In preparing senior Afghan Ministry of Interior leadership to respond to international concerns relating to the war, members of the MOI Public Information staff prepare news briefs ... a synopsis of ongoing events throughout the nation. (Photo by G. A. Volb)
The MOI Public Information staff monitors radio traffic for issues they may want senior leaders to address. (Photo by G. A. Volb)
Regional news is gathered for their information products. (Photo by G. A. Volb)
The staff also monitors daily TV broadcasts for insight into national and international concerns. (Photo by G. A. Volb)Initially called on to work with members of the Afghan Ministry of Interior in developing their strategic communications program, I've been redirected ... exactly where at this point is unknown. Essentially, the office doesn't exist on their end, so no need to mentor the program.
What they have done, and I'm all in favor of the action, is wrapped up STRATCOM/PAO initiatives into one "directorate" known as Public Information. U.S. Department of Defense Public Affairs professionals would tell you that's exactly how it should be given nearly verbatim mandates for PAO and STRATCOM divisions. There should be no separation of focus ... if handled properly.
Simply put, if your PAO isn't executing what would be considered STRATCOM today, then he/she is not doing the job as intended.
Anyway, a small staff at the MOI handles gathering current issues, news, and international queries, then preps senior leadership for possible use in weekly addresses. The effort is a mainstay in the ministry's challenge of keeping Afghans (and the world) up to speed regarding government focus and initiatives.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Zemarai Bashary executes press briefs and responds to queries quite nicely by all accounts. And it's his staff of Public Information gurus that ensure he's ready to do so.
No doubt, this staff could use a bit more support in the way of high-end hardware, but they get the job done nonetheless. With all eyes on the war in Afghanistan, their mission of delivering the right messages in the appropriate format and to the right audiences is crucial to building support for the current Afghan government.
