Comprehensive U. S. Government Strategic Communication Policy

Strategic communication policy directly affects U.S. national interests. The United States is doing a poor job of promoting its messages around the world. Global opinion polls have shown a sharp drop in support for the United States over the past eight years, and many attribute that drop to the government's lack of ability to communicate strategically. The United States' strategic communication failure has cost the country friends and allies, and it also hurts the country's ability to carry out its Overseas Contingency Operations missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. This paper examines strategic communication in past and current U.S. foreign policy. It applies lessons learned from the case study of U.S. strategic communication efforts during World War II to the current operating environment. The paper concludes with a list of recommendations for the future of U.S. government strategic communication policy, along with several proposals for future research.