Community relations are not negotiable. In fact, DoDI 5410.19 states that "community relations programs be established and those command relationships are delineated throughout the Department of War for conducting community relations activities and programs. Well-planned community relations programs help earn public support and understanding of operations, missions and requirements of the military services."
A public affairs officer is the liaison between the base and the surrounding community. Service members and the community will both look to PAOs for factual base information, evidence of environmental stewardship, guidelines for community involvement and opportunities to support days of national significance. They should encourage service members to participate in community, church, athletic and social activities, and encourage community members to share opportunities to collaborate with the base.
Know Who You're Trying to Reach
Community relations often brings different groups of people together. Through your publics analysis you will likely identify on-base publics and off-base publics. On-base publics will better understand the military and the base's missions, while off-base publics may have better access or awareness to current and upcoming community activities and programs.
On-base publics may include:
- Active duty service members, reservists and retirees
- Members of the National Guard
- Government service and contract employees
- Family of military personnel
- ROTC members
- Military auxiliary organizations
Off-base publics may include:
- The local community – This consists of neighbors, fellow American citizens, taxpayers and voters.
- Members of government – This includes representatives from local, state and federal governmental offices with jurisdiction that may affect the base or the surrounding communities.
- Members of organizations involved in Armed Forces matters – This includes Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, ship reunion groups, etc.
- The media – These are representatives from local, national and international media organizations. This also includes host nation media for bases located overseas.
- Social media influencers – These individuals have cultivated a significant number of followers who look to them for authenticity and trust. They have the potential to sway the opinions, attitudes and behaviors of those followers.
- Opinion leaders – These are leaders in the community who have the power to shape public opinion based on their perspective on a single issue or a group of related issues. Examples may include school administrators, civic organization leaders and religious leaders.
- Business leaders – This includes CEOs, members of the chambers of commerce, trade association leaders and business-related clubs or networking organizations.
Become familiar with the different types of information these groups seek, the places they turn to for it and the language they use.
Tips to Improve Community Relations
Some of the most successful community relations tools are public face-to-face social activities and planned community events. These require deliberate planning and knowing who in the community to engage with in order to secure an invitation to important conversations. For instance, including community leadership members in an Honorary Commanders program may provide the base with future avenues for partnerships, shared resources and strategic value.
Below are some do's and don'ts to keep in mind. This is not an exhaustive list, but paying attention to the moving parts of community relations and avoiding common pitfalls will help strengthen the bonds between military and community members.
You can download a PDF version of the list for use with a screen reader or for a quick reference later.
DOWNLOAD EXAMPLE (PDF)