JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va –
As the 2016 presidential election draws closer, U.S. Air Force and Army Service members are encouraged to remember proper protocol and customs and courtesies as they relate to politics and social media.
The Air Force released an informational video in February, reminding Airmen of regulations on discussing politics on social media.
The video cites a long-established Department of Defense directive that prohibits active-duty military members from directly participating in partisan political activities, but includes updates as the policy relates to social media.
The DoD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, explains what is allowed and what is prohibited when it comes to politics. According to the AFI, members are allowed to vote, attend meetings and attend political fundraising activities, meetings, rallies, debates and conventions, when no inference or appearance of official sponsorship can be drawn and the individual is not in uniform.
"Of course we want to encourage Service members to vote and participate in political events as they desire, but it is important to make sure you are not putting out the perception that your opinion represents the opinion of the [military] as a whole," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Joshua Hall, 633rd Air Base Wing Legal Office chief of general law. "A lot of Service members have their profile picture of them in uniform and that tends to be where the problem lies with the representation of political viewpoints."
Service members are not allowed to post or link to a specific political party, candidate or cause because such actions could be considered the same as distributing literature. Active-duty members also cannot post, comment on or share the social media pages of candidates or partisan political organizations because such activity would be engaging in partisan political activity through a medium sponsored or controlled by those entities.
"The main priority we want people to remember is to be tactful and sensitive to the opinions of leadership and coworkers," said Hall. "Ask yourself before you post something if it is something that would be appropriate to say in front of your coworkers and leadership and if not, then it's best not to post it."
For more information, consult the Air Force Social Media Guide or the U.S. Army Social Media Handbook.