Barno: Generals who can't handle dealing with the media aren't very good generals

By Lt. Gen. David Barno,
USA (Ret.)

Best Defense office of flag officer affairs

The recent firing of Maj.
Gen. Fuller by ISAF commander Gen. John Allen once again has thrust the
interaction between the media and our senior military leaders into the public
sphere. For a General Officer (not a lieutenant)in today's world, effectively
dealing with the media and conducting all manner of operations in a media
intense environment is a core competency. If GOs are unable to navigate that
environment today, they simply should not be GOs. The trend toward "press
avoidance" by more and more generals as an escape route reflects a GO
population that is out of its depth in understanding and dealing with the
Fourth Estate -- and, arguably, therefore also in communicating to the American
people. Avoiding the press is in many ways an abdication of commanders'
fundamental responsibility to tell the story of their command or mission to the
our citizenry and to our lawmakers, almost all of whom learn these things only
through the news.



Understanding the global media environment and maintaining the daily
situational awareness of what's going on around them is a fundamental of
strategic leadership in 2011. GOs who are less than 3-dimensional leaders will
have difficulty with this -- it would be interesting to dissect MG Fuller's
background to see if anything in his unusual rise through acquisition ranks to
become the deputy US General training Afghans ever exposed him to anything 3-dimensional
as opposed to 1-D or 2-D largely job-focused tasks.

It is also worth reminding generals of
an obvious point: Even When you are in the depths of an interview, you always
have the opportunity to say nothing! Not answering a question designed to
elicit a "newsworthy" remark is perfectly acceptable - most
especially when you are asked to opine on something that, even though you may
have strong personal feelings, has little or nothing to do with either your job
or the ostensible purpose of the interview. Not answering baited questions is a
level 101 skill - and reflects a smart choice and one much different than
simply parroting command talking points or being "shaped" by a
zealous PAO minder. 

The bottom line is that Generals have
to have their wits about them and see where they and their interactions with
media fit in the macro environment - that messy collage of national politics,
ambitious reporters, newsmaking goals, U.S. government and host nation
sensitivities, and the enemy's media game plan. If you can't fit all those
pieces together and operate in that environment, first, you shouldn't try and second,
you probably shouldn't be a general officer in the complex and very public
world of 2011.

IMHO, this is really not all that
stunningly hard to figure out and be ready for - and it's absolutely part of
your job these days as a guy or gal wearing stars on your shoulders.