The following is an edited version of a letter I sent yesterday to someone in the DC area, who wanted to know more. They were seeking specifics on the text that said: "First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hostility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters." Given that I was not going to provide specifics, I am unsure the letter will get too far beyond the recipient despite the fact that I authorized them to share. Further, I am not sure that the recipient has some of the addresses required. So, I am editing and redacting a bit, and posting it here so that I have some hope that the people who need to read this will be able to do so. HINT: If you missed the sentence above, I have edited the letter (needed it in general, was dashed off in a hurry), and modified it to protect the recipient and others. I hope the following may be of help to you. It will not be the specifics you want, but will give you some information I think you need, and of which higher needs to be aware. Perhaps it is because I am a civilian, and outside the normal chains (almost like a good XO), people sometimes will share things with me. In particular, they share with me some of the problems they face or have. While I am not at liberty to share specifics, I can share some general thoughts that will give you some insights and some avenues for exploration. Let's start with spouse blogs. Let's say you are a spouse who writes about matters of interest to other milspouses, and more importantly help share and explain events and processes to a more public but interested audience. Now, so long as it is party line, life is good. No problems with command, no problems for you and your spouse. However, one day, you write about something either controversial or that might not be considered happy news, such as about a problem with how things are done or even just a suggestion that things might could be done better to better help those left behind. Nothing disrespectful or nasty, just an observation. Or, you write about an enemy attack in the news. This is an event in the news, and what is posted is not in violation of OPSEC, but does give an account of what yor spouse experienced, in combat or in support, written well within OPSEC. Now, in any of these cases, imagine that the home command looks at that post and demands that you take it down because they don't like it. Imagine that said command insinuates that unless you do so, there will be repercussions to your spouse. What do you do in any of these cases? Go public or to higher, knowing that embarrassed people are more prone to retaliation? Let's say you are a support blog of some type, and are dependent upon the goodwill of local field grade commands for news, for base access, and to help get items to dependents as well as deployed. One such local command doesn't like something you've written, and without their support you and your efforts are dead in the water. What do you do when they complain about a post or demand removal or revisions? Or, let's say there's been a fire and troops have lost all their personal gear. The great military supply system groans to life to begin the process of replacing the military gear issued. What about personal gear, which most likely isn't covered in a barracks? A company steps up and helps replace those items. The local command, and the PAO, suddenly say at the last minute that the spouses and dependents can't be at the planned event, even if held on post, and there is even some word given that said people are not to talk about the event/donation in person or in the media or online. What do you do when given that illegal command? Go run to the media and draw down fire from on high to you (if active) or to your spouse? Another hypothetical, let's say an active duty milblogger writes something that some sensitive soul thinks is out of line. It might have used a harsh word, been critical of a political position, or, heaven's forbid, expressed a political opinion. Command is notified, and someone (possibly even the offended party) demands or decides that a letter of reprimand is required. With luck and maybe even some help, the blogger gets said letter made local, so that when the assignment is over so is the life of the letter. What do you think the odds of that letter being made a permanent letter of reprimand, thus ending career, are if the blogger complains or lets anyone at the senior level know of it and the issue behind it? Or, finally, what happens if someone is deployed. They may have blogged before, or may not, but the new command has their hands full with the deployment. While said command is aware of the support of higher for blogging and social media, they have their hands full. For door number one, let's say that such is the extent of it. Do they let the person blog and spend yet additional time monitoring or even reviewing and approving what is posted, or do they simply discourage it so as not spend more time. For door number two, let's say that either the commander in...
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackfive/~3/xMyk7cpCSKo/an-open-letter-to-secretary-gates-joint-chiefs-and-senior-leadership.html
Posted
Dec 16 2009, 09:37 PM
by
BLACKFIVE