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Abstract

This project extends previous research on public affairs crisis communication (Hunter, 
Berry, Goodrich-Hinton, & Lincicome, 2000), by combining crisis communication theory and actual military public affairs practices. The 12 strategies of the Hunter, et al. (2000) 
typology were vetted to a cross section of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and
Marine public affairs professionals to determine which have the most utility in military crisis communication situations. An online survey including quantitative, qualitative and Likert scale questions was given to a sample of military public affairs practitioners to gather data about which strategies they have used, the perceived effectiveness of the strategy,  tactics employed in support of the strategy and which strategies have application for future use in crisis communication situations.  Forty-nine respondents, officer, enlisted and civilian from all components and branches of the service rated release coordination, responsiveness, openness, and message strategies as the most efficacious while the legal implications: cultural strategy was of little value for them.  More research is needed to determine which strategies fit best with specific crises and to template specific tactics to develop a proactive crisis communication tool kit for military public affairs.