rather we’ll be in a perpetual state of conflict? Many of you know where I serve as I write this.
This is one of the books I read, thought a lot but then over several weeks revisited my thoughts as I saw real world examples and events. I go back again and again as I read the news and witness what’s happening in our world and military.
I recommend this book but take that with a grain of salt. I recommend a lot of books. Almost any books. Our nation depends on us to be professional communicators, to think and to be informed – 2 months at DINFOS ain’t gonna get you there.
Photo by: U.S. Coast Guard District 1
