new  weapons,  special  demonstrations,  Allied  exercises and  operations  and  other  major  events  carry  the  Navy’s message  to  audiences  far  removed  from  the  event  itself. In this sense Navy special events often play a part in demonstrating our capabilities and the firmness of our country’s policies to our friends, potential enemies and neutral nations. Special Navy  participation  in  professional  or  technical meetings,  assistance  to  youth  groups,  such  as  Boy Scouts  or  Sea  Cadets  and  programs  conducted  for specific  organizations,  such  as  the  Navy  League  or veterans groups, reach people with special interests regardless  of  geographical  distribution. Practically every event affects more than one of these publics. It is a basic principle of public relations, however, that everything you do should be done for a specific  purpose  and  with  a  specific  audience  in  mind. For  this  reason  and  because  the  rifle  approach  is frequently better than the shotgun, it is good to have specific publics in mind when you are planning a special event. SPECIAL  EVENTS  POLICY Learning  Objective:   Outline the special events policy of the Navy. The Navy’s policy on participation in special events is clearly stated in  PA Regs. Broadly  speaking,  the  Navy may  participate  in  events  sponsored  by  the  local community   or   by   national   organizations   when participation  accomplishes  the  following  goals: l l l l It is mutually beneficial to the Navy and the public. It  can  be  arranged  without  interfering  with operations  or  training. Support  is  available  within  the  command requesting  it. Support will not directly benefit an individual or commercial concern and can be provided at no additional expense to the government. Most  local  organizations  are  under  the  misunder- standing that, if the military provides support, it is free. However, all expenses above the regular cost to the government must be met by the requesting sponsor. PA Regs gives  complete  details  of  the  conditions  under which  participation  will  be  authorized  and  the  level  of command  at  which  such  participation  authorization  may be granted. SPECIAL EVENTS PLANNING Learning  Objective: Recognize   the   considerations involved in planning a special event. There are specific techniques that apply to each type of special event, and it would be impossible in a manual of this kind to say everything about all of them. There are,  however,  certain  basic  steps  in  planning  and carrying  out  such  events.  The  senior  journalist  should know these basic procedures, as there are many tasks in virtually all phases of special events work that the PAO may delegate to you. At a command where there is no full-time PAO, the senior  journalist  may  be  the  only  person  with  the knowledge  and  skills  required  to  plan  and  execute successful special events. In this case you will be an important  adviser  to  the  project  officer,  the  XO  or  the skipper. OBJECTIVES The first step in planning a special event is clarifying the objectives of the event. Our definition states that special events are events staged to dramatize a fact or convey  a  message.  If  the  event  is  actually  staged primarily for this purpose (public visitation, an exhibit, a  parade  or  an  award  ceremony),  the  objectives  of  the event  dictate  the  details  of  planning.  Within  reasonable limits,  items  that  conflict  with  these  objectives  can  be changed  or  dropped.  If  the  event  has  been  scheduled  for some other purpose-as when a guest cruise is arranged to take advantage of a regularly scheduled training exercise   or   routine   ship   movement–operational considerations normally take precedence, and public affairs plans must be built around them. Only  when  public  affairs  aspects  are  of  major importance-as  when  a  fleet  exercise  is  being  combined with  a  demonstration  for  high  ranking  officers  or  VIP civilians  or  when  an  exercise  overseas  is  planned  partly as  a  demonstration  for  people  of  allied  nations-are  such operational plans likely to be modified in favor of public affairs  objectives. Such  decisions,  of  course,  are  made  at  the  highest levels,  often  by  the  staff  of  the  fleet  commander  in chief. The senior JO is rarely concerned with them. On the more immediate level where the event is carried out, however, you will often find yourself involved in the detailed   planning   of   a   special   event.   When   this happens, you should ask “Just what are we trying to 5-17