affordable, wholesome entertainment. AFRTS meets this demand with free radio and television service beamed directly into their living areas. The operational element is the American Forces Press and Publication Service which develops, publishes and acquires Joint-Service internal information printed materials reflecting Department of Defense policy, programs, and procedures. This element also operates the Current News Analysis and Research Service, CNARS. The AFIS mission for policy and oversight of the DOD newspapers including Stars and Stripes is one of the major policy functions on behalf of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. As you know, two unified commands, the European Command and the Pacific Command, are the owners and operators of the European and Pacific editions of Stars and Stripes respectively. The Stars and Stripes newspapers, much like AFRTS, provide a low cost touch of home by being the home town newspaper for our thousands of service members and their families stationed overseas. Providing uncensored, international and national news and internal information at an affordable price is the primary objective of the Stars and Stripes. AFIS provides specific policy guidance to the two unified commands regarding the Stars and Stripes for business and financial management, the free flow of uncensored news and information, the use of advertising and general operating procedures. Furthermore, the Stars and Stripes operate with mostly self-generated funds from newspapers, bookstores, and printing service sales. They are supported by the minimum amount possible of appropriated funds. In regard to comments of possible news management and censorship, it is the Department of Defense position that even the appearance of such acts is undesirable and harmful. It is imperative that our unified command Stars and Stripes newspapers retain their credibility in both their image and reality as viable representative newspapers which provide uncensored news with no news management. Accordingly, we have agreed to review our directives, to seek ways in which our policies may be improved. We have established a new position of Ombudsman to ensure that the concerns of reporters, editors and readers are properly addressed. To provide issues involving freedom of the press are known to those in authority and that recommendations are made to better defined directives, policies and editorial practices, and agreed to perform content analysis to determine that the Stars and Stripes newspapers are reflections of the U.S. commercial newspaper industry. Mr. Chairman, I share your concerns that the mission of our organizations fulfill both the spirit and intent of their charter, to provide the members of the Armed Forces with the best possible information and news and entertainment. I appreciate this opportunity today to represent the Department of Defense and the American Forces Information Service. This concludes my summary of the missions and operations. PREPARED STATEMENT OF JORDAN E. RIZER AMERICAN FORCES INFORMATION SERVICE MISSION STATEMENT The American Forces Information Service (AFIS), in coordination with the Military Departments and on behalf of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, conducts the internal information program of the Department of Defense to reach our Armed Forces worldwide through various electronic and print media. We also exercise several Department of Defense policy functions, involving audiovisual, broadcasting, printing, and newspaper publishing services. Our paramount objective is to ensure a free flow of news and information. This increases knowledge, professionalism, and pride in service with resultant benefits to the Department of Defense of enhanced morale, retention, and readiness. Historically, when called upon to protect our country, American servicemen have fought harder and smarter because they have understood the basic principles of what they were fighting for. It is in this area of informing the troops that AFIS makes its biggest contribution. The American Forces Information Service is composed of two operational elements. The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) is a worldwide broadcast system which provides news, sports, information, and entertainment programming to more than 1.5 million U.S. military personnel, Department of Defense civilians, and their families who are stationed overseas and aboard ships at sea. The American Forces Press and Publications Service (AFPPS) develops, publishes, and acquires appropriate joint-Service internal information printed materials reflecting Department of Defense policy, programs, and procedures, and operates the DoD Current News Analysis and Research Service (CNARS). Our major policy functions are: The development and implementation of policies and procedures pertaining to the management and operation of Armed Forces Radio and Television Service broadcasting outlets, and policies and procedures pertaining to the content, production, publication and distribution of periodicals, Armed Forces newspapers (including Stars and Stripes) and civilian enterprise newspapers; exercising fiscal and manpower control through the Planning, Programming, Budgeting system; approving or revising proposed resource programs; monitoring the implementation of approved programs; administering centralized and automated management information 2. and resource management systems; establishing performance Our organization, through the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Broadcast Center in Los Angeles, provides a touch of home by supplying radio and television programs to over 100 manned and 900 unmanned military broadcast outlets located in 75 foreign countries, remote areas of Alaska, U.S. Trusts, Territories, and aboard U.S. Navy ships at sea. The satellite service is now available in 53 countries. Our programming is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using satellite circuits, land lines, undersea cables, and videotapes, audiotapes and disks either on circuits or mailed directly to user stations. Each day this operation furnishes 24 hours of time sensitive, unedited news, sports, and information on both radio and television by satellite. In addition, each week 178 hours of entertainment programming is provided on videotape, audiotape or disks. Radio and television programs are obtained from the broadcast and entertainment