User:Amhastings

Robert Hastings is the senior public affairs official and principle spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense.

He was appointed Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs in March, 2008 and subsequently nominated by President Bush to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense. He serves as staff advisor and assistant to the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England for strategic communication, public information, internal information, and community relations as well as information training and audiovisual support to DoD activities, leading a worldwide public affairs community of some 3,800 military and civilian personnel.

Robert Hastings is a former U.S. Army officer with more than 20 years experience as a Master Army Aviator and Public Affairs Officer. His assignments include command of an Apache-equipped Air Cavalry Troop and a Blackhawk-equipped Air Assault Company, as well as Public Affairs duties in Germany, Eastern Europe, Iraq, and Bosnia. He also served as an instructor with the Defense Information School Public Affairs Officer Course.

Following retirement from the Army in 1999, Mr. Hastings served as Chief of Staff and Vice President, Communications for BAE Systems, Inc., a $15 billion defense and aerospace company employing more than 50,000 employees in the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Israel and South Africa.

Mr. Hastings is active in numerous community and professional associations, and has served on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations. He is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), an accredited member (APR) of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications and as the professional advisor for the Public Relations Student Society at Hood College. He is a winner of PRSA’s Silver Anvil Award of Excellence and IABC’s Gold Quill Award for Excellence in Communications Management.

A native of Ocean City, Maryland, Mr. Hastings earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Government Studies from the University of Maryland in Heidelberg, Germany, and has completed executive studies at the Wharton School of Business and the University of Michigan.

Mr. Hastings and his wife Leigh reside in suburban Maryland and have two college-age children.

References:

Strategic communication: Advice from the Defense Department, Ragan.com (Dec 9, 2008)

Robert T. Hastings, Jr. to be Keynote Speaker for PRSSA (Nov 20, 2008)

New 'Activity', Federal News Radio (Oct 22, 2008)

Dept. of Defense reorganizes comms function, PR Week (Oct 21, 2008)

Defense Media Activity Starts News Operations, Stars & Stripes (Oct 8, 2008)

Principles of Strategic Communication, MountainRunner blog (Sep 29, 2008)

Defense Media Activity to Change How Servicemembers Get Information, Entertainment, American Forces Press Service (Sep 26, 2008) Officials Promise Smooth Military Leadership Transition, American Forces Press Service (Sep 20, 2008)

SECDEF PAO Visits Iraq, AFN Freedom Journal Iraq (July 31, 2008)

Defense Department Press Service Expands Service Line, American Forces Press Service (June 25, 2008)

Andy Rooney Recognizes Top Military Communicators, American Forces Press Service (May 16, 2008)

Defense Dept. Taps Hastings, ODwyer PR (April 3, 2008)

Young Patriot Receives Medal for Public Service, American Forces Press Service (May 7, 2008)

Pentagon's revolving door spins again, Los Angeles Times (July 1, 2008)

Personnel Announcement, The White House (July 1, 2008)

Pentagon Suspends Briefings for Analysts, New York Times (April 26, 2008)

Hastings brings world experience back to Rockville’s BAE Systems, Montgomery Gazette (Aug 25, 2006)