US Army Updates Social Media Policy

The US Army has released an updated Social Media Handbook, though it largely focused on official military media actions.  Notably, an accompanying article seemed to align Army policy with previously released Air Force guidance:

Soldiers must maintain their professionalism at all times, even on their off time, said Sweetnam.

They are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and could face corrective or disciplinary action if they violate the rules of conduct at any time, he said.

Those violations would include a Soldier releasing sensitive information, insulting his or her chain of command, posting discriminatory statements, or sharing or linking to inappropriate material.

Further [emphasis added],

“Ultimately…you are responsible for anything that you put on social media sites, whether it is a Facebook page you’ve created in an official capacity…or it’s your personal page that you’ve only connected to your loved ones,” said Brown.

Brown recommends that if it isn’t something you wouldn’t say in formation or in a public setting, then don’t post it on social media, no matter how locked down your page is.

Despite the warnings, the Department of Defense has yet to indicate it is cracking down on Facebook posts that use gratuitous profanity or troops who “like” Facebook pages that denigrate female Marines, as a certain Marine atheist recently did for a time.

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