IMPROVING NATO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS TERMINOLOGY Published by the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence ISBN: 978-9934-564-45-1 Authors: Dr
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978-9934-564-45-1 IMPROVING NATO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS TERMINOLOGY Published by the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence ISBN: 978-9934-564-45-1 Authors: Dr. Neville Bolt, Leonie Haiden Contributors to the Project: Iona Allan, Uku Arold, Beata Biały, Louis Brooke, MAJ Lars Flink, Olivia Griffiths, Julian Hajduk, Benjamin Heap, LTC Robert Hobbs, MAJ Stefan Langnau, LTC(Ret) Rita LePage, Gerry Osborne, MAJ(Ret) Serge Pelletier, Anna Reynolds, LTC Bernd Sölter, Peter Jan Tiggelman, LTC Māris Tūtins, LTC Andy Welsh, Twyla Williamson, LTC Rafał Zgyziewicz Project manager: Elīna Lange-Iontamišvili Design: Kārlis Ulmanis Riga, June 2019 NATO STRATCOM COE 11b Kalciema Iela Riga LV1048, Latvia www.stratcomcoe.org Facebook/stratcomcoe Twitter: @stratcomcoe This publication does not represent the opinions or policies of NATO or NATO StratCom COE. © All rights reserved by the NATO StratCom COE. Reports may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or publicly displayed without reference to the NATO StratCom COE. The views expressed here do not represent the views of NATO. Content 1 Project Objectives . 6 6 Glossary of Proposed 1.1 Terminological Tensions – Definitions (alphabetical) . 30 Project Rationale . 8 1.2 Challenges . 11 7 Background and Examples for Proposed Definitions . 31 2 Who is the end-user? . 13 7.1 Cluster 1 – Elements 2.1 Which communities interact of Communication . 32 with NATO language? 7.2 Cluster 2 – Applying Strategic Is this a problem? . 13 Communications . .46 2.2 Using terms outside NATO – What role 7.3 Cluster 3 – Storytelling . 51 does context play? . 14 7.4 Cluster 4 – Professional Categories of Information/Influence Activities . .59 3 Why terminology and not lexicography? . 16 8 How can we test the project? 3.1 What is lexicography? . .16 (Impact and verifiability) . 60 3.2 Terminology versus Lexicography in Practice . .16 9 Bibliography . 61 3.3 What is terminology? . 17 3.3.1 Early developments in Terminology . .17 10 ANNEX . 63 3.3.2 A General Terminology Theory (GTT) . 18 11 Background Research on Terminology 3.3.3 Beyond the General (long version) . 64 Terminology Theory . .19 11.1 What is lexicography? . .64 11.2 Terminology versus Lexicography 4 Definitions . 21 in Practice . .64 4.1 NATO as a specialised language 11.3 What is terminology? . 66 community and the Discipline of 11.3.1 Early developments in StratCom . .21 Terminology . .66 4.2 Concept . 22 11.3.2 A General Terminology Theory 4.3 Term . .22 (GTT) . 67 11.3.3 Beyond the General Terminology 5 How to carry out this project . 23 Theory . .67 5.1 Methodology: How will concepts be defined? . 24 5.1.1 Best practice for writing definitions . .24 5.1.2 Tensions . 25 5.1.3 Methodological Assumptions . 26 5.2 Why Categorisation Frameworks? . .28 5.2.1 Categorisation Frameworks in Practice . 29 ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 1 Project Objectives ENTITY ROLE North Atlantic Council Provides overall guidance and direction to NATO StratCom efforts, and mission- (NAC) specific strategic and political guidance for NATO information activities. The proposal for “StratCom Terminology agencies in their endeavours but also Secretary General (SG) Provides specific direction and guidance on StratCom. Principle Spokesperson for the Alliance. Improvement” came from the Netherlands, increase efficiency in planning and executing 3 NATO Spokesperson On behalf of SG, provides day-to-day direction of all HQ media activities, including one of the founding member of the NATO military (communications) operations. 1 messaging. Offers guidance to military Public Affairs to ensure that all NATO StratCom COE, and was approved by the NATO is a multi-national organisation with messaging and communications are consistent with political direction and Steering Committee in December 2017. civilian and military personnel, working decision. The Terminology Working Group held toward political and military objectives. Assistant Secretary Oversees the coordination of all StratCom activities across all NATO civilian and consultative sessions throughout 2018. A common language (in the broader sense) General for Public military bodies and commands. Directs all public diplomacy activities. is one of the key success factors for Diplomacy (ASG PDD) THE PROJECT’S KEY OBJECTIVES ARE: effective Strategic Communications. Military Committee (MC) Provides overall policy for NATO Military PA, Info Ops, PSYOPS and military advice to NAC on StratCom issues. Ensuring that the core terms and Terminology is linked to the political, intra- Chairman of