Is 46S (Public Affairs Mass Communication Specialist) a Good MOS?

AIT / Training

12 weeks

Training Location

DINFOS, Fort Meade, MD

Career Field

Public Affairs

What the Recruiter Says

As a Public Affairs Specialist, you'll tell the Army's story to the world. You'll master journalism, photography, videography, and media relations — building a professional portfolio that launches careers in broadcast media, corporate communications, and digital marketing.

What It's Actually Like

You are the enlisted Public Affairs specialist who takes the photos, shoots the video, writes the articles, manages social media, and serves as the Army's spokesperson — all while being one person doing a job that civilian organizations staff with entire departments. Your camera gear costs more than your car and you carry it into environments that void the warranty on day one. You'll photograph a general's change of command at 0800 and a live-fire exercise at 1400, switching between 'corporate headshot' and 'combat photojournalist' faster than you change lenses. Your press releases get edited by every PAO in the chain until they say nothing that could possibly offend anyone, which means they say nothing at all. Your social media management involves posting content that makes the Army look good while dependents flood the comments with complaints about housing and commissary hours. Deployed PA work is where the job becomes genuinely incredible — embedded with combat units, documenting operations, your photos become official Army history and occasionally national news. Your video editing, writing, photography, and crisis communication skills build a portfolio that civilian communications professionals can't match. Corporate PR, journalism, government public affairs GS positions, and media production companies recruit Army PA specialists at $50-80K.