ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Before becoming DoD’s top civilian leader, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin served in uniform for 41 years, retiring from the Army in 2016.

“One of the best decisions I made was to join the U.S. Army in 1975,” Austin says in a new video. “Today, military service offers incredible opportunities and generous benefits. Every day I’m proud that I joined, and I hope that you’ll think of joining us too.”

Senior military leaders would do well to engage on social media, because that's where their troops are, media-savvy panelists said to an audience that live-tweeted their comments. 

The comments and live-tweets occurred Oct. 14 during a forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Social media has the potential to be an important tool for the professional military, not just a propaganda tool for terrorists, according to a group of Army officers who are also digital veterans. They were participating in a forum on digital learning at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

There is nothing new about the presence of prominent military bloggers at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition. But what is new for 2016 is that the bloggers—four of them—will be part of a professional development forum talking about the value of blogs, social media and the internet in providing lessons in leadership.