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An aerial view of the Pentagon.

The Pentagon. (Robert H. Reid/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON — The pause on social media accounts within the Defense Department was rescinded Monday, according to a Pentagon spokesman.

“The Department of Defense rescinds the social media utilization pause and directs all organizations, agencies, commands, and the military departments to employ social media platforms primarily to communicate their primary organization/unit mission, showcase lethality, promote meritocracy, demonstrate high standards and readiness, and support our recruiting goals,” Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot wrote in a statement. “In the months ahead expect more formal departmental communication priorities from the secretary that will serve to guide our collective public affairs and outreach activities going forward.”

On Jan. 25, posts from official social media accounts at the Defense Department were suspended for 10 days, excluding communications about operations along the U.S.-Mexico border or military base activities.

News of a pause of social media use throughout the Defense Department began to swirl Jan. 23. A senior defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity said at that time that the moratorium was meant to ensure department social media posts align with President Donald Trump’s “priorities on readiness, lethality, and warfighting.”

On Jan. 20, Trump signed a slew of executive orders, including three related to the U.S.-Mexico border. By Wednesday, acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to help with border security.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Monday with troops at Fort Bliss, Texas, deployed along the border, while Marines deployed at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba begin work on migrant detention facilities.

The active-duty troops assigned to the border have since increased to 1,600.

Up to 1,000 additional troops will soon join the effort, according to the Associated Press. That will include 500 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in New York and another 500 Marines slated to work in Guantanamo Bay, where Trump said he will detain migrants, according to the report.

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Matthew Adams covers the Defense Department at the Pentagon. His past reporting experience includes covering politics for The Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle and The News and Observer. He is based in Washington, D.C.

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