The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) has stepped up its public communication activities after an Australian Army smartphone public affairs course.
Ten students learnt to capture and edit photos and videos with just their smartphone and free editing apps.
The five days of training in Port Moresby helped develop the skills necessary for the PNGDF to tell its story to the Papua New Guinean community.
PNGDF public affairs officer Captain Nita Bayagau said having imagery-collection skills spread across the force would allow trained soldiers to be in the right place at the right time to cover events as they occur.
“The country and world don’t get to see a lot of the good things the PNGDF does, so now we can tell good stories about what we do,” Captain Bayagau said.
“It’s important for more of this training to be done, not only for the public affairs office, but for the PNGDF as a whole, especially for troops out on patrols, exercises, operations, as they would have the advantage of taking imagery while they are there.
“It’s been an amazing experience. Initially you think you have a phone that can take pictures, but the course has been enriching because we learnt the principles of collecting quality imagery.
“There’s going to be a lot more positive exposure to the PNGDF’s training, exercises and activities.”
By the end of the course, trainees were able to capture broadcast-quality vision, sound, and interviews of an activity and then edit together a one-minute video story, all within two hours.
The PNGDF now intends to share more imagery of its operations and exercises that often occur in remote locations across the nation.
Imagery will be quickly reviewed and sent to PNGDF social media pages and civilian news media.
Lieutenant Heydan Chan said the training would help him explain the work of the PNGDF Air Transport Wing.
“We have so many operations that the public doesn’t know about, so this will help us tell the story with facts about what we actually do on the ground, and the people-to-people relationships we build,” Lieutenant Chan said.
The Australian instructors and PNGDF also worked together to establish a new social media policy.
The simple one-page document encourages PNGDF members to capture and publicly celebrate their military service, while also ensuring their online activity supports their Commander’s eight rules of service.
Australian instructor Major Taylor Lynch explained the importance of this innovative training for the PNGDF.
“The information space is dynamic and changes frequently. This course will allow them to stay current with a capability that’s sustainable,” Major Lynch said.
“The PNGDF do important work they should be proud of, and enabling them to tell their story will help strengthen the deep connection the force has with the community it serves.”
