US Army orders tighter social media presence

Social media operated by local Army units will be consolidated into a much smaller network of authorized accounts under a new directive aimed at creating a more unified public presence across the service.

Army Directive 2026-17, issued on June 30, shifts the service away from a decentralized approach to social media by limiting official accounts to organizations such as Army headquarters, designated component commands and divisions, the Army Reserve and senior commanders of Army installations. The policy also authorizes one National Guard account per state, as well as one each for Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“By cutting through the digital clutter, we are creating reliable, centralized hubs for information,” said Alayne Conway, the director of Army Communications and Outreach. “This protects our cybersecurity posture while elevating the incredible stories of our Soldiers to platforms where they will have the greatest impact.”

The change is intended to make it easier for military families to find information by directing them to official accounts instead of having to dig through what the Army described as “a complex, fragmented web” of pages, according to a service news release posted on Wednesday. The release was removed from the Army’s website Thursday evening.

The directive applies only to official organizational accounts and does not affect soldiers’ personal social media accounts, provided they are compliant with existing Department of Defense ethics and operational security regulations.

Army commanders have 30 days to archive records and deactivate unauthorized social media accounts under the new directive, while all units will shift communications to official .mil websites, command town halls and authorized internal networks.