The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2020 41 Still, the different departments, agencies and functions all have different tasks, boundaries, authorities and funding streams, so achieving unity of action—or an even more modest “alignment” of activities—is and will be a work in progress. The need will only become more acute as artificial intelligence makes chat bots and deepfakes more effective, as use of the disinfor- mation playbook proliferates, and as big data facilitates micro- targeting of messages to individuals. Enterprise thinking can address this problem. Initial “enter- prise” initiatives could include sending students from the differ- ent corners of the enterprise to each other’s schoolhouses and conferences. Role players from all four informational communi- ties should join exercises, wargames and simulations. In the long run, the informational enterprise must have a champion on the National Security Council staff. Enterprise thinking can be local, too. At an embassy imple- menting the goals in its Integrated Country Strategy, an “enter- prise” approach would help assure cooperation among all the embassy sections with information, awareness, outreach, educa- tion and exchange programs. “The last three feet” overseas. A wise PDmentor once toldme, “When in doubt, just explain.” It’s still good advice for practitioners at embassies and consulates, and COVID-19 is a good subject. Citi- zens of other nations often learn of the United States from televi- sion and social media clips—some sensationalized, some partisan, all too short. Providing facts and context can temper conjecture. Explaining how the executive and legislative branches both play roles, how power is divided between federal and state govern- ments, how social distancing works in different places, how the media communicate best practices, how Americans value privacy and how not every speech or press conference becomes a law, for instance, hopefully conveys confidence in America’s democratic responses. Francesco Sisci, an Italian journalist in Beijing, says bluntly, “The ongoing pandemic has also started a massive propa- ganda war.” It “could spin out of control with unfathomable consequences.” It’s time to understand the new information environment, the pacing threats, strategies, and the roles of cyber operations and ideas. It’s time for speed, cooperation and enterprise—and for leadership. n