Brigadier-General (Retired) David Jurkowski, CMM, CD Former Chief of Staff Joint Operations (1997 2000) Canadian Armed Forces Wednesday, 29 February 2017 1
In this presentation Context Understanding Public Expectations Canada s Response to the Kosovo Crisis David s Response Live Press Conferences Some Lessons Learned 2
Context Regional dynamics Balkan unrest accelerates after Tito s death Berlin wall comes down Shift from a bi-polar to a multi-polar world Canadian dynamics 3 rd National interest - contribute to stable world order Shift from peace keeping to combat operations Somalia 3
Context Somalia Canada s National Shame (1993) Failure in leadership Torture & murder Elimination of the Airborne Regiment Disgraced CF uniform Claims of cover-up No comment during and after the Board of Inquiry 4
Understanding Public Expectations Humanitarian Imperative Ops Cycle 1999 Political Cycle Public Opinion Clean Wars Swift Resolution Opinion vs Fact No Talking Heads 5
Understanding Public Expectations Humanitarian Imperative Political Cycle Clean Wars Ops Cycle 2016 Flickr YouTube Facebook Public Opinion LinkedIn Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Swift Resolution Opinion vs Fact No Talking Heads 6
Canada s Response to Kosovo OPERATION ALLIED FORCE 7
Canada s Response to Kosovo Conscious decision to meet public expectations Openness was a must Visible and accountable leader, not public affairs specialist Live televised press conferences As COS J3 was designated spokesperson for this operation 8
David s Response Initial Instincts Business Continuity Time management Knew start date; what about end date? Separating classified from open press information Mistrust and scepticism Both Official Languages No room for no comments To whom was I speaking? 9
David s Response More than one audience Canadian Public at large Journalists Government of Canada Members of the CF Their families NATO allies Milosevic watched CNN too Ottawa taxi drivers 10
Live Press Conferences Missile Defence Visceral Opinions Peace Keeping Soft Power Clean Wars Future of NORAD Somalia Canada at War in the Balkans Future of NATO Combat Roles Public Trust Classified Information Swift Resolution Proof of Facts Humanitarian Imperative How do I do this well?
Live Press Conferences Daily Preparations 1 hour prior to going live Keep ahead of the issues Situational Awareness through Public Affairs Specialists Journalist networks Staying on message with earlier Allied press conferences What are the daily issues? Release of photo and video proof Finalizing statements of facts Tough questions & animated PAff Officer Inquisition 12
Live Press Conferences Show time 78 episodes Department of National Defence press gallery National / International journalists Presentation segment Factually accurate presentation Unclassified / declassified factual material, statistics, dispelling rumour Proof (CF18 weapons videos, pilot interviews) Honesty 13
Live Press Conferences
Live Press Conferences
Live Press Conferences Q & A segment PAff Officer directed traffic to two microphones Animated journalists with distrust of the CF Deflecting probes on classified issues (eg: ROE, Allied actions, capabilities, timings, etc) Personal interaction with journalists (bridging, correcting) Only three questions not predicted over the period Dealing with negative situations (Korisa bombing) 16
Live Press Conferences Outcome: positive Reinforced the critical importance of having: Visible, accountable leaders answering to the public A well-developed Situational Awareness of expectations A very plugged in Public Affairs team Reconnected with journalists A turning point in the resurgence of respect for our men and women in uniform
Some Lessons Learned Senior leadership accountable and must engage Public Expectations must understand Everyone identify & speak to all your audiences Everything - full situational awareness Calm thoughtful, measured response Honesty scrupulously. Don t know? Say so, but get back ASAP. 18
Questions 19