Media  Relations  Division Headed  by  the  media  officer/chief,  the  media relations  division  accommodates  both  external  and internal media representatives covering an event. This normally  includes  internal  combat  or  audiovisual  teams whose products are released to external or internal audiences.  A  media  escort/briefing  section,  comprised of officers and senior petty officers with knowledge of the operation or the event and the needs of the various media representatives, is a key part of this division. Personnel  assigned  to  the  media  relations  division  must be  aware  of  the  different  coverage  needs  of  each  news medium  in  attendance.  (Not  recommended  for  nonrates; use public affairs-trained personnel only.) Administrative  Support  Division The administrative support division is headed by a local officer or senior petty officer who is familiar with the  host  base  and  local  commands.  This  person  is responsible for administrative and logistics support for the  news  media,  including  billeting,  messing, transportation  and  communications  arrangements. Liaison  Division The  liaison  division  provides  direct  liaison  or briefing support when an operation or event involves more  than  one  service  (joint),  an  allied  nation (combined),  or  when  special  expertise  is  required.  For example,  during  an  amphibious  operation,  CIB  liaison officers  may  serve  with  the  staff  of  Commander Amphibious Task Force when there is no full-time PAO available. The CIB liaison officer, in this case, would arrange for ship embarks, media tours of amphibious task force units, and so forth. SUB-CIBs A  consideration  during  the  planning  period  is  the need and location of sub-CIBs. Normally, these will be in the major media outlet centers. For example, if an exercise is in the Caribbean, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santo  Domingo,  Dominican  Republic,  would  be  logical sub-CIB locations. If the operation is afloat, the CIB may be with one task group and a sub-CIB with another. Sub-CIBs  ashore  handle  the  distribution  of  news received from the CIB in the operational area and help with  local  arrangements  for  reporters  and  observers. CIB STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES Learning  Objective: Identify   the   developmental procedures and related concerns in operating a CIB. As  discussed  earlier,  the  extent  of  planning  directly relates to the success of the CIB. Consider every detail and note each one in the CIB establishment plan as SOPs. Although not all-inclusive, some areas to give serious  consideration  to  include  the  following: l  Personnel  requirements l  CIB  site  selection  and  configuration l Media needs .  Media  pooling . Media ground rules Personnel  Requirements When  planning  your  CIB  manning  requirements, select the most professional public affairs staff members available.   Request   augmenters   from   neighboring commands or from reserve components to support your mission. During exercises, task subject matter  experts from  training  units  to  brief  media  members  about  the weapons systems or equipment in use. Make plans to get drivers (be sure they can read maps), typing clerks and interpreters  (if  needed). Your  CIB  staff  members  must  be  tactful  when dealing  with  others,  be  capable  of  interpreting operational guidelines, be fluent in written and oral communication,  be  dedicated  to  getting  information  to news media in a timely manner and be willing to make an  extra  effort  to  complete  sensitive  tasks  under pressure. Although you may not be fortunate enough to have  people  of  this  caliber,  you  want  people  who  have initiative and can work with the reporters to help them get the unclassified information they need. Some duties required of CIB personnel include the following: l l l 3-3 Providing  news  media  with  copies  of  stories, reports, fact sheets and photographs from the PAO Giving  assistance  in  setting  up  news  conferences and  interviews Escorting news media to the event sites or related areas