How can armed forces members serve AND not violate political policies and regs?

2014-11-04T17:54:23-05:00

How is this possible? People will complain about saying anything political around the office but we have officers in the guard and reserve campaigning for congress.

Granted they don't link their military service to a particular party (i.e. - making it look like the gov is choosing a party) but it's a lot more obvious when someone says they are X political party AND in the reserves etc.

So basically I can't say "democrats historically blah blah" on Facebook without potentially getting in trouble but a reserve LTC can campaign as a republican.

How can that jive? I must be missing something key.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 4 at 2014 5:59 PM

2014-11-04T17:59:38-05:00

This DoD Directive spells things out. I assume there are Service implementing regulations (Army) or instructions.

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/134410p.pdf

Here's the Army regulation that incorporates DoD Directive 1344.10:

http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r600_20.pdf

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Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Nov 4 at 2014 8:52 PM

2014-11-04T20:52:12-05:00

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member Pretty much already answered the question the proper policy, but I'll also add a reference to this other discussion about military members in political office...

Service members in reserve component are eligible to serve in office. One of our most interesting reservists in office was President Truman, who was a Colonel in the Army Reserve while in office! During WWII some Congressman went on active duty orders in order to fight in the war, including future President Lyndon Johnson.

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/military-members-serving-in-active-political-positions

Military members serving in active political positions? | RallyPoint

We all should know that service members cannot express political opinion in uniform, or as a representative of the US Armed Forces. However, there are many examples in history when members of the Armed Forces were not only politically active, but were even serving in full time political jobs. For example, take former Senator Scott Brown, who served as Senator of Massachusetts while simultaneously serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the MA...