A Soldier's Perspective

Army Imposes Marshal Law on Bloggers

As proof that I'm not some military lackey passing along the "party line" and that I am, in fact, an independent thinker and American, I'm going to let the Army have it. As with everything I write, these are MY opinions and not force-fed to me. The Army's new OPSEC regulation, Army Regulation 530–1: Operations Security, was recently released with little fanfare – unless you're a blogger. The regulation is labeled "FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY" which means I cannot and will not share specific paragraphs or sections from the regulation (even though it's been published on other websites). However, since Major Ray Ceralde, the author of the regulation, was authorized to conduct an interview over at Wired.com, I think I can also parallel the areas he spoke about. So, if you don't hear from me for awhile, I'm probably in the brig. I'm putting my career on the line here for something I strongly believe in. If the Army wants to make a vocal and determined foe out of me, they know how to get a hold of me.

First things first – changes. According to Maj Ceralde, some of the changes to the new regulation indicate that "Families and friends," as well as Army civilians and contractors, are now covered under the new regs. This will be flushed out a little later. Believe me, I'm having trouble holding back here. I need to constantly repeat my mantra: "Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't use swear words!!"

The next, and most important, change I'd like to bring up is that "a Soldier or other U.S. Army personnel must consult with their immediate supervisor and OPSEC officer prior to posting information in a public forum," according to Maj Ceralde. You'll notice that it doesn't say "posting sensitive information". According to Ceralde, "A private e-mail message to Family Members is not considered posting information in a public forum, but U.S. Army personnel are informed that unclassified e-mails can be intercepted and that they shouldn’t write anything that they wouldn’t say on an unsecure phone. While it is not practical to check all communication, especially private communication, the U.S. Army trusts that Soldiers and U.S. Army personnel will do the right things to maintain proper security when they understand their role in it."

It is my personal belief that the regulation was meant to pertain to troops in a combat zone using military computers and internet connections, as well as military email accounts like AKO (Army Knowledge Online), the Army's internal web portal. However, the regulation was not written that way. It does not distinguish between on-duty, off-duty, deployed, non-deployed, military computers, personal computers, etc. In effect, it dictates to me, my family, and my friends that they cannot send email or publish their own blogs regardless of content. So, technically, every time my wife wants to send an email, she needs to get permission from my commander or OPSEC officer beforehand. While the intent is geared towards the release of OPSEC-related material, the reality is that the regulation effectively targets EVERY form of electronic communication utilized by Soldiers AND their family members. Let me make something perfectly clear here: my wife understands OPSEC and understands what she can and cannot talk about. However, my wife does NOT work for the Army and CANNOT be forced to abide by some commander's guidance. Now, that doesn't mean that my life can't be made hell or that I can't be disciplined for my wife's actions, but the threat is there with this new regulation. It is more likely to happen for no reason whatsoever. Any commander that doesn't like a Soldier can easily take punitive measures against that Soldier under this regulation. It also applies to everything CJ does over at They Have Names.

Military blogs are the best form of public relations that the Army has. While the possibility exists that military blogs are also the worst form of public relations, there simply aren't very many people that are truly violating OPSEC on their military blogs.
If this means that I need to get out of the military of maintain my civil rights, I guess that's what I need to do. I don't believe that a person should have to choose between their civil rights and military service. People have this perception within and without the military that once you enlist you surrender those rights. That's simply not true. I never signed such a document. I will never sign such a document. I do realize that my rights are somewhat restrained based off of missions and knowledge. As a Libertarian, I refuse to ever surrender my rights. It's those rights that I'm fighting to protect in the military to begin with. I love my country and would never do anything that put it or its protectors in danger. Most Soldiers feel the same way.

Soldiers are not the problem here. Most of the information that is considered OPSEC and/or classified is leaked from "top military officials" who always tend to remain nameless in the media. Instead of going after the little man on the ground supporting the mission and doing the right thing, the military needs to focus on those subversive and treasonous people who speak with the media on "condition of anonymity" about things that compromise military operations and programs. Without military bloggers who, to date, have not been constrained by such silly requirements as being forced to ask permission before publishing an opinion, the American people would be clueless about the good our country is doing. We would not get the man on the ground perspective and the media's false portrayal would rule the roost.

Don't get me wrong here. Operations Security is a serious deal and we should deal with it as such. Soldiers caught violating published or implied OPSEC guidance should be dealt with swiftly and harshly. THIS is what will keep troops from talking about things they shouldn't be talking about – not absurd regulations that go above and beyond legal and ethical boundaries.

I bleed camouflage. My life is centered on the Army. It's my life and I can't imagine not being able to serve my country to retirement and beyond. I've always said that I'll leave the military when they force my wheelchair out the door as an old, feeble man. If I were ever forced to really choose between my family and the military, I'd obviously choose my family. Thankfully, I haven't had to do that, though my wife may disagree. My family often tends to come second to my military responsibilities and they sacrifice more than they should. I give 110% to everything I do in the Army. I was brought up military and would hate to be forced to leave it. But, I won't compromise my integrity or my rights for it. Some things are even more important.