Defense Media Activity keeps Department of Defense audiences around the world informed, collects and preserves the Department’s visual information records and trains the Department’s Public Affairs and Visual Information professionals. DMA is the DoD’s direct line of communication for news and information to U.S. forces deployed worldwide, on land, sea, and air. It presents news, information, and entertainment through media outlets, including radio, TV, Internet, print media, and emerging media technologies. DMA broadcasts radio and television to forces in 177 countries and 279 Navy ships at sea with Department-specific news and information programming.
DMA is home to many brands recognized by the DoD and national audience to include Soldiers Magazine, Navy All Hands Magazine, Marines Magazine, Airmen Magazine, American Forces News Network, Joint Hometown News Service, Defense Information School, and the Defense Imagery Management Operations Center (Formerly Joint Combat Camera Center). DMA operates the editorially independent Stars and Stripes newspaper free from chain-of-command influence - a uniquely American institution among the worlds’ military forces. DMA supports its overseas service members via its Broadcast Center in Riverside, California, American Forces Network affiliates and Stars and Stripes reporters around the globe. DMA trains all of DoD’s Public Affairs and Visual Information professionals, military and civilian – nearly 3200 students per year. Finally, DMA serves the DoD and the American people by managing visual records (photos, videos and audio recordings) via the Defense Visual Information Records Center co-located with the Broadcast Center in Riverside, California. These records are collected, managed and offered to the National Archives to be preserved as the United States historical record of the Department of Defense and Military Services.