How Internal and External Communication Can Differ

Communication, particularly within a military setting is critical. As the world economy continues its rapid change and innovation, communication techniques must also adapt. Integrated communication between varying branches, nations, and agencies is therefore needed to thwart national security threats. These threats often arise quickly and unexpected. The September 11th terrorist attacks; the Boston Marathon Bombing, and ISIS are all examples of rapid strikes. In many of these instances, military personnel had information that would have been useful in successful prevention. Unfortunately, integrated communication infrastructure was lacking, costly many American lives.

Now, the threats are even more deadly. Cyber attacks on American business, the miniaturization of deadly bombs, and the ability to manufacture nuclear arms are problems that will be faced in the future. Swift communication is therefore needed to abated and diminish the prevalence of these threats. To begin, the military uses both internal and external military communication platforms. Internal communication is the process of exchanging information among the people of different level or internal participants within the organization.

External communication is an informal exchange of information and messages between an organization and other organizations, groups or individuals outside its formal structure. These platforms are used for various reasons. Each platform serves a very distinct purpose. Typically, internal communication is used mainly to exchange information within various departments are entities within an organization. For example, the United States Navy may exchange information between certain groups or ranks within the military itself.

These forms of communication are meant to be confidential and serve to help align members to a certain goal or objective. They also serve as a means of secrecy and privacy between members. In some instances, military personnel may not want certain information to become "public." This may include mission objectives, or certain military priorities that need to remain secret. In these circumstances, encrypted internal communication is used to help alleviate any concerns regarding leaked information.

This is in stark contrast to external communication platforms which are used primarily to maintain strategic relationship with external parties. These strategic relationships are often necessary in regards to national security interests. As mentioned in the introduction, threats are now becoming more global in nature. To properly combat these threats, an integrated approach is necessary. Another reason why both platforms are needed is the distance and coverage of both platforms. With internal communication, there is no significant distance between sender and receiver. Likewise coverage is limited to within the organization.

However with external communication, significant distance often exists between the sender and receiver. A sender may be in America while a receiver may be in Europe. In addition, the coverage is broader. There are many examples of internal military communication that are used to push information, pull information from, and collaborate with other individuals.

In most instances, communication objectives should center on clear and concise verbal and written communications, transmitting the correct message to the target audience in a timely manner; and always confirming the audience's correct understanding of the message. The most obvious example is email. This internal platform is critical to the overall success of the military. The platform often uses Microsoft of IBM as a means of communication. Email is particularly useful for internal communication due in part to its easy adoption, widespread use, and rapid delivery.

It is ideal for communicating ideas and concepts in a rapid fashion. Emails are also cost effective relative to other internal communication platforms. Emails provide a record that can easily be accessed and used to record critical information. As threats around the world occur rapidly, email allows for a universal response that is quick, traceable and cost effective. This platform can push information out to massive amounts of receipts very quickly. This form of communication is particularly useful when information needs to be pushed out to many entities simultaneously.

Something as simple, as mission briefings can be pushed out to thousands of military personnel is very quick and succinct manner. A second, internal communication platform is radio communication. This platform allows for the collaboration with other professionals. Although relatively older in its use, radio communication is still prominent throughout the military. Radio communication unlike email, allows for a seamless conversation that does not have as much lag in-between responses. Radio communication is ideal for communication that needs a very rapid response or the ability to.