text: Planning and Operational Considerations
  7-89. The actions of Soldiers and Marines in an area of operations are the most powerful influence on
  credibility of their commanders’ message. All audiences (including local, regional, and threat) compare the
  friendly force’s message with its actions. Consistency contributes to the success of friendly operations by
  building trust and credibility. Conversely, if actions and messages are inconsistent, friendly forces lose
  credibility. Loss of credibility makes land forces vulnerable to threat counter propaganda and information
  warfare and places Army and Marine forces at a disadvantage. (See FM 3-13 for more information on
  messaging.)
  7-90. Commanders, staffs, and unified action partners construct a narrative to help understand and explain
  an operational environment, its problem, and solutions. Narratives are tied to actions in an operational
  environment. A narrative is a brief description of a commander’s story used to visualize the effects the
  commander wants to achieve in an information environment to support and shape an operational
  environment.
  7-91. The key to successful information operations during an insurgency is the commander’s intent. The
  commander’s intent provides a focus for the coordination and synchronization of information-related
  capabilities. Staffs and information operations planners must balance the use of different
  information-related capabilities, such as civil affairs operations, physical attack, and cyberspace operations,
  in order to communicate the intended message to the target audience with an understanding of possible
  second and third order effects on the rest of the global population.
  7-92. When commanders and staffs use the various types of information capabilities, there is a tension
  between a broad message and engaging the population to achieve a two way understanding. The U.S. is
  generally involved in counterinsurgencies to aid host nations. As such, commanders and staffs integrate
  information capabilities with the host nation’s message to tell the population the reason for U.S.
  involvement. Commanders and staffs have to establish relationships, seek two-way understanding, and
  listen to what others think. Effective counterinsurgency normally requires an effective broad message and
  engaging the population in a dialogue. Commanders and staffs must find the right balance between using
  information capabilities to give a broad message versus creating a dialogue.
  7-93. Commanders and staffs balance between controlling the message and allowing for complete freedom
  of messaging. Having a perfectly controlled message does not allow for real, timely communication with a
  population. Leaders must have some ability to actually engage a population and create a shared
  understanding. However, if representatives of a command have total freedom of message, the population is
  bombarded with contradictions and inconsistencies. Commanders and staffs must find the right balance to
  allow real communication, but also to ensure that the command has a coherent message.
  7-94. Public affairs and information operations are separate but related functions. Public affairs are those
  public information, command information, and community engagement activities directed toward both the
  external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense (JP 3-61). External publics include
  allies, neutrals, and threats. When addressing external publics, opportunities for information overlap exist
  between public affairs and information operations.
  7-95. Information operations and public affairs personnel must maintain a common awareness of each
  other’s support to operations to preclude the potential for information conflict. The information operations
  cell provides an excellent place to coordinate and deconflict information operations and public affairs
  activities that could result in information fratricide. Information fratricide is the result of employing
  information-related capabilities in a way that causes effects in the information environment that impede the
  conduct of friendly operations or adversely affect friendly forces (FM 3-13). Final coordination of public
  affairs and information operations must occur within the operations process.
  7-96. In a counterinsurgency, the insurgent often targets the U.S. population with themes and messages
  concerning the insurgency. There are legal and professional reasons why the armed forces cannot attempt
  to influence American public opinion; to do so would undermine civil control over the military. However,
  the military has a responsibly to provide information to the U.S. public. Transparency and truthful
  information allows policy decisions to be debated between decisionmakers and the public. Although
  providing that information during an insurgency is a responsibility of the military, trying to influence the
  actual debate is unethical and damages the military’s relationship with the society.