Strategic Communication & Influence Operations: Do We Really Get It?
Strategic Communication &
Influence Operations
Do We Really Get ‘It’?
by Dr Lee Rowland & Cdr
Steve Tatham RN
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The last 2-3 years have seen an explosion in interest in the application of influence
as a tool for achieving military objectives. This is not new, the military
have always sought to exert influence — albeit at times unwittingly. However,
two significant events have brought the issue to further prominence – the publication
of JDP3-40 and the deployment of 52 Brigade to Helmand Province in 2007/8.
This article does not intend to debate either in any detail — a quick search of
inter and intra nets will provide plenty of information for the curious
reader — but there are two issues worthy of slightly more discussion.
The first concerns 52 Brigade’s deployment. When Brigadier Andrew Mackay
led 52 Brigade to Helmand Province he did so having examined previous kinetic based
deployments and concluded that these, for various reasons, had not achieved the
effects that he envisaged for his mission. For him the consent of the population
was utterly key and would not, nor could it, be achieved by hard power alone or
even with hard power primacy; as he developed his operational design he felt frustrated
that existing doctrine did not adequately prepare him to operate within the influence
arena. The second is that Andrew Mackay subsequently became one of the driving
forces behind JDP3-40 and in particular the forceful articulation of the ‘centrality’
of influence. However, the ‘how to do it’ guidance still lags behind the emphasis
on and enthusiasm for, its use…..
This paper seeks to provide greater clarity in two key areas — Target
Audience Analysis (TAA) and Measurements of Effectiveness (MOE).
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Lee Rowland is a former Royal Marines Commando. He holds a Ph.D. in Experimental
Psychology and was co-director for the M.SC. in Psychological Research in the Department
of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University. He now directs the Behavioural
Dynamics Institute.
Cdr Steve Tatham is completing a PhD in Strategic Communication and was formerly
Director of Advanced Communication Research at the Defence Academy.
