BLUF
Army Directive 2026-17 supersedes Army Directive 2025-25 and limits official Army social media accounts to the organizations listed in enclosure 2. All other organizations must close and archive their accounts. Authorized installations may maintain one set of social media accounts under the senior commander, and organizations not authorized to operate official social media may use alternatives such as official .mil websites, DVIDS, PAO-coordinated media engagement, official email, DoD365, newsletters, and command town halls.
SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON
30 JUN 2026
MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2026-17 (Optimizing Digital Media)
1. References.
See enclosure 1.
2. Purpose.
This directive supersedes Army Directive 2025-25 and updates policy to focus Army communications and reduce risk while speaking with a clear, unified voice to communicate readiness and provide valuable information to Soldiers and Families.
3. Applicability.
The provisions of this directive apply to the Regular Army, Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve.
4. Policy.
Effective immediately, only the Army organizations listed in enclosure 2 are authorized to operate official social media accounts. All other organizations must close and archive their accounts pursuant to Army records management policy.
a. Installations.
To ensure the well-being of our Soldiers, Families, and Department of the Army (DA) Civilians, the authorized Army installations listed in enclosure 2 may have one set of social media accounts under the purview of the senior commander (such as one Facebook, one Instagram, and one X account per installation). These accounts have the dedicated purpose of disseminating timely, factual information about the senior commander’s mission and updates, such as changes to installation services, operating hours, and public safety alerts. Installation Army Community Service (ACS) and Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) offices are not authorized separate accounts and will provide content to the installation sites.
b. Brand Standardization.
(1) Authorized accounts in enclosure 2 must align social media content with Army branding guidance available at: https://armyeitaas.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/HQDA-CPA
(2) Army National Guard installations may use National Guard Bureau branding.
c. Exceptions to Policy.
Requests for exception to this policy must demonstrate a mission-critical imperative unmet by existing accounts or other means of communication (such as website post, email, or direct engagement).
(1) The Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (DUSA) is the approval authority for all exception requests. This authority may not be delegated.
(2) All requests must be endorsed by the organization’s appropriate Army command (ACOM), Army service component command (ASCC), or direct reporting unit (DRU) commander, confirming that the request meets a mission-critical requirement unmet by existing accounts or other communication and includes a commander-approved oversight plan. All requests must be submitted to the Digital Management Division (DMD) within the Army Communications and Outreach Office (ACOO) at ACOODigitalMediaPolicy@army.mil for routing to the DUSA for approval.
(3) Alternative Communication Methods. Units and commands not authorized to use official social media may use alternatives such as official “.mil” websites, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), public affairs office (PAO) coordinated media engagements and press releases, authorized internal networks (such as official email, DoD365), unit newsletters, and command town halls).
5. Responsibilities.
a.
Commanders must confirm organizational compliance with this directive and report compliance to their higher headquarters commander. No later than 30 days from the date of this directive, all ACOM, ASCC, and DRU commanders will report compliance to the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) through DMD at: ACOODigitalMediaPolicy@army.mil
b.
Commanders will designate the appropriate public affairs 46-series Soldiers or DA Civilian Public Affairs Specialists (Career Program 22/1035) to oversee the organization’s authorized social media accounts.
c.
No later than 30 days from the date of this directive, commanders will ensure any authorized accounts listed in enclosure 2 are registered with the HQDA social media directory at: https://www.army.mil/socialmedia/directory/
6. Proponent.
The DUSA has oversight responsibility for this policy. The Director, ACOO will implement this policy and incorporate its provisions into Army Regulation 360–1 within 2 years of the date of this directive.
7. Duration.
This directive is rescinded on publication of the revised regulation.
