XBradTC

If you’re going to send an email to your troops about the Army social media policy, and how your troops don’t seem to understand it, you might want to make sure YOU have a clear understanding.

Earlier today, a disgruntled member of an Alabama Army National Guard unit forwarded the e-mail below from a first sergeant outlining the do’s and don’t of social media with the subject line, “Troops 1st Amendment Rights being denied.”

The email cautions troops to steer clear of posts about “gun control, the Democrats, the President, Congress, or personal opinions about STATE or FEDERAL GOVERNMENT matters.”

First, you’re the 1SG of an Alabama Army National Guard unit. Unless your unit has been Title 10 federalized, your troops don’t fall under UCMJ.

Second, while soldiers on social media DO represent the Army, the policy does not prohibit any of the topics you specified.

From the Army Social Media Handbook 2013:

However, Soldiers are subject to UCMJ even when off duty, so talking negatively about supervisors or releasing sensitive information is punishable under the UCMJ.

If these NG troops were under UCMJ, it would be inappropriate for them to publicly post that 1SG (Redacted) was a censorious twit who couldn’t read the policy without moving his lips.  But those troops have every right to comment on the topics that interest them. Provided they adhere to OPSEC, they still retain their 1st Amendment Rights.

Maybe Top should have spent more time listening to the training, and less time worrying about reflective belts.