Strategic communications: current state within security and defence sector

In the current dynamic world the strategic communications (STRATCOM) mean a comprehensive process which is aimed at developing, promoting, and distributing the required narratives and messages of any organization in order to form and ensure its positive image, inform counterparts (adversaries) and target audiences of the organization’s intents and positions, main tasks and achievements. While implementing the STRATCOM, it is very important to remember about their main rules and principles which are unique for both security and defence sector and business. Unfortunately, in the current “hybrid” measurement sometimes we should realize the eff ectiveness of the SC activities, thus it is necessary to defi ne the measurements of eff ectiveness and performance for eff ective evaluation of activities. Ukraine has been repelling the aggression in the Eastern Ukraine since 2014 within massive hybrid warfare against it. Th is fact has caused the initiating a range of reform and innovative processes in Ukraine. Since then, we have known about the STRATCOM in Ukraine. In (Historical retrospective analysis of formation and development of strategic communications in security and defence sector of Ukraine) we have analyzed the process of development of the SC in security and defence sector. Th is process was speeded and pressed up by the warfare. Moreover, 1 Candidate of Sciences (Public Administration), Doctoral Student at the Educational and Research Centre for Strategic Communications in the Sphere of National Security and Defence, National Defence University of Ukraine named aft er Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, mou-infopress@ukr.net. ORCID: 0000-0002-0805-4092. 2 Chief of Training Section, Educational and Research Centre for Strategic Communications in the Sphere of National Security and Defence, National Defence University of Ukraine named aft er Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, perevod_vu@ukr.net. ORCID: 00000002-2614-7014. 69 Strategic communications it was implemented in line with existing NATO principles and standards. Even the defi nition and concept of the STRATCOM were taken from the NATO documents. However, the reality reveals the necessity to revise the term defi nition and consider the implementation of business processes related to communications in security and defence sector. Some nations have already passed through this transformation and changed the approach to their SC. Even NATO Military Policy on Strategic Communications MC 0628 was successfully used until 2014. It is the STRATCOM baseline documents and it needed to be revised (NATO and Strategic Communications. Th e story so far. Th e Th ree Swords Magazine 33/2018. pp. 65–73). In the article the authors make some proposals how to improve the STRATCOM defi nition and improve the whole process of their realization.