Should U.S. Joint Military Doctrine Give The 'Media' An Operational Function to Support The Operational Commander?

To propose elevating the importance of media to an operational function is a significant demarcation from other researchers who reiterate the obvious advice of just doing a better job to incorporate the media into the operational planning process. This paper will examine the media's importance to the operational commander through historical examples and show why the commander often continues to 'get it wrong' by examining one commander who used the media correctly. It will also recommend that the media should have a separate and distinct operational function to support the joint commander, and conclude with media considerations for the operational commander. The operational commander cannot just give passing thought to the media or leave it in hands of his Public Affairs Officer. The joint commander must personally provide guidance and direction to his subordinate commanders, and continue to answer media questions, but he must also be proactive in disseminating information (good or bad) to the media. He must effectively use the media as an enabler to assist in securing the military objective in support of our nation's policies. However, the fact remains that in today's technology-driven world, the media is a fourth dimension added to air, land, and sea and the operational commander must contend with this potent entity to be relevant. Moreover, the media is an accelerator of immense importance in today's world in respect to the operational factors of time, space, and force affecting the operational commander decision-making.