NMR - Communications Plan (Formation Europe)

1350-1 (NMR)
17 April 2009
Distribution List

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR FORMATION EUROPE

References: 
A.  1350-1 (NMR PAO) Nov 06 Internal Communications Strategy for Canadian Forces in Europe
B.  DAOD 2008-0 Public Affairs Policy

Background

  1. More than 500 Canadian Forces (CF) members most of whom are accompanied by their families currently live and work in over 10 countries and more than 100 locations across Europe.  These soldiers, sailors, airmen and women serve in diverse posts including strategic, operational and tactical-level NATO headquarters, in deployed NATO theatres of operation, on exchange and liaison duties or in national support functions across Europe.  These officers and non commissioned members contribute in a myriad of ways to the organizations to which they are assigned.  They also play a considerable role in enhancing the operational effectiveness of the CF by furthering national interests within NATO and abroad.  To be effective, our members must possess the requisite information necessary to perform their duties.  Communications are key to this success. 
  2. The first Formation Europe Communications Strategy, reference A, was issued in 2006, a year before the arrival of a Regular Force Public Affairs Officer (PAO) in the office of the SHAPE NMR.  At that time, public affairs (PA) support was provided by three Reservists located in three different locations in Europe.  The strategy was promulgated in conjunction with the launch of a revamped Canadian Forces Europe Website, a key enabler for passage of information within Formation Europe.  The strategy was focused on the ways and means by which members of the Defence Community stationed in Europe communicate amongst themselves and to a lesser extent with external agencies.
  3. In May 2008, a Webmaster was hired and placed under the supervision of the NMR PAO.  In close coordination with ADM(IM) and the VCDS Group, the Formation Europe Website was completely re-structured to obtain compliance with the Common Look and Feel (CLF) 2.0 / Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Web publishing standards.  Combining the extraordinary potential of the new Formation Europe Website with the improved capabilities of the Canadian Forces Network (CFN) Radio Station has resulted in a number of new communication initiatives.  These improvements have also provided the perfect impetus for an updated Communications Plan.

Purpose and Objectives

  1. The purpose of this Communications Plan is to provide clear direction for communications and public affairs activities conducted in support of missions and activities undertaken within Formation Europe.  The core objectives of this plan are to:

a.         Enhance the readiness of Defence Community members serving in Europe as they perform their primary and secondary duties;

b.Contribute to the overall communications goals of the Government of Canada and NATO by informing the Canadian public and when appropriate our partner Nations’ populations of the many contributions that the Canadian military is making to peace and security in Europe; and

c.         Enhance the quality of life enjoyed by members of the Defence Community and their families while stationed in Europe.

  1. This will primarily be done by focussing on the Canadian Defence Community serving in Europe who effectively contributes to the success of the CF and of ongoing NATO missions, constantly demonstrating true professionalism and providing unique expertise to the Alliance.

Public Environment Considerations

  1. In this era of fiscal restraint and media scrutiny, Canadian citizens are very interested in the way Government resource allocations are spent, especially when National Defence is concerned.  It is anticipated that the media and the public will continue to closely follow the activities undertaken by the Department and the CF.
  2. There is a growing appetite in the Canadian media and across the general public for information on Canadian military activities in support of Canadian objectives overseas and in particular current operations in Afghanistan.  According to an Ipsos Reid tracking survey completed in January 2009, an overwhelming majority of Canadians (88%) have a positive impression of “people who serve in the Canadian Forces.”  Also, despite the many challenges associated with the current mission in Afghanistan and the mounting casualties that continue to attract negative media attention, overall support of Canadians for the CF mission in Kandahar stays at 53%.

Security Considerations    

  1. In our attempts to remain transparent and open, operational security remains a primary consideration that is fundamental to PA planning.  In all communications activities undertaken within Formation Europe, security concerns must be addressed particularly the extent of what can be shared with the media or the public.  In general, “security at source” governs all interactions with the media and it must be emphasized that there is no such thing as an “off the record” comment or interview.

Public Affairs Approach

  1. To accomplish the objectives enunciated at paragraph 4, we will take an energetic and pro-active approach to better inform our target audiences about the roles, functions and accomplishments of our personnel, and when appropriate of their families, to raise the understanding of the public, media and the CF leadership.  In essence, this Communications Plan defines how we manage information functions within Formation Europe to better support our members and their families, maintain a two-way link with Canada, develop pride in the work accomplished by our members whilst they contribute to military objectives in support of CF and NATO strategic, operational and tactical aims.

