Staffs are organized to assist the commander in decision-making  and  accomplishing  the  mission  of  the command. A staff must be immediately responsibe to the  needs  of  the  commander  and  of  subordinate  units  to make sure all pertinent information is available for consideration, to reduce the time needed for control, integration and coordination of operations, to reduce errors and to minimize the requirement for detailed supervision of routine matters by the commander. STAFF FUNCTIONS Effective staff procedures assist a commander by decreasing the number of items requiring command decisions, speeding up the processing of information into  material  useful  to  the  commander  in  making decisions  and  improving  the  quality  of  the  product presented  to  him. It is important for personnel assigned to the public affairs staff to not only know the detailed procedures and techniques of their own office, but also those commonly used   by   all   staff   divisions.   The   broad   functions performed  by  all  sections  of  the  staff  in  their  daily activities are as follows: . To provide advice and information . To develop plans . To organize resources . To achieve coordination .  To  make  recommendations  and  decisions . To prepare and transmit directives .  To  maintain  control  through  supervision Advise  and  Provide  Information Information   bearing   on   particular   situations continuously flows into a headquarters by telephone, facsimile machine, mail, messages and word of mouth. It  comes  from  higher  and  lower  echelons,  from intelligence  reports,  routine  reports  and  personal observation  and  conversations. The  public  affairs  staff  must  stay  current  on situations within the command so it will know whether the information received will aid the commander, other staff  sections  or  subordinates.  You  must  judge  the significance,  reliability  and  completeness  of  the information. The commander should not be burdened with a mass of undeciphered information, irrelevant facts or unfounded rumors. Above all, public affairs efforts must be objective. Facts must be prepared as they are-not as the commander would like them to be. Develop Plans An important staff responsibility is to anticipate the needs of the commander and the command. To plan ahead, staffs evaluate past performances, seek new information   and   use   imagination.   They   collect information pertinent to anticipated missions for the command,  prepare  staff  studies,  make  preliminary estimates  of  situations,  develop  plans  and  amend  the plans  as  additional  information  is  received  or  as situations change. Preparation for contingencies can be done   only   with   thorough   forethought.   Lack   of preparation  inevitably  leads  to  hasty  planning,  errors and omissions. Some staffs have a separate plans and programs directorate  or  division,  but  in  most  commands,  planning is assigned to operations. No matter where planning is assigned, it is a responsibility of all staff members to remain alert to the need for a new plan or directive. Each public  affairs  office  is  responsible  for  its  own  internal plans and for preparing the public affairs aspects of general plans drawn up by the plans division. Organize  Resources Public affairs staffs must continually seek ways to make  the  best  use  of  the  limited  resources  of  personnel, money, material and time. In any staff operation, there is a constant threat of waste, and the larger the operation, the  greater  the  threat.  To  organize  resources  for maximum effectiveness, you cannot merely plan for the use of individual resources. You must think in terms of the total resources of the command. Frequently,   a   public   affairs   office   staff   must accomplish its mission with fewer personnel than what should  be  in  place.  As  the  senior  JO  and  office supervisor, you must make every effort to maintain the best  qualified  JO/PH  teams  available.  You  are  responsi- ble to the PAO for the training and qualifications of the people  you  supervise.  Through  proper  assignment  and supervision, you must get the most you can out of their efforts. Achieve  Coordination “Coordinate” means  to  bring  all  related  activities together at the correct time and in the correct order so they are in harmony for carrying out objectives. It is the 1-3