A New Age of Public Affairs Soldiers
A new military occupational specialty (MOS) is born. Effective Oct. 1, 2018, MOS 46Q, Public Affairs Specialist, and 46R, Public Affairs Broadcast Specialist, were combined and re-designated as MOS 46S, Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist.
The transformation of the MOS comes as part of an effort to create more well-rounded public affairs Soldiers who are fluent in all pertinent aspects of media and public relations.
“This change results in public affairs Soldiers, with varied experiences, who can handle any operational task the command needs,” explained Senior Enlisted Advisor, National Guard Bureau Public Affairs SGM Corine Lombardo. “From producing informational videos to climbing into a Bradley and following an infantry platoon out on a mission, the change results in better public affairs Soldiers who understand all of the Army’s informational needs.”
46S Soldiers will be trained to tell their fellow Soldiers’ stories using a variety of media platforms, including writing, photography, videography, web design and graphic design. The new MOS produces public affairs Soldiers who have the skills to deploy anywhere and fill any available public affairs slot.
“Sometimes there is limited seating when we’re going out on missions,” explained SFC Michael Sparks, training developer for the Army Public Affairs Center. “We’d have to make the choice of whether to have a print or broadcast journalist. If we have one that can do both, limited seating is not an issue. And honestly, commanders don’t want just a photographer or just a videographer anymore. They want somebody who can go out and do it all.”
For incoming Soldiers assigned to the 46S MOS, the Defense Information School is launching the 108-day Military Communications Foundation Course where Soldiers will be trained to be well-versed in all aspects of public affairs and media.
Soldiers currently operating as a 46Q or 46R, with a rank of E-6 or below, have until Sept. 30, 2020, to transition to the 46S MOS. The Army Public Affairs Center has identified validation tasks required to transition into the MOS. Current 46Q Soldiers must produce and submit for review a non-narrative multimedia product, while 46R Soldiers must produce and submit for review a photojournalism series including photo cutlines. To prepare for the validation tests, Soldiers may either cross-train through distance learning or participate in home station training. All validation tests will be evaluated and assessed by a senior public affairs noncommissioned officer (NCO). Once a Soldier’s test has been assessed and approved by the senior NCO, that Soldier’s commander will validate the assessment deeming the Soldier fully MOS-qualified.
SFC Sparks encourages public affairs Soldiers to embrace this opportunity to expand their abilities and grow their knowledge base.
“Soldiers are going to come out able to do public affairs writing, photography and video,” SFC Sparks remarked. “They will be able to produce everything as one Soldier instead of needing multiple Soldiers to complete the tasks. I call it the 46 Superstar, because [they] will come out as a well-trained public affairs machine.”
By Staff Writer Tatyana White-Jenkins