Guiding Principles

  1. The following guiding principles shall apply as part of the planning cycle and in the decision-making process for public affairs activities in support of Formation Europe objectives:

a.         Leadership.  Communications is a responsibility of leadership.  This notion speaks to more than simply the areas of responsibilities normally assigned to the PAO.  It is a function where leaders take an active role in promoting and supporting the efforts of their personnel and their families by facilitating the passage of relevant and timely information and encouraging a culture where accomplishments are recognized not only internally but also to the widest audiences possible.  Clearly, there is a need to better showcase what personnel in Formation Europe do and develop pride in the significant contributions that are made to CF and NATO missions.  There is also a requirement to increase awareness amongst ourselves and continue to inform the CF leadership of our achievements.  The “ripple effect” is that better informed audiences become force multipliers in our overall communications efforts.    

b.         Primacy of Operations.  Internal communications, media relations, event planning and other public affairs activities are important strategic management functions but are support functions nonetheless.  These activities shall not interfere with the conduct of operations.
Target Audiences

  1. Key Audiences are:

a.  CF personnel & their families serving in Formation Europe;
b.  DND employees & their families serving in Formation Europe;
c.   CF Leadership;
d.   National Canadian media;
e.   Local media in Europe;
f.    Communities where CF / DND personnel & their families are located; and
g.   Other multinational military communities.

Messages

  1. The key messages are:
    1. Our personnel are highly skilled, highly trained, and highly valued wherever they work in Europe.
    2. Formation Europe contributes in a significant way to the operational effectiveness of the CF by furthering national interests within NATO and abroad.
    3. Formation Europe fulfils an important role for the Alliance and our wide range of expertise and knowledge is greatly appreciated by our international partners.
    4. Having gathered significant experience in recent years in a broad range of challenging situations and missions, our personnel are very familiar with NATO operations and extremely effective contributors within the international environment, cooperating with and supporting our multinational partners.
    5. Formation Europe is critical to the development of meaningful missions assigned to the organizations that we support and work for.  As such, our role is vital to helping Canada meet its international commitments.
    6. The Alliance, its headquarters and establishments maintain a high operational tempo and our members work long, hard hours performing key functions.
    7. We look at our world differently since September 11, 2001 and Canadians recognize that terrorism can strike deep in the heart of our Western civilizations.  As such, our members are prepared to contribute effectively and help face these potential threats as part of our ongoing multinational commitments as required.
    8. Although the CF presence in Europe is relatively modest, we are structured and disseminated within various key NATO establishments so that the CF can make a significant impact “where it counts” at the various strategic, operational and tactical levels.
    9. Serving in Europe is truly a privilege.  Beyond some of the normal challenges sometimes associated with living overseas, it is a very rewarding experience for all members stationed here who represent Canada in such a sterling manner.
    10. Our members are true ambassadors of Canada and they make our fellow Canadians proud.
    11. Canada’s current presence in Europe is a continuation of 60 years of CF service as a member nation of NATO.  Our heritage goes back to the Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought and died for freedom in WWI and WWII and who now continue to serve with distinction in Afghanistan and other NATO / U.N. theatres of operation.

