Lost Missiles, Lost Messages

Understanding crisis communication, the high-reliability organization

concept and military public affairs

A supplement to study’s research proposal, which is also attached to the presentation

What is a Crisis?• “The perception of an unpredictable event that

threatens important expectancies of stakeholders and can seriously impact an organization’s performance and generate negative outcomes.” -Coombs

– Unpredictable– Threatens expectancies– Impacts performance– Perception

Communicating in a Crisis

• Normal rules don’t apply during a crisis– Shortened response times– Impact on all organizational functions– Greater emphasis on accuracy and consistency in

messages• Organizations should always be prepared for a

crisis– Crisis management plan– Crisis communication plan

• Precrisis stage

High-Reliability Organizations

• This case study focuses on Air Force response through the HRO lens

• HROs are organizations with missions in which failure could lead to potential catastrophe– Concept has been applied to numerous operations

• Prisoner transport• Airport security• Naval flight operations• Coal mining• Nuclear operations

– Increased importance for crisis preparedness

High-Reliability Organizations

• HROs share many of these common traits:– Practice mindfulness

• Preoccupation with potential for failure• Deference to expertise

– Centralized command with decentralized decision-making authority

– Team members share common understanding of goals– Constant operational training– Regular assessment of plans and execution– Redundant operations and safety checks– Highly scrutinized by stakeholders and regulators– Show evidence of organizational learning

United States Air Force• Only military organization in the world to use nuclear

weapons in combat (Army Air Corps)– Japan, 1945

• Has played constant role in nuclear weapons-handling and deterrence mission

• Two Bent Spear incidents prior to 2007– 1966 – four bombs lost in Spain/Mediterranean Sea– 1968 – B-52 crashed on Greenland sea ice with four bombs

in payload• Three AF units currently charged with maintenance of

service’s nuclear weapons– 2007 mission was part of extended campaign to retire 400

AGM-129 missiles

Air Force Doctrine Document 2-5.3• Governs Air Force Public Affairs– “Maximum disclosure of timely and accurate

information as rapidly as possible”– Does not mention crisis communication– Says PA ops should be incorporated in operations– Emphasizes trust with stakeholders

• Support operations• Aid in recruitment

– Must be a balance between security and transparency• Cannot release sensitive operational information• Cannot withhold information simply because it is

unflattering

Military Public Affairs

• Military public affairs officers are considered special staff– Have direct ear of commander– Are often several steps lower in rank• For first time in 11 years, current Air Force chief of

public affairs is a general officer

– Rank gap allows commanders to ignore public affairs guidance in many situations

– Other military policies can trump AFDD 2-5.3 (we’ll see this happen)

Military-Media Relationship• Long history of difficulty in relationship heading into

21st century– Vietnam

• Some research points to media coverage creating public backlash against the war

– Grenada• Journalists weren’t allowed on the ground

– Panama• Journalists complained about receiving little notice prior to

invasion• Cheney: Information flow was a problem government didn’t trust

the media to solve

– 1991 Gulf War• Military exercised pre-publication approval process

Crisis Communication?

• Considering this information, did the incidents of August/September 2007 constitute a crisis for the Air Force?– Unpredictable event

• Redundant safety measures should have prevented this

– Negative impact on operations• Nuclear operations immediately halted• Nuclear surety certifications revoked• Firings of high-ranking officers

– Exacerbated by later discovery of mistaken shipment of classified nuclear components to Taiwan