From the early images of the Civil War to current operations, visual imagery has helped the military tell its story and shown the world both its might and its failings. The Navy established its first official photography school in April 1917.1 Unfortunately, the first 90 graduates did not get to see much action, as World War I had come to an end. The Navy, however, recognized the value of photographic documentation and established the photographer’s mate rating in 1921.2 Motion and still pictures of major operations during World War II captured the nation’s attention, and imagery was in high demand for the War Department. This surge helped the Navy justify an increase in photo documentation. By the time the service entered Vietnam, photography and visual information was in full swing with Combat Camera units.
Imagery—whether from public affairs offices or independent media—influences the public’s perception of military operations and can be a catalyst for change. The iconic images of the USS Forrestal (CVA-59) in flames following an explosion at sea in July 1967, for example, drove investigation into and improvements to the Navy’s damage-control practices.3
Today, as close encounters with Russian and Chinese forces at sea increase in number, visual information is critical to maintaining the Navy’s freedom of navigation and helping it “win the battle of the narrative.”4 In October 2018, for example, the Chinese destroyer Lanzhou came within yards of the guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG-73).5 Video from the incident clearly shows the Lanzhou making an unsafe maneuver, and audio reveals China as the aggressor. Without the presence of skilled visual information professionals on board the Decatur, the incident easily could have been distorted, but instead the proof was captured and shared with the media, allowing them to make their own assessment in favor of the U.S. Navy. Similar incidents were captured on video in 2019 in the Philippine Sea (a Russian Udaloy-class destroyer closed to within 50–100 feet of the USS Chancellorsville [CG-62]) and January 2020 in the North Arabian Sea (when a Russian ship came within 60 yards of the USS Farragut [DDG-99]).6
In October 2019, Fleet Forces Command released the newest Operational Task (OpTask) Visual Information, explaining the role of every bridge watchstander in gathering visual information. In the absence of mass communications specialists on board a ship, the collateral duty photographer must know how to react quickly to capture and disseminate imagery in a timely manner.
Visual information’s importance today is not confined to ships at sea. There appears to be a resurgence of such capabilities in all warfare domains, including underwater, where the Navy is trying to increase its cadre of dive photographers.7 Having highly qualified photographers, whether they be mass communications specialists or collateral duty assignments, is critical to capturing the Navy’s narrative and staying ahead of its adversaries.
1. M. Warren, “Focal Point of the Fleet: U.S. Navy Photographic Activities in World War II,” Journal of Military History 69, no. 4 (2005): 1046.
2. Warren, “Focal Point,” 1047.
3. CDR Hank Stewart, USN (Ret.), “How the Fire on USS Forrestal Improved Future U.S. Navy Damage Control Readiness,” The Sextant, Naval History and Heritage Command, 28 July 2017.
4. U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Navy-wide Operational Task (OpTask) Visual Information, 1 October 2019, https://imagery.navy.mil/documents/UNCLASSIFIED_OPTASK%20VI_01OCT19.pdf.
5. Ankit Panda, “New Video Shows Moment of Near-Collision between U.S. and Chinese Warship in South China Sea,” The Diplomat, 5 November 2018.
6. Elizabeth McLaughlin and Luis Martinez, “A Look at the U.S. Military’s Close Calls with Russia in the Air and at Sea,” ABC News, 9 April 2020.
7. CPO Ace Rheaume, USN, “Increasing Underwater Visual Information Capability in Great Power Competition: Naval Special Warfare Command Qualify Photographers and Videographers,” Defense Visual Information Distribution System, 15 November 2019.