Enablers

12.       The following key enablers will be used to help meet the objectives described in this Communications Plan:

  1. Formation Europe Website (www.europe.forces.gc.ca):  The NMR PAO is responsible for the Formation Europe Website, published under the authority of the NMR.  The Website is now fully administered by a Webmaster who works under the supervision of the NMR PAO.  The Website reaches all target audiences and currently serves as both an internal and external communications platform on the Internet.  It is an official DND / CF Website and is accessible to the general public in both official languages.  In every CF unit, organization or location in Europe, Internet Liaison Officers (ILO) are the main points of contact for coordinating with the Formation Europe Webmaster all requests to add, remove or change contents on the Formation Europe Website.  The ILO will make sure that the Web pages representing the areas of responsibility overseen by a particular SCO are relevant and that content change submissions meet bilingual and federal Website publishing regulations.  No matter how small the Canadian presence may be in any particular location, the important contribution that our personnel make in support of CF and NATO objectives deserves to be mentioned on the Formation Europe Website.  As such, SCOs are to ensure that an active and engaged ILO is identified as a point of contact for the Formation Europe Webmaster.  Based on input from ILOs the Webmaster will make appropriate changes to the Web pages or build new pages as appropriate.  The Formation Europe Website enables our leaders to “get the message out” swiftly and efficiently and allows our members, civilian employees and their families to access useful information, organized in a user friendly and familiar structure.  Also, the site is hosted on a DND server and linked to the VCDS Website providing increased visibility of Formation Europe missions and activities to the CF leadership in Canada.  With the quality of its contents, the Formation Europe Website is rapidly becoming a “one-stop shop“ for all members of the Defence community stationed in Europe and their families as well as for those identified for, or seeking a future posting to Europe.
  2. Canadian Forces Network (CFN):  Based on a community radio model and located at JFC Brunssum, CFN is the radio station of choice for CF and DND personnel and their families stationed in Europe and a key enabler for Formation Europe communications activities.  The station provides relevant command and community information, news from Canada, and entertainment content in English and in French.  CFN is the only Canadian radio station in Europe.  It broadcasts to areas in Germany (Ramstein, Geilenkirchen), Belgium (SHAPE) and the Netherlands (Brunssum) on FM frequencies and across Europe on the ASTRA satellite.  Efforts are underway to extend FM broadcast coverage to other Formation Europe locations including Naples and Heidelberg.  Further, the CFN signal reaches all target audiences via a live Internet audio stream on the Formation Europe Website (www.europe.forces.gc.ca) enabling those who currently cannot receive the service to do so at home and at work.  Although the ideal state is to have CFN broadcast over radio frequencies in all Canadian Forces Europe locations, it is a reality that the application process for acquiring such frequencies in Europe is difficult and cumbersome.  As a result in the near term, satellite reception and Internet streaming offer two methods of providing CFN services to our audiences.  SCOs are therefore to ensure that CFN is available for broadcast in main working areas, post offices as well as in MFRCs and/or community centres across Formation Europe.  This can be accomplished by having satellite dishes with receivers or commercial connection Internet stations with speakers installed to serve the areas mentioned above.  These measures go a long way in promoting the listening of CFN by the whole CF community in Europe and allow our members and their families to “stay in touch” both at work and through community type services they receive in their respective locations.
  3. Volunteer CFN “stringers” network:  With the recent acquisition of 10 digital recording devices, efforts are underway to extend CFN’s scope of community reporting beyond the traditional SHAPE or Geilenkirchen-centred areas by facilitating the development of a network of volunteer CFN reporters (“stringers”) across Formation Europe.  Indeed, other areas of Canadian military population centres in Europe need to become active in this regard.  However large or small their communities are, their special events and activities can easily be publicized to the rest of the CF European community and to external audiences.  Once recruited, the volunteer “stringers” will assist CFN with the dissemination of local / regional community or operationally focused information for airing on “CFE Today” reports that are broadcast daily on CFN.  Ultimately, each volunteer CFN “stringer” will be issued a digital recorder and will be invited to participate in a training session coordinated by the NMR PAO.  The volunteers will receive tips on radio interview techniques and instructions on how to operate the recording device as well as how to file an audio story to CFN for final editing by CFN staff.  Through recent CFN Governing Board meetings, Board members were asked to seek interest within their respective communities for volunteers (military, civilian or dependant) to assume the role of CFN “stringers.”  SCOs are to encourage members of their respective communities to consider filling this voluntary role.
  4. CMFRCs:  The increased use of CMFRCs to get the message out to the families needs to be amplified.  These are fixed locations where many of the family members spend much of their time and attention.  CMFRCs therefore provide an excellent opportunity to connect with families and communicate information.    
  5. NMR PAO:  Since August 2007, a Regular Force PAO works as part of the NMR staff with a mandate to ensure that both the internal and external communications functions are executed effectively and in line with current DAODs and Government of Canada policies.  It must be clearly understood that this does not reduce the communications responsibilities of the chain of command; rather, it provides a dedicated central coordination and communications advice function.  SCOs are to engage the NMR PAO to facilitate their local communication initiatives.

Products and Activities

13.       The products and activities required to convey our key messages will vary depending on the requirements and the operational circumstances that may encourage or limit specific communications initiatives.  In general, public affairs activities that may have an impact on Formation Europe or the wider CF shall be coordinated in close cooperation with the NMR PAO.

