Cpl. Bloggins can kiss that unfettered blog goodbye.
The country's top soldier, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier, has ordered ordinary Joes in uniform to check with their superiors before posting information on the Internet.
A Canadian Forces general order issued this month indicates troops, “particularly those deployed on operations,” have recently placed a “considerable” amount of information on the web.
Besides weblogs, military personnel have sent commentaries via e-mail and uploaded still and video imagery of their missions.
“(Canadian Forces) members are to consult with their chain of command before publishing CF-related information and imagery to the Internet, regardless of how innocuous the information may seem,” says Hillier's order.
“The chain of command has access to expert advisers, such as public affairs and intelligence staffs, who will ensure that such published information is not ultimately prejudicial to CF operations and personnel.”
There is a “risk inherent in making some types of information or imagery available to the wide audience using the Internet,” says the order, which has been posted on the web.
Maintaining the safety of Canadian troops is the reason given for Hillier's order.
“Operational security is paramount,” it says. “It is incumbent upon all CF members to consider the potential for creating risk to themselves, their families, their peers and the mission by publishing information to the Internet. Such information or imagery may, either individually or in conjunction with other information, provide expert analysts insight into CF current operations, equipment, capabilities, tactics and intentions, or may provide information that puts personnel in specialist roles or their families at risk.”
The order also warns troops they “have a responsibility to ensure that any information or imagery they share with a third party who may not share CF operational security concerns is not of such a nature that it could create risks if published.”
The order indicates the military doesn't intend to restrict Internet access to soldiers, sailors and airmen.
“Within generally well-understood limits, CF members are entitled to communicate with friends, family and colleagues, as are all Canadian citizens.”
But there is a threat implied in Hillier's missive.
“The CF chain of command, particularly in a theatre of operations, has the authority to restrict access to the Internet if it is deemed essential to maintaining operational security,” it says.
The order is “a friendly reminder” to troops to be careful about what they put on the Internet, said Capt. Mark Gough, an army public affairs officer in Halifax.
Soldiers posting snapshots from a war zone could give their enemies possible routes to attack Canadian positions, Gough said.
“Five years ago, you'd never see a soldier bringing a little tiny camera into the field that's no bigger than a cigarette pack, and now everybody's got them,” he said.
Gough said he's even used videos posted on YouTube.com of Canadian soldiers raiding a Taliban stronghold and Canadians caught in a Taliban ambush.
They were part of a presentation he made to Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald's cabinet.
“It's graphic in the sense that it shows the fighting,” Gough said. “It shows people that this is not a peacekeeping operation. These guys are in combat.”
Hillier's order came directly on the heels of an incident in which a soldier from Kitchener, Ont., who is serving in Afghanistan posted complaints about military equipment on his weblog.
Pte. Matt Austin was reportedly ordered last month to remove any posts from his blog that mentioned operational activities or equipment.
Military officials were unable to say Wednesday if Hillier's order was linked to the private's blog postings.
It's not uncommon for military brass to demand operational silence. In May, the navy told sailors aboard HMCS Fredericton to keep quiet about the frigate's role in a drug sting off the coast of Africa that netted 22.5 tonnes of hashish destined for Canada. Sailors who got to make telephone calls home from the ship for compassionate reasons were supervised.
The Halifax-based ship's 217 crew members were allowed to write e-mails to their families, but they couldn't send them from their own computer desktops. Instead, the messages were collected and presumably monitored before being sent out twice a day.
