When posting on social media sites which directive give guidelines for political activities by members of the armed forces?

It's election season again, when federal, state and local political campaigns kick into high gear. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's latest ethics video lays out the importance of political activity rules that Defense Department civilian employees and service members must follow. 

In the 2020 DOD Public Affairs Guidance for Political Campaigns and Elections memorandum of Feb. 11, DOD spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman summarized the rules that apply to all DOD personnel regarding involvement in political events.

"The Department of Defense has a longstanding and well-defined policy regarding political campaigns and elections to avoid the perception of DOD sponsorship, approval or endorsement of any political candidate, campaign or cause," Hoffman wrote. 

"The department encourages and actively supports its personnel in their civic obligation to vote, but makes clear members of the armed forces on active duty should not engage in partisan political activities," his memo read.

The DOD’s Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) was created to ensure that Service members and their eligible family are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so — from anywhere in the world.

Sources of Authority 

The Hatch Act is a federal law passed in 1939 that limits certain political activities of federal employees, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. It applies to DOD civilian employees. The law's purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation, the OSC site added. ​​

DOD policy for service members is contained in Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, Political Activities for Members of the Armed Forces. It is DOD policy to encourage members of the armed forces to carry out the obligations of citizenship while keeping with the traditional concept that members on active duty should not engage in partisan political activity. All members of the armed forces, including active-duty members, members of the reserve components not on active duty, and retired members are prohibited from wearing military uniforms at political campaign or election events.    

As the secretary said in his ethics video, both active-duty service members and civilian employees must understand federal rules and DOD policies pertaining to political activities. Service members and employees should direct any questions to their supervisors or their supporting legal office, said a senior official in DOD's Standards of Conduct Office.  

Resources

For particulars and more in-depth information concerning political activities, check out DOD Directive 1344.10 for service members and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel website for civilian employees.

Service members can register and request an absentee ballot at FVAP.gov.

Ethics and Leadership

In his ethics video, and in previous ethics messages to the department, Esper emphasized the importance of leaders regularly training their subordinates in the importance of maintaining ethical standards.  

"Maintaining the hard-earned trust and confidence of the American people requires us to avoid any action that could imply endorsement of a political party, political candidate or campaign by any element of the department," he said.  

"As the secretary has stated, we must continuously train and prepare so that we are ready to do what is right when ethical dilemmas arise," said Scott Thompson, director of DOD's Standards of Conduct Office. "Training is not a one-time event. The secretary expects department leaders to be personally involved in training their organizations, and to talk about examples of ethical decision-making, good and bad. In addition to annual ethics training, leaders should routinely make conversations about ethics a natural part of meetings and engagements with personnel."

As leaders, teammates and colleagues, all must inspire one another by setting the right example of ethical conduct, Thompson emphasized.

"Shortly after taking office, Secretary Esper reminded DOD personnel that each of us takes a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution. The department's mission imparts a special responsibility on each of us to serve with the utmost integrity and be vigilant in protecting the duties and confidences with which we have been entrusted," he added. "To ensure we are ready to do what is right when ethical dilemmas arise, we must train and prepare ourselves."

(Katie Lange of Defense Media Activity contributed to this report.)

FORT SILL, Okla. (Aug. 6, 2012) -- The 2012 Presidential election is less than 90 days away. Political perspectives and opinions are running at a fevered pitch, and many people are more than willing to express their opinions in public.

Often Soldiers and government employees want to get involved with the political process, especially on social media sites. There are, however, a number of things that they need to keep in mind when it comes to being in military or government service and being involved in political activity.

For example, an Army Reservist found himself in deep trouble last year after he took the stage at a Ron Paul campaign event while in uniform to express his support for the candidate. This kind of political activity is prohibited because he was in uniform.

Social media is giving people more opportunities to express their opinions about politics than ever before. A statement can be posted on Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites and be viewed across the country and around the world instantly. Some of these messages are posted on the fly, and not thought out concerning their impact. Soldiers and government employees need to know the rules that apply to such public statements, both on the Internet and other places.

