US Military Information Operations FM

[invictus0972]

Sir,

Thanks for that very cogent response; it was extremely helpful. I was talking just today with the PAO officer on the 1st ID staff, and he suggested that the G-7 was pretty much a "planner" for all the IO tasks. I am starting to get an understanding of the concept. I just have a little confusion when I consider the point you made in your post, which is also made in FM 3-13:

It's also worth noting that the role of the command's Public Affairs Officer as a personal staff officer does not change under this scheme.

Using your example of the G-4, he does not have another person on his staff who is considered a "personal staff officer." I can see scenarios in which the G-7 and PAO are at odds, and the PAO would use his position as a "personal staff officer" to push his own agenda. At the division and higher level, I suppose it is a trivial point; but if the egos of the parties were big enough, it could hamper the planning process.

Again, thanks for the response. You have cleared a few things up for me.