Direct Order: No Facebook, No Twitter For Marines

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, let the world know through his Twitter feed that he will continue to Tweet, despite any bans that might be being put in place by other branches of the military.

Admiral Mullen's Tuesday Tweet came the same day the Marines issued a direct order banning the use of social networks for one year. The rationale, according to Brigadier General George Allen, director for Command, Control, Communications, and Computers and chief information officer, is that soldiers using sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace may compromise the security of deployed units.

The Pentagon Tuesday also began looking into the value of Web 2.0 services, the American Forces Press Service reports. The Department of Defense aims to implement a Web 2.0 policy by October.

The news that the Marines is limiting the use of social networks comes two months after another branch of the military adopted social networking. The Army in June embraced Twitter to tell its story in the Afghanistan conflict.

The U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Twitter feed currently has 4,927 followers and more than 470 updates since its inception. In addition, the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan have a Facebook page and YouTube channel as well.

The edict from the Marines may be focusing more directly on individual soldiers using Web 2.0 technologies. But that doesn't explain why General David Petraeus' Facebook page has more than 6,800 fans. And how else would an average soldier or individual find out that Ray Odierno, a four-star general and Commanding General in Iraq, was a fan of Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd if not through General Odierno's Facebook page? Admiral Mullen, by the way, has more than 4,700 followers on Twitter.

These ranking officers are using social networks as a way to put a face on the conflicts currently happening abroad while simultaneously giving civilians a chance to interact with military top brass. While Generals Odierno and Petraeus and Admiral Mullen may be using social networking as much to educate the public as well as to make a public relations blitz, individual soldiers are using these technologies in reverse to keep in touch with the homefront.

And that is where the Marines' ban of social networking will have the most effect. Quite frankly, the public is used to never hearing from top military officials unless it is through a press conference or statement. On the other hand, the families of deployed service men and women long for correspondence and updates of whereabouts and well being. Ignoring the technology is shortsighted and, given the military's need for the latest and greatest, somewhat surprising.

While many people on Twitter may not care what someone else ate for breakfast, a mother hearing that a son or daughter ate pancakes may provide reassurance that simply can't be measured.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE