Military Perspectives on Public Relations Related to Environmental Issues

Abstract

Environmental management decisions on United States military lands are becoming increasingly important. We used qualitative methods to explore military perceptions on building and maintaining relationships with their local communities related to environmental issues. Informants believed that 2-way public relations (PR) were effective ways to build, improve, and manage relationships, but practiced 1-way PR. Perceived barriers to 2-way PR included lack of public interest, leadership turnover, and security concerns, which were considered unique to military contexts. We highlight how these findings contribute to scholarship on environmental public participation and relational models of PR, and offer recommendations for improving military conservation efforts and the relationships between installations and communities.