Robert T. Hastings, Jr.

Robert T. Hastings, Jr. is an American Public Relations professional who has served as an executive in several aerospace & defense corporations and as a political appointee in the Administration of President George W. Bush where he was the senior public affairs official and principle spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense in 2008-2009.

Hastings 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 for Public Affairs.[1]

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Military career

Hastings is a retired 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 AH-64/OH-58D-equipped Air Cavalry Troop, a UH-60-equipped Air Assault Company, and operational assignments in Germany, Eastern Europe, Central America, Iraq, and Bosnia. He is a graduate of the Aviation Officer Basic Course, the Armor Officer Advance Course, the Scout Platoon Leader's Course, the Cavalry Leader's Course, the Public Affairs Officer Qualification and Advance Courses, and the Pathfinder and Air Assault Schools. As a public affairs officer, Hastings served at HQ, V Corps in Germany, as the public information officer for US Forces in Hungary and Bosnia during the Bosnian peace mission, and as a senior instructor at the Defense Information School. Mr. Hastings continues to serve in uniform as a Colonel with the Texas Military Forces where he is assigned as Chief of Public Affairs for the Texas State Guard.

Department of Defense Public Affairs

Hastings served as principal staff advisor and assistant to 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 nearly 4000 military and civilian personnel.

During his tenure with the Pentagon, Hastings was a driving force in the development of the Department’s Strategic Communications concept of operations.[2] Working with the Service Public Affairs Chiefs and Combatant Command Public Affairs Directors, he fostered cohesion and partnership among the diverse elements of the Defense public affairs community. He also established the Defense Media Activity, a significant reorganization of DoD Public Affairs which consolidated more than 2000 military and civilian Public Affairs personnel into a single command responsible for the military’s worldwide internal information activities.

Corporate Public Relations Career

Robert Hastings has worked as the senior corporate communications officer at several US aerospace and defense companies to include BAE Systems North America, Northrop Grumman Information Systems and Bell Helicopter. He has also been active with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), holding a number of appointed and elected roles to include the National Capital Chapter Board of Directors, Co-chair of the 2010 International Conference, and professional advisor to the Public Relations Student Society of America. In 2010 he was awarded PRSA's Lloyd B. Dennis Distinguished Leadership Award.

Awards and recognition

References

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