Encls
Dan Driscoll
DISTRIBUTION:
Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army
Commander
- U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command
- U.S. Army Forces Command
- U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command
- U.S. Army Materiel Command
- U.S. Army Pacific
- U.S. Army Europe and Africa
- U.S. Army Central
- U.S. Army North
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command
- U.S. Army Transportation Command
- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command
- U.S. Army Cyber Command
- U.S. Army Medical Command
- U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Army Audit Agency
- U.S. Army Military District of Washington
- U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
- U.S. Army Human Resources Command
- U.S. Army Corrections Command
- U.S. Army Reserve Command
Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy
Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division
Director, U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency
Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency
Director, U.S. Army Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office
Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery
Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
CF:
Commander, Eighth Army
REFERENCES
Enclosure 1
a. Title 10, United States Code, sections 7013, 7014, and 7064
b. Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635.702 (Use of public office for private gain)
c. Department of Defense 5500.07-R (Joint Ethics Regulation) (as amended)
d. Department of Defense Instruction 5400.17 (Official Use of Social Media for Public Affairs Purposes) 12 August 2022, incorporating Change 2, effective 14 February 2025
e. Army Directive 2025-25 (Streamlining and Clarifying Army Social Media Use for Organizations), 12 December 2025 (hereby superseded)
f. Army Regulation 360–1 (The Army Public Affairs Program), 15 April 2026
ARMY ORGANIZATIONS AUTHORIZED TO MAINTAIN OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Enclosure 2
Headquarters, Department of the Army Enterprise Accounts
| @USArmy | Secretary of the Army | Chief of Staff of the Army | Sergeant Major of the Army |
Army Commands
| Army Materiel Command | Transformation and Training Command |
Direct Reporting Units
| United States Military Academy | Arlington National Cemetery | United States Army Intelligence and Security Command | Human Resources Command |
U.S. Army Reserve
| U.S. Army Reserve Command/Office of the Chief of Army Reserve | 63rd Readiness Division | 81st Readiness Division | 88th Readiness Division |
| 99th Readiness Division | Army Reserve Medical Command | 79th Theater Sustainment Command | 377th Theater Sustainment Command |
| 200th MP Command | 412th Theater Engineer Command | 416th Theater Engineer Command | U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command |
U.S. Army National Guard
| @NationalGuard | one account per state | one account each for Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands |
Designated Warfighting Formations
Army Service Component Commands:
| U.S. Army Central Command | U.S. Army Europe and Africa | U.S. Army Pacific and Eighth Army | U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command |
| U.S. Army Special Operations Command | U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command | U.S. Army Cyber Command |
Corps:
| I Corps | III Corps | V Corps | XVIII Airborne Corps |
Divisions:
| 1st Armored | 1st Cavalry | 1st Infantry | 4th Infantry |
| 10th Mountain | 11th Airborne | 25th Infantry | 82nd Airborne |
| 101st Airborne | 2nd Infantry | 3rd Infantry | 7th Infantry |
Army Special Operations Units:
| 1st Special Forces Command | 75th Ranger Regiment |
Senior Commanders of Designated Army Installations
| Aberdeen Proving Ground | Fort Jackson | Fort Shafter | USAG Hawaii |
| Carlisle Barracks | Fort Knox | Fort Sill | USAG Humphreys |
| Fort Belvoir | Fort Leavenworth | Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield | USAG Italy |
| Fort Bliss | Fort Lee | Fort Wainwright | USAG Japan |
| Fort Campbell | Fort Leonard Wood | Joint Base Lewis-McChord | USAG Okinawa |
| Fort Carson | Fort Bragg | Military District of Washington (McNair, Myer) | USAG Rheinland-Pfalz |
| Fort Greely | |||
| Fort Hood | Fort Meade | Redstone Arsenal | USAG Stuttgart |
| Fort Drum | Fort Benning | Rock Island Arsenal | USAG Wiesbaden |
| Fort Eustis | Fort Polk | Schofield Barracks | USAG Yongsan-Casey |
| Fort Gordon | Fort Richardson | U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Ansbach | White Sands Missile Range |
| Fort Huachuca | Fort Riley | USAG Bavaria | USAG Kwajalein Atoll |
| Fort Irwin | Fort Rucker | USAG Daegu |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
| USACE Headquarters | North Atlantic Division | South Atlantic Division | Transatlantic Division |
| Great Lakes and Ohio River Division | Northwestern Division | South Pacific Division | |
| Mississippi Valley Division | Pacific Ocean Division | Southwestern Division |
Accessions Command
GoArmy and U.S. Army Recruiting Command accounts are authorized for recruiting and marketing activities.
View Official Army Directive 2026-17 (PDF)
Source: U.S. Army Publishing Directorate (APD)