U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa
SETAF-AFRICA
N'DJAMENA, Chad -- A team of public affairs professionals from the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa exchanged best practices with 20 members of the Chadian armed forces at the Chadian General Staff of the Army Headquarters in N'Djamena, Chad, Jan. 23-27. Officers, sergeants and civilians from the U.S. and Chadian militaries participated in the military-to-military exchange.
"The purpose of M2M is to provide a discussion and exchange of techniques of general public affairs practices, theory, and practical application between the U.S. Army and the Chadian military," said Jeff Alderson, public affairs deputy director for SETAF-AF. "The subject matter exchange allowed Chadian military leaders to better understand how public affairs fulfills the military's obligation to keep citizens informed, and help establish the conditions that lead to confidence in the military's apolitical stance and its readiness to conduct operations in peacetime, conflict, and war. This is also an excellent way for SETAF-AF Public Affairs to better understand the information environment in Chad."
The exchange included an introduction to public affairs, communication planning, the use of social media, public affairs’ role in crisis communication, and responding to media queries. The M2M also helped participants gain shared understanding of communication techniques relevant to each other’s countries.
"The exchange of public affairs best practices are beneficial to everyone. Not only does it help us communicate more effectively, it helps develop lasting relationships between countries," said Brig. Gen. Bermendoa A. Azem, director of communication.
M2Ms are part of the U.S. Africa Command's ongoing M2M familiarization program. AFRICOM conducts M2Ms throughout the year designed to bring together countries to exchange best practices in a particular specialty to enhance their ability to work together and understand how to operate in a specific environment.