industries at minimal cost to the government. It is only through the full cooperation and patriotism of the motion picture companies, the radio and television networks, program owners, the music industry, and the unions, federations and guilds that these programs can be acquired within our budget. acquire the rights to distribute over 90 percent of the top-rated entertainment programs presented on American television, and programs such as news and sports are provided gratis. A recent estimate showed that during a one year period we received over $200M of programming for $8M. We Through our American Forces Press and Publications Service (AFPPS) the American Forces Information Service (AFIS) publishes products developed for specific audiences such as: The Press and Art Pack which provides camera ready internal command information material to more than 1500 military editors weekly; Billboard which is a finished internal command information display product; while another product Defense Magazine has a wide readership for policy-level articles; and, Defense Issues ensures that policylevel speeches receive distribution to their target readership. Other products include approximately 60 internally generated but externally procured publications that are distributed worldwide. These publications cover such functional areas as health affairs and foreign country orientation guides. An important addition to the AFIS and AFPPS mission is the management of the Current News Analysis and Research Service (CNARS) which produces the high visibility daily (work days only) Current News "Early Bird". This is a clipping service in digest form for executives and senior managers in the DOD, OJCS, Military Departments, Unified and Specified Commands, and military-related entities of Congress, the White House, State Department and the CIA. Included are articles from national and international newspapers, magazines, news wire services, and broadcast news program transcripts that cover topics concerning defense and politico-military issues. CNARS also produces several other compilations that cover lengthy and detailed articles in magazines, and summarize books that concern defense and politico-military issues. Finally, CNARS provides a research service through the use of its extensive library system for news that covers defense and politico-military affairs." The Defense Audiovisual Policy Office has been active on a range of policy initiatives and management system improvements. Military Service's Combat Camera people deploy with operational forces to provide photographic and video imagery of military activities. By exploiting new still video technologies, we can now provide near real time imagery of U.S. Forces in the field directly to the OJCS, National Command Authority, and Service staffs. In fact, now we can provide quality color images of military actions to the highest levels of government as fast as we can words. Our policy and standards initiatives regarding the emerging interactive videodisk technologies will ensure interoperability of equipment and productions in the DoD and avoid unnecessary costs as these new systems are deployed. Similarly in the arena of video teleconferencing technology, we are leading actions within the DoD to formulate coherent and effective policies for management of this rapidly expanding and beneficial communications function. Regarding internal information related audiovisual productions, we have recently completed a video entitled "Working for America" to highlight the motivations of our government civilian workforce and which addresses concerns for the future vitality of the Civil Service. Similarly, for the upcoming year key DoD level productions are envisioned to address: 1) Our concerns with professional ethics; and, 2) The priority placement procedures for our employees affected by the anticipated base closures. The major AFIS operations that are currently financed include: (1) Operation of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Broadcast Center in Los Angeles, California, which includes the acquisition of radio and television programming; (2) The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Satellite Network and the Armed Forces Satellite Transmission Radio System which provides the means for presenting "real time" news, sports, special major events, and other time sensitive broadcast programming to our worldwide audience; (3) The acquisition of radio and television spot announcements that provide internal/command information in place of commercial advertising which has to be deleted from all programming; (4) The news service contracting, printing, and distribution for the DoD Current News Analysis and Research Service, ; (5) Centralized automated management information system for the control of worldwide Armed Forces Radio and Television Service resources; (6) The acquisition of all Department of Defense joint-Service requested publications; (7) The acquisition of all Department of Defense joint-Service interest internal information audiovisual products; (8) The production or acquisition of printed material for Department of Defense targeted audiences; (9) Oversight of Department of Defense publications, and civilian-enterprise, Armed Forces, and Stars and Stripes newspapers. Other operations financed are the management of statutory programs such as: the Department of Defense audiovisual program which includes reports required by Congress; Automated Data Processing support; management of print and publication policy to include OMB mandated annual reductions in periodicals and printing of over $20 million; the administration of international agreements to include radio and television frequency rights in foreign countries, worldwide artistic performance rights, and music copyright. A comparison of our fiscal year 1988 and 1989 operations and maintenance budgets shows not only no growth after inflation but our FY 89 budget represents far less than the inflation growth. Our FY 88 budget was $61.469M and for FY 89 it is $62.395M; a difference of only $926K, which is only a 1.5% increase in a time of 3.7% inflation. In fact, the FY 89 budget is nearly $7.7M less than our initial budget request because of an internal DoD cut before DOD submitted our final budget. Since this hearing is mainly involved with Stars and Stripes issues, I believe it best that I elaborate on these responsibilities. |