Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West

We dove into social media June 25, 2009, by launching my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mcpon) because we saw social media as a significant communications tool that gives Sailors, their families and others the ability to hear from senior leadership virtually first hand. A huge majority of our Fleet communicates via social media; it’s where they communicate with friends, family, and each other, it’s where they get their news, and shape their opinions.    

I see the real value of social media as an opportunity to share ideas and pass information.  It has been a very useful tool in communicating to Sailors and their families on various issues and subjects of concern around the Navy.  We have discussed subjects such as the wear policy for our new Navy Working Uniform and the Sailors’ feedback and input made its way to our Chief of Naval Operations, so top leadership is listening.  Almost every decision or new policy released or considered in the last year has been brought up on Facebook and discussed.  Recently, we started posting a Historical Fleet Photo of the Day, which has been a huge hit.  The trivia questions accompanying the photo allow for everyone to engage and try to answer the questions, and at the same time, the photos keep our rich Naval history and heritage in the foreground. 

Facebook and Twitter have been ‘virtual all hands calls,’ where questions are asked and answered everyday.  The interaction is great, but it doesn’t subvert a Sailor’s chain of command. Many times the answer I give is, “Ask your Command Master Chief,” because we have to ensure the Sailor’s command is aware and engaged at their level for the issue.  Other times we'll do the research and provide a response because we know the question being asked is something that falls outside the normal lane of the local leadership. 

The feedback from Sailors and their families has been very supportive and encouraging, and I find that immensely gratifying and I hope it continues.  We have more than 20,000 people who follow on Facebook and more than 2,000 following on Twitter.  We have also branched out to other social media sites such as Flickr and Slide Share to host archives of photos and various communications products I’ve pushed out to the Navy’s Chief Petty Officer’s Mess and our Sailors.  

Social media is also an expedient tool for Sailors to communicate with their families when deployed.  The ability for our Sailors to keep the lines of communication open with their families has a positive impact on family readiness which is directly tied to mission readiness.  The more information Sailors and their families have, the better off they are to navigate the Navy life-style. 

Operations Security (OPSEC) is a must for all to adhere to, because the old saying is still relevant, 'loose lips sink ships.'  Social media can amplify OPSEC risks because it enables greater volume and increased speed of information shared publicly. Our established OPSEC policies with respect to the Internet and Web are equally relevant to social media and the Navy is actively working on new policies and an updated instruction that more explicitly speaks to Web and social media use.

I believe we are on the cutting edge of military communication and it’s encouraging to see other senior leadership join in on social media. 

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent
The Corps has recently opened up access to social media sites from government computers. Younger Marines are growing up using social media sites, so this is the norm for them and a part of their everyday lives. I believe this is how many people are going to communicate for years to come. I don't think it will affect mission readiness at all, because Marines will always put mission accomplishment first. 

Social media sites are a great way to stay in touch, especially for warriors in combat to communicate with their loved ones when possible. As long as you have Internet access, you can communicate with family and friends and let them know what's going on in your life.

The biggest challenges of social media for the Marine Corps are obviously operational security and professionalism. Marines must ensure they are not divulging information that could put Marines at risk, so good judgment must always be used. Also, Marines must remember they are Marines 24 hours a day. They must be professional and not post anything that could portray the Corps in a negative way. They need to know they can be held accountable for things they put on these sites.
 
We've been discussing establishing a social media presence for the Office of the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps -- one we could pass on to the next to hold the office. This is all new to me, so we've been exploring the opportunities and will see how we can best implement it. We currently have reserved the account names we want on Facebook and Twitter, but have not gone active. I think we will start with Facebook first and see how that goes before using any other sites. I just want to make sure we're not taking on too much at once, because it will take some time to manage each account.