News From USJFCOM: JPASE partners with Universal Accreditation Board, Public Relations Society of America to develop accreditation for military public affairs professionals


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JPASE partners with Universal Accreditation Board, Public Relations Society of America to develop accreditation for military public affairs professionals

PRSA partnered with JPASE and UAB to unveil the new Accreditation in Public Relations + Military Communication certification after an 18-month development process. The accreditation will set a professional standard for military communicators.

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By Jacob Boyer
USJFCOM Public Affairs

(SUFFOLK, Va. - May 27, 2010) -- U.S. Joint Forces Command’s (USJFCOM) Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE) has partnered with the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to develop an accreditation standard for military public affairs practitioners.

The Accreditation in Public Relations + Military Communication (APR+M) will be available to active duty, Reserve and National Guard service members in addition to members of the Coast Guard, DoD civilians and military contractors whose primary responsibility involves public affairs activities, according to a press release from PRSA.

“We recommended establishment of this program because the military recognizes the value of distinguishing and setting apart our top-notch communication professionals,” said Navy Capt. David J. Wray, JPASE director. “This is an important effort to acknowledge the professionalism and expertise of military communicators and the special challenges we face.”

Those looking to obtain the APR+M will follow a similar path to those who obtain the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), according to the press release. In addition to passing the computer-based exam and submitting a professional portfolio – the requirements for the APR – APR+M candidates will have to attest to specific military communication prerequisites determined by the APR+M Council, the organization which will oversee the program.

The council, established by the UAB, is made up of accredited public relations professionals and members of the military.

”This determination has been made by the council, comprised of senior public relations and public affairs [professionals] who have extensive expertise in the accreditation process as well as in-depth knowledge of the rigorous requirements for military communication professionals,” Wray said.

JPASE, UAB and PRSA have been working on the accreditation for 18 months. Wray said the impetus for developing the APR+M was to provide a means to professionalize military public affairs practitioners. JPASE researched and found that PRSA’s APR designation was the best-known accreditation before reaching out to the organization to begin work on developing an accreditation unique to the military environment.

“[JPASE] sought [PRSA’s] interest in pursuing a military-specific accreditation,” he said. “UAB and PRSA thought this was a fantastic idea and embraced the concept. They proposed the program.”

According to Wray, the benefits of the APR+M to military communicators who earn it are threefold:

Give commanders a greater appreciation of the professionalism of their public affairs practitioners. “It shows them that there is a professional standard to which military communicators may rise,” Wray said. “There are qualifications for pilot’s wings. Here is a training and knowledge standard to receive accreditation in public affairs.”
It allows those who receive it to differentiate themselves from their peers. “It shows initiative,” Wray said. “It shows that you have mastered both the professional knowledge standard and the military-specific knowledge areas.”
As long as military public affairs practitioners retain the accreditation, it can follow them throughout their career, either with the +M designation if they stay in military public affairs or without it if they move into other public relations fields. “If I decide I’m done with the defense side and I want to do corporate public relations, I can revert to the APR designation. I have to achieve the entire APR standard to have the +M.”

JPASE is an element of USJFCOM's Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC), which provides joint force commanders with immediate access to essential joint force headquarters capabilities.

For more information about the APR+M, go to the UAB’s Web site, www.praccreditation.org/apr_m/.