14.       Communications activities will include the following:

a.         Internal Communications.  An aggressive information campaign that regularly communicates our success stories, the missions and accomplishments of our personnel as well as relevant facets of our community life in Europe is crucial to effective internal communications.  This will be executed mainly through the publication of weekly feature stories on the Formation Europe Website main page.  To reach our audiences beyond Formation Europe, articles will also be selected or generated by the NMR PAO and submitted to the Maple Leaf and other CF base newspapers.  Finally, some content will be developed specifically for the CF leadership and be submitted for publication on the VCDS Group Website on a monthly basis. 

b.         Internet Website.  The Formation Europe Website is a rich, accessible, dynamic, reliable and credible source of current information, presented in an organized manner that is easy to navigate.  It allows members of the Defence community the means to educate themselves about a multitude of subjects relating to their posting in Europe and access a variety of useful tools to make informed choices.  While some aspects of the site are static, regular updates that feature success stories from members of the Defence community and information on national announcements, policies and programmes encourage repeated visits.  To further facilitate its use, a demonstration video of the Formation Europe Website is available for viewing on Youtube by typing “Formation Europe.”

c.         CFN.  CFN is a vital platform to help communicate pertinent command and community information and help increase general awareness of the key functions performed by CF and DND personnel stationed in Europe.  To further expand CFN’s ability to showcase some of our accomplishments and promote a sense of pride within the CF Europe community, CF and DND personnel as well as leaders at all ranks will continue to be invited to record interviews for airing as part of regular CFN programming.  Although the current format of “CFE Today” reports is an effective way to help inform the military community in Europe about local issues and events, there is a need to explore a variety of other story and content ideas to enhance the station’s effectiveness in meeting the information needs of the CFN audience.  These include:

i.  Interviews with Flag Officers visiting Europe;
ii.  Interviews with CF members deployed or returning from operations or significant exercises;
iii.  Christmas messages with deployed members and SCOs;
iv.  Mother’s Day, Canada Day, etc. messages or interviews with CF Europe personnel;
v.  Human interest stories showcasing “who we are” and “what we do” in all levels of activities; and
vi.  “Year in” reviews with the NMR, SCOs, MFRC directors, the Formation Europe CWO and relevant leaders in our community, etc.

d.         Community Relations.  Canadians are very much appreciated by local populations throughout Europe.  Significant local events (Terry Fox Runs, Canadian Christmas Markets, CF participation in Remembrance Day commemorations, charity and other events, etc) shall be managed with a community relations focus and include a robust external communications element.    

e.         Media Relations.  On occasion, local media may be invited to report on newsworthy activities and events relating to Formation Europe, this is particularly applicable to success stories of CF and DND personnel serving in Europe.  The aim is to promote awareness and increase public knowledge of the CF’s achievements in the communities in which our personnel live and work.  Personnel in leadership positions and subject matter experts shall, whenever practicable, act as spokespersons. The NMR PAO shall remain the initial POC for all national / international media queries that may be generated throughout Formation Europe.  As such, the NMR PAO shall consult with ADM(PA) and respond in a timely and accurate fashion and maintain on behalf of the NMR overall responsibility for strategic-level communications activities.  As media relations are a key pillar in communications, no matter how well we do with other communications activities, failure in the media can and does lead to loss of reputation and even mission failure.  The CF has rebuilt and now enjoys a very favourable reputation based on sacrifice, hard work and integrity.  These values must be reflected whenever a story is covering the efforts of CF Europe members.  Any potential injury to those characteristics must be dealt with in an open, timely and effective manner.  SCOs are to report media interactions to the chain of command and the NMR PAO in advance or as soon as possible once initiated.

Coordination
15.       The NMR PAO will provide dedicated central coordination and communications advice to facilitate the effective execution of this Communications Plan.  The NMR PAO will also help ensure that communications activities remain in line with current DAODs and Government of Canada policies.   

Conclusion
16.       Effective and timely management of communications functions related to Formation Europe activities is essential to the success of our mission in support of CF and NATO objectives.  There is a legitimate operational benefit for our leaders to keep our personnel and their families informed and help raise the awareness of the public about the Canadian military presence in Europe.  Furthermore, with the current acute national and international media attention on the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, it is much more desirable for us to communicate our contributions in a planned manner rather than allowing for speculation, rumour or misinformation to take form.  A proactive approach allows us to deliver our communications activities in a way that will serve both our aims and those of the organizations that we support.  This plan will help achieve the desired effect of having a better informed military community throughout CF Europe.  Proper application of this plan will generate an increased information flow through internal platforms that in turn will reinforce external communication efforts and will augment public understanding of Formation Europe missions and an enhanced appreciation of the efforts of its personnel and their families.

Evaluation
17.       The NMR PAO is the POC for this Communications Plan.  The plan will be re-evaluated on a yearly basis by the NMR Office and revised as necessary.  The key messages at paragraph 12 will also be reviewed for effectiveness and will be adjusted as required for incorporation into ongoing communications activities.

(O.S.B)
C.J. Henneberry
Colonel
National Military Representative

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