Military makes use of social networking during Talisman Sabre 2011

SHOALWATER BY TRAINING AREA, QL, AUSTRALIA

07.16.2011

Courtesy Story

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command         

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia (July 16, 2011)-Many people agree social networking is fast becoming the communication tool of the future. In fact, a 2010 study by the Nielsen Company found that three quarters of the people who use the internet will access a social networking sit, a 66 percent increase from the past year. And according to that same study, Australians and Americans are leading the pack in number of hours spent on social media and blog sites.

That is why sites like Facebook and Twitter are being used by U.S. and Australian forces as a key distribution outlet during Talisman Sabre 2011.

“With a combined force of more than 23,000 personnel participating in the exercise, there’s a lot happening throughout the Pacific region,” said U.S. Navy Ensign John Drdek, from Los Angeles, social media officer for the Combined Joint Information Bureau at Comp Rocky. “What better way to let the Australian and U.S. public know of the great things their military forces are doing on a daily bases?”

In the first week of the exercise, Talisman Sabre 2011’s Facebook page has posted more than 200 photos, videos and updates covering an array of activities and has received more than 50,000 hits. The Twitter site has also gained a following and each site is growing in popularity every day.

“It’s been a really great way to get images and stories from our remote assets, thousands of kilometers away, and