Asymmetric Military

Mary Catherine ham reports from the Milblogs (of which I'm a member) conference in Arlington VA. I guess the big controversy is the OPSEC rules for military blogs.

The new Army regulations, as do most Army regulations, on blogging exist mainly to provide guidance for commanders i.e., what to look out for, what to restrict, punishment to give, etc.

To summarize the changes,

Regulation 530-1AR-530-1, was revised on March 20 and directs Army personnel to “prevent disclosure of critical and sensitive information in any public domain to include but not limited to the World Wide Web, open source publications and the media,” and “consult with their immediate supervisor and their OPSEC officer for an OPSEC review prior to publishing or posting information in a public forum.”

I'll break ranks from some of my fellow milbloggers and praise the new changes. I think most of the opposition to the regulation comes from a misunderstanding of freedom of speech and a little self-righteousness. Considering the potential problems that may arise from blogging, I think the Army is being more than generous to bloggers.

Blogging is fun and all, but:

1. Blogging about fellow soldiers or their chain of command can have serious morale consequences. In Iraq, a fight almost broke out between two female soldiers after one read another's post on My Space.

2. The potential harm to the coalition effort from a soldier writing about his theater experiences is serious compared to any personal satisfaction a soldier may derive or perspective the public may glean from blogging. How can one avoid mentioning standard procedures or the constitution of their equipment when writing a diary? Even if aware of this danger, a quick, careless post after a difficult mission may lead to serious consequences.

A commander can't always rely on a soldier's discretion in these matters, either. Something a soldier may feel is acceptable may, in fact, not be. Remember, some soldiers in Iraq aren't old enough to drink in most states; a second, more mature opinion would aid them in exercising the appropriate level of restraint.

3. Not only operations, but families may be harmed or embarrassed. Does a wife or mother, already under great stress from their loved one's deployment, want to read a post about their family member on a blog? What if a soldier posts about an injury to his buddy and the injured soldier's family, after googling a name, reads it?

4. Soldiers are not reporters (unless you're job, specifically, is to release information to the press). A soldier's job is to execute the war.

5. Lastly, a soldier's opinion isn't necessarily more valuable than a civilian reporter's, although I understand when some, because of the great respect they give to military personnel (rightly, in my opinion), give more credence to a soldier's account than a to a reporter's, As natural a tendency as that is, a soldier's opinion may be as tainted by ideology or personal baggage as that of a civilian reporter.

In summary, in most cases, the proper time to write about one's combat experiences is after direct involvement in the conflict-like in a book. These were the first two to come up in Amazon. They each discuss the war and come to two different conclusions. See what I mean.

The Highway War: A Marine Company Commander in Iraq by USMC, Maj. Seth W. B. Folsom

The Last True Story I'll Every Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford