Public Affairs Officer

Overview

The Public Affairs Officer acts as a liaison between the Army National Guard and civilian authorities and populations. The Public Affairs Officer combines regional expertise, language competency, political-military awareness, cross-cultural communication and professional military skills to conduct public affairs operations and support civil-military operations in support of conventional and special operations forces.

Job duties

• Command and control operations and combined Armed Forces during combat and peacetime
• Coordinate employment of public affairs Soldiers at all levels of command in U.S. and multinational operations

Training

Job training for a Public Affairs Officer requires completion of a Public Affairs Officer Qualification Course, where you'll learn about leader responsibilities, mission types, CA tactics and other critical information that leads to success in the first unit of assignment. Training will also include classroom instruction combined with scenario-based practical exercises and a command-post exercise. Qualification is completed with a situational-driven field training exercise. Select officers will also receive language training and attend a course of study focusing on a specific geographic region.

Helpful skills

• Self-discipline
• Physical fitness
• Ability to perform under physical and mental pressures
• Ability to make decisions quickly and on your own

Civilian career relevance

The skills you learn will help prepare you for a career with the U.S. State Department, relief organizations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Homeland Defense and public administration. You'll also be qualified to pursue a career as a senior executive, public administrator, project manager or research analyst.