In a reversal of previous policies, the Department of Defense recently decided to allow the use of social networks, reports CNET News. The new guidelines will allow for the Pentagon’s non-classified network to access social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs, although personnel are still expected to exercise caution and discretion.

The DoD announced in a press release that it now recognizes the role new media could play in facilitating communication between the Pentagon and the general public, although officials will “continue to defend against malicious activity on military information networks.” However, sites containing ethically questionable content, such as pornography or hate crimes, will still be banned.

The new policy does not allow for blanket access to all social media at any time, Reuters explains. Commanders will still have the authority to “temporarily limit” internet access prior to a major military operation, or if bandwidth is in short supply.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Wennergren told Reuters that the DoD’s new goal is to educate their workforce on what information is allowed to be disseminated beyond military personnel.

“There are 10,000 ways [besides social media] people could still compromise a mission,” Wennergren told the wire service. “So part of this is about having a trained workforce that is savvy in how you operate in the information age.”

David Meerman Scott claims on The Huffington Post that the decision pushes the DoD “far out in front” of many American corporations. He explains that many companies view social media as a security threat or drain on productivity, when in fact they “need to understand that this is the way people communicate in 2010.”

Scott also stresses that social media is already an “important force” in military public affairs departments, citing a statement an Air Force captain heading Air Force communications in Haiti: “We’re not launching missiles, we’re launching ideas.”

Karen Wilkinson at Government Technology highlights that the policy “appears to complement the Obama administration’s Open Government Directive,” which emphasizes government transparency.

The DoD senior strategist for emerging media, Jack Holt, told Government Technology that the Pentagon is now trying to view the internet as “a field to be maneuvered,” rather than staying behind a virtual “fortress” and “sticking our head in the sand.”

But Nathan Hodge of the 'Danger Room' blog at Wired remains skeptical of the new policy. He refers to an anonymous Air Force network administrator who commented he had to read about the policy shift on the Danger Room, “not through a DoD website.”

Hodge goes on to say that he has received numerous complaints and alerts from readers who claim that they are still unable to access some social media sites. “Those are just a few examples of the yawning gap between theory and practice when it comes to the military’s use of Web 2.0,” he writes.

However, in a different post at Wired, Nathan Hodge highlights a smartphone for Army personnel that could “access everything from technical manuals and maintenance records to maps and cultural intelligence.” The device could also include GPS and tools to help soldiers analyze terrain.

Hodge says the smartphones are part of a Defense project called “Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications,” which is still in the trial phase at Fort Bliss in Texas. Other projects underway include a contest to develop mobile and web applications that could be useful to soldiers, and developing new controllers for unmanned vehicles.

Coinciding with the DoD’s social media announcement, an embarrassing incident occurred within the Israeli military, reports Reuters. Israel was forced to abandon a raid in the Palestinian territories “after a soldier posted details, including time and place,” on Facebook. Some cite this incident as an argument against the expansion of internet access in the US military.