In an example of how social media can cause trouble for military personnel, a Marine was recently discharged from the Corps because he posted critical and derogatory comments about the president on Facebook. The site failed to indicate that the views being expressed were not the views of the Marine Corps or the Department of Defense. He had previously been warned by the Marine Corps that such sites were a violation of military policy, but he did not heed the warning.

Social media guidelines

DOD has included guidelines for using social media related to political activities and issues in the "Public Affairs Guidance for Political Campaigns and Elections." A link to the full document is at the end of this article. Here are highlights of guidance offered by the DOD regarding political activity on social media:

Active-duty service members may generally express personal views on public issues or political candidates via social media or personal blogs, much like writing a letter to a newspaper.

If the social media page or posts identifies the person as an active-duty service member, then the page or post should clearly and prominently state that the views expressed do not represent the DOD, or their branch of service.

Active-duty members may become "friends" or "like" a Facebook page, or "follow" the Twitter account of a political party or partisan candidates.

Active-duty military personnel may not do the following:

Active-duty members may not engage in any partisan political activity, even on social media sites. Posting of any direct links to political parties, partisan candidates, campaigns, groups or causes is the equivalent of distributing campaign literature on behalf of the individual or party, which is prohibited.

Active-duty members may not post or comment on pages or send "tweets" to political parties or partisan candidates, as such activity is engaging in partisan political activity through a medium sponsored or controlled by political entities.

Active-duty members should not engage in activities that suggest others "like," "friend," or "follow" the political party, partisan political candidate, group or cause, or forward an invitation or solicitation from those political causes.

Active military service members may be subject to additional restrictions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice governing the use of government resources and communication systems, such as email and the Internet. To learn more see the "Public Affairs Guidance for Political Campaigns and Elections" document: http://tinyurl.com/d9ovwxh.

Hatch Act and political activity

The Hatch Act, originally passed in 1939, applies to federal employees. The Act was amended in 1993 and "permits most federal employees to take an active part in partisan political activities and campaigns. While federal employees are still prohibited from seeking political office in partisan elections, most employees are free to work, while off-duty, on partisan campaigns of candidates of their choice."

The Department of Defense recently published the "Civilian and Military Personnel Participation in Political Activities" guide to help civilian and military know what is permitted. The basic guideline is contained in DOD Directive 1344.10 "Guidance for Military Personnel" and states:

"Generally all service members are prohibited from acting in any manner that gives rise to the inference of endorsement or approval of candidates for political office by DOD or the U.S military."

A clear example of this is an active-duty military person wearing their uniform while engaging in political activity, as mentioned earlier. Reservists and Guard members not on active duty have more latitude and may engage in certain political activities, provided they are not in uniform, and do not act in a manner that implies sponsorship or approval of a candidate. Military personnel should avoid any activity that violates this policy.

DOD civilians personnel are covered under similar guidelines for political activities that are directed towards success or failure of a political candidate or party. Government employees are allowed to participate in the same political activities that military personnel are allowed to do, as previously mentioned.

However, government employees may not:

Participate in any political activity while on duty or in a federal building.

Use the insignia of a government office or any official authority while participating in political activities.

Solicit, accept or receive political contributions, regardless of where these activities take place.

Display campaign posters, buttons, bumper sticker, screen savers or any other campaign materials in a federal building.

Engage in political activities while using a government owned or leased vehicle.

Host a fundraiser for partisan candidates.

Run for public office in a partisan election.

For more information see "Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces" at http://tinyurl.com/cv8aup and "Civilian and Military Personnel Participation in Political Activities" at http://tinyurl.com/c5bshlw.

Related Links:

DOD Memo: Civilian and Military Personnel Participation in Political Activities

Army.mil: Inside the Army News

DOD Directive: Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces

U.S. Army Social Media Handbook -- 3rd Edition

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