Great Lakes District/Cleveland, OH/DHS-USCG
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER - Training is organized into themed modules. Each module includes readings, policy primers, scenario-based exercises, tool walkthroughs (e.g., newsroom trackers, media monitoring, Congressional trackers), and weekly deliverables reviewed by the supervisor. External Affairs Foundations — Orientation to USCG External Affairs mission, roles, authorities, products, and stakeholders; ethics/PAO boundaries; task management; writing standards; plain language. Congressional & Intergovernmental Affairs — How a bill becomes law (operational view), congressional oversight, member/staff engagement, hearing prep, QFR/constituent response workflows, correspondence drafting, and stakeholder mapping. Public Affairs & Media Operations — Media relations, interview prep, press releases, media advisories, talking points, media monitoring, social content drafting, and multimedia basics. Community & Stakeholder Engagement — Community risk reduction messaging, NGO coordination, events planning, speaking engagements, local government & port partners, and after-action documentation. Strategic Comms & Crisis Response — Incident communications plan development (ICS‑300/PAO interface), rumor control, rapid approvals, comms battle rhythm, and executive messaging. Capstone & Handover — Synthesize artifacts into a reusable External Affairs Toolkit; conduct knowledge transfer and present capstone to leadership. Terminal Learning Objectives • Draft clear, accurate, and releasable written products (press releases, fact sheets, talking points, Q&As, congressional letters). • Plan and execute stakeholder engagement using a documented strategy, contact plans, and an editorial calendar. • Support congressional inquiries and hearing preparation with timely, coordinated responses and issue briefs. • Operate within PAO/ethics boundaries; understand approval chains and records requirements. • Develop an incident communications plan (ICS-aligned) with rumor control, media monitoring, and rapid update workflows. • Deliver a capstone External Affairs Toolkit (templates, style guide, comms plan, trackers) suitable for reuse by the office.