We found we needed increased numbers of outside phone lines, increased baud rates for video teleconferencing and reliable multiple Internet access. The speed at which modern warfare moves and the equally fast moving media coverage requires the public affairs team to have enough of these resources to stay out in front and coordinate media coverage of operations. One or two phone lines just doesn't cut it. Very few battles or conflicts take place exclusively at sea. Obviously, if part of the mission activity takes place ashore, public affairs must have personnel assigned where the bulk of the news media will be located.
Media have difficulty traveling to important mission areas without military assistance.
For afloat units, media relies exclusively upon military transportation. Even on land, facilitating timely transport of media to the right locations at the right times is necessary to ensure the right story is conveyed to the public. In a multi-national setting, language is an important consideration. The APICs were staffed with a large percentage of officers from the host countries. Fifty percent of the more than 600 news media that covered the exercise were from the host countries.