The Pentagon rapid response operation was a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

initiative by the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

to "quickly respond to news media stories critical of ... the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, as well as other stories the Defense Department leadership doesn't like."Pentagon boosts PR arsenal
CNN (October 31, 2006).

History

An October 3, 2006 memo written by Dorrance Smith, the

assistant secretary of defense for public affairs The Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, or ATSD (PA), is the principal staff advisor and assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense for public information, internal information, community relations, ...

, obtained later by the Associated Press, described the team's role.Alfonso Serrano
Pentagon To Expand P.R. Operation
Associated Press (October 31, 2006). The memo envisioned that the team would "'develop messages' for the

24-hour news cycle The 24-hour news cycle (or 24/7 news cycle) is 24-hour investigation and reporting of news, concomitant with fast-paced lifestyles. The vast news resources available in recent decades have increased competition for audience and advertiser attent ...

and 'correct the record'" in a way similar to

political campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referend ...

operations, such as Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign. Smith also set forth four branches of the operation: "

New Media New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...

" (for

Web site A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikipe ...

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

s, and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

); "Rapid Response" (for

letters to the editor A letter to the editor (LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through conventional mai ...

); "TV and Radio Booking" (for booking civilian and military guests on

cable news Cable news channels are television networks devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, the first nationwide ca ...

and radio); and "Surrogates" (for "analysts who speak publicly, often on behalf of the Pentagon"). During the brief life of the "'rapid response cell," a "team of public affairs officers working behind closed doors ... churn dout e-mail messages, press releases, opinion pieces and corrections to perceived inaccuracies or biased reporting worldwide."Thom Shanker & Mark Mazzetti
New Defense Chief Eases Relations Rumsfeld Bruised
''New York Times'' (March 12, 2007). The Pentagon rapid-response unit was a priority of

U.S. Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under Presi ...

, and some congressional Democrats criticized the initiative as excessively focused on Rumsfeld's personal reputation, rather than the reputation of the

U.S. armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. Soon after being sworn in as secretary of defense in 2007, Rumsfeld's successor

Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush an ...

disbanded the unit.

References

External links

David Martin on the Pentagon's 'Quick-Reaction Squad'
CBS News, November 10, 2006 {{Iraq War United States Department of Defense Presidency of George W. Bush Iraq War and the media

History

See also

References

External links