3rd Infantry Division Operations - Fort Stewart - U.S. Army

84 3rd Infantry Division Operations
Communication
It was the information age and the most important battleground
left in Iraq was the media – television, newspaper, internet,
and radio airwaves. The enemy had earned a reputation
for being effective at "information operations." He used disinformation
and propaganda with great effect. He took advantage
of misinformation and spread rumors to extend fear and dissent.
He shaped his message with violence and deceived the public
on the intention of government and U.S. forces. His attacks
were timed for maximum effect on western audiences.
To combat the insurgents IO campaign, the division focused
on three audiences – the U.S./western public, the Iraqi people,
and the insurgents. At the division level, the task of carrying
the story of success in Iraq to the U.S./western media fell to the
division public affairs office. Throughout the Marne Fortitude
II campaign, the division operationalized public affairs. It conducted
interviews with Soldiers' home town media to bring the
story directly to small-town America. It rapidly released daily
video and print stories to internet based and traditional media
via satellite. Soldiers and their Families were kept informed
through email circulated newsletters like the “Dog Face Daily,”
the “Marne Focus” bi-weekly newspaper, and the “From the
Front” quarterly magazine. Leaders escorted embedded media
across the length and breadth of MND-C's area of operations.
The division's reputation for telling its story was widely known
and respected for outpacing the enemy's own efforts in the information
war.
The division developed an Iraqi Media Section (IMS) in its
G-7 section to specialize in outreach to the Iraqi media and
public. Written media products were sent to Iraqi media to be
printed in newspapers across the country. Every major event,