An aerial view of the Pentagon on May 12, 2021. (Brittany Chase/U.S. Air Force)
Editor’s note: This story was updated Jan. 27 to reflect the status of Defense Department school social media communications.
The Department of Defense issued a global pause on all official social media accounts Thursday evening, with an exception for posts related to U.S. military operations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The moratorium is meant to ensure that DOD social media aligns with President Donald Trump’s “priorities on readiness, lethality, and warfighting,” a senior defense official who declined to be identified told Stars and Stripes by email Friday.
“The directive applies to all DOD platforms and exceptions are extended to post social media on a case-by-case basis to support emergency situations/notifications of command information,” the official said.
However, the order does not apply to content related to U.S. military operations around the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the official.
Trump on Wednesday declared a national emergency at the southern border. In response, acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses quickly announced the deployment of 1,500 troops, including helicopters and intelligence analysts, the DOD said in news releases that day.
The social media pause is expected to remain in place until Trump’s pick for defense secretary is confirmed and directs otherwise, Fox News first reported Thursday, citing two unnamed defense officials.
U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii and U.S. Forces Korea confirmed they had received the directive; others, including the III Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa and U.S. Naval Forces Japan, referred questions to the Office of Secretary of Defense.
“If there is a life, limb or eyesight type issue involving the community, the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii will post on social media platforms to ensure our Soldiers and Families are informed and safe,” spokesman Michael Donnelly told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday evening.
The Pentagon’s social media directive mirrors a step taken Tuesday by acting Health and Human Services Secretary Dorothy Fink, who ordered an immediate pause through Jan. 31 on regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts, among other communications, until they had been approved by a political appointee, The Associated Press reported.
In the DOD, some official social media accounts, such as the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, continued to post up until 7 p.m. Thursday.
“As we commemorate the U.S Army’s 250th birthday this year, we salute the generations of brave men and women who’ve selflessly served to protect our freedoms and carried forward its rich history,” the center wrote on social platform X, which was also reposted on the U.S. Army’s official account.
The social media order, given with Trump’s approval, is expected to last several days while guidance is given to civilian and military spokespeople within the DOD, Fox News reported.
Defense Department schools are able to post information again to their social media pages, the agency said Monday.
“We received this guidance over the weekend that our schools can now resume using their social media platforms to connect directly with their stakeholders, including parents, guardians, students, and community members, “ Jessica Tackaberry, a spokeswoman for the Defense Department Education Activity in Europe said in a statement. “This capability ensures that schools can share timely and relevant information quickly, reaching their audience where they are most active.”
The reverse course comes three days after the agency announced it had “received guidance to cease posting to social media accounts.” Some schools in Europe also on Friday sent emails to parents announcing the moratorium.
DODEA did not immediately say on Monday why the pause ended but the Pentagon memo issued on Friday announcing the pause had already granted DOD schools an exemption from the 10-day social media suspension.
“DoD Education Activity school activities, operations and notifications” were among the agencies exempt from the guidance, the Friday memo said.
Some DODEA schools in Europe resumed posting over the weekend.
“WE’RE BACK!” began a post Sunday on Vogelweh Elementary’s School’s website, sharing a small photo collage of a school dance over the weekend.
Stars and Stripes reporter Jennifer Svan contributed to this story.
