After Action ReviewResponse to 9/11

NY State Division of Military & Naval Affairs Public Affairs Office MNPA After Action Review Response to 9/11

Agenda • Overview of Public Affairs Support • Lessons Learned – Media Relations – Command Information

• Summary

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Overview of PA Support (1 of 2)

• Media inquiries reached a yet unseen level of volume; all quieries consolidated with DMNA media relations, Scott Sandman • Public Affairs tasks directly correlate to skill level training tasks. 9/11 only induced a scope of operational tempo comparable to combat operations 3

Overview of PA Support (2 of 2)

• Actions in lower Manhattan more closely resembled “media-on-the-battlefield” than any other peacetime media relation activity • PA operations included local production of a command information newsletter, photo/video image collections, media escort, and

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Lessons Learned • Issue: Deployability of PA assets • Discussion: Public affairs personnel deploying to • Recommendation:

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Lessons Learned • Issue: PA Equipment shortages • Discussion: On 9/11, there were no operable still cameras within STARC, 42nd ID, 27th Bde or 53rd Trp Cmd PA elements. The majority of MNPA photos are taken by personally owned cameras. The only video capability in the state is in the 138th MPAD. Issued laptops had no PA-unique software.

• Recommendation: Prioritize and field MTOE authorized camera and video sets. Purchase off-theshelf digital or 35mm camera sets for STARC PA and hand receipt to 53rd Trp Cmd and 27th Bde PAOs

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Lessons Learned • Issue: Public Affairs “Basic Load” • Discussion: All PA personnel and sections had to scramble on 9/11 to locally purchase batteries, blank tapes and camera film. All purchases required a state voucher for reimbursement under the SAD requirements.

• Recommendation: Establish a section basic load and PLL for initial deployment and 15 day sustainability of PA required items. Stock with IMPAC for federal mobilization and deployment. Replenish during state emergencies with state vouchers 7

Lessons Learned • Issue: Command Integration of PA issues • Discussion: • Recommendation:

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Lessons Learned • Issue: Command Information products • Discussion: Communicating to the force, their families and employers was critical to morale in the field. JTF 42 continued the established newsletter from the 53rd Trp Cmd HQ, published every 3 days for nearly 2,000 members of the task force. Stories and articles were forwarded back to DMNA for posting to the web or to DoD military news services.

• Recommendation: Sustain and standardize procedures to better pass articles and photos to DMNA and DoD for greater distribution of NYNG articles.

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Lessons Learned • Issue: Media HQ “push” and media control • Discussion: The only reasonable approach to conducting media lifts to the rotation involved significant rear detachment media invitations and coordination • Recommendation: Provide rear detachment media relations section to “push” media forward to Ft. Polk. Conduct media escort from home station forward 10

Lessons Learned • Issue: PA staff sustainability • Discussion: While units supporting NYC rotated every two weeks, there was no plan for sustained PA personnel staffing. Aside from one volunteer from the 138th MPAD (SSG Drumsta) and STARC PA (CPT Giordano), all MPAD personnel redeployed after two weeks • Recommendation: Provide rear detachment media relations section to “push” media forward to Ft. Polk.

Conduct media escort from home station forward 11

Summary • Establish communications between home station and JSTF PAO • Establish links to PA elements supporting “media on the battlefield” • Establish links to Ft. Polk installation PAO and rotational media support activities • Tell your soldiers’ stories to the local Ft. Polk community, home station media, and your troops, their families and employers 12

“You’re either creating a news wave or you’re being swamped by it.”

Jim Wilkinson, Chief White House Press Information Center December 3, 2001