the Military Principle military spokesperson for the Alliance. definitions are coherent across agency questions of the place of StratCom Committee (CMC) different areas of NATO StratCom and because the discursive environment in International Military Provides spokesmanship for MC, its Chairman, and Director IMS on StratCom can be equally understood and applied which it operates is particularly complex. Staff (IMS) Office of issues. Provides guidance to DG and Directors, IMS on all PA issues, liaising with the Public Affairs and PDD, PA at SHAPE, SACT and all Joint Commands, national NATO Delegations, and by the military and civilian side. StratCom-related terms are introduced StratCom Advisor national PA departments in Joint Chief of Staff Offices and Ministries of Defence. Creating a sense of responsibility of into, and used within, an institution with its (PASCAD) Principle point of contact in IMS for StratCom issues. 4 Strategic Communications throughout own pre-existing linguistic culture. When IMS Information Responsible for MC policy on Info Ops and PSYOPS, facilitates cooperation all of NATO. terms are used that already have a different Operations (Info Ops) between the two Strategic Commands and the MC on Info Ops and PSYOPS issues. Improving the core terms and meaning within NATO, not only can this lead Supreme Allied Provides guidance on StratCom within Allied Command Operations (ACO), incl. definitions to enable NATO to speak to misunderstandings, but intra-institutional Commander Europe Military PA, Info Ops, PSYOPS, in accordance with overall StratCom directions to the rest of the world in a language rivalries. NATO communications activities (SACEUR) from NATO HQ (NAC, SG, and the MC). Principle spokesperson for current Alliance operations. that is intuitive and limits potential and capabilities include Strategic misinterpretations. Communications (StratCom), Public Supreme Allied Provides guidance on StratCom within Allied Command Transformations (ACT), Commander StratCom concept and capability development in close coordination with ACO. Contributing to the process of building Diplomacy, Public Affairs (PA), Military Transformation (SACT) Principle military spokesperson on NATO transformations. a joint and future-oriented outlook Public Affairs, Information Operations Supreme Headquarters Responsible to SACEUR for development and integration of StratCom plans in of Strategic Communications within (Info Ops) and Psychological Operations Allied Powers Europe support of NATO current operations and ACO activities, in accordance with overall NATO. (PSYOPS) (For definitions of these, consult (SHAPE) StratCom direction from NATO HQ; for the coordination of Military PA, Info Ops, Table 2 in the annex of this paper.). Each of Chief StratCom / Director PSYOPS outputs in support of those plans; for overseeing execution of plans, in of Communications coordination with NATO HQ and subordinate ACO HQs. Terminology projects are usually these approaches developed independently concerned with making communication and, when considered alongside each SHAPE Chief Public Directs, plans, and executes strategic level Military PA in support of NATO current Affairs Officer(PAO) operations and ACO activities. within a specialised language community other, reveals different understandings and more efficient and minimising interpretations of certain concepts and SACT Chief Public Directs, plans, and executes strategic level Military PA in support of ACT activities. Affairs Officer(PAO) misunderstandings.2 Improving StratCom terms. For example, does Public Affairs terminology aims to unify different NATO inform or influence? While ‘target audience’ Table 1 Roles and Authorities in relation to Communications5 6 ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 is a more neutral term in social sciences and of connected events; a story.” At the same NAC sometimes used by politicians, in PSYOPS it time, the Info Ops community is proposing North Atlantic Council SG has a very particular military meaning. to the NATO Terminology Board (at the Secretary General time of the writing of this paper) that As seen in Table 1, different elements of the definition of a “narrative” could be: Strategic Communications at NATO are “A concise but comprehensive written ASG P NATO Spokesperson carried out by parts of the civilian and statement of an organization’s situation Assistant Secretary General military structures, as well as additional and purpose, which can stand on its own as for Public Diplomacy agencies. A visual aid showing the the principle context to strategic planning NATO Command Structure and various directives or be used to support the creation MC spokespeople is provided in Figure 1. of individual culturally attuned stories that Military Committee will resonate with particular audiences and 1 .1 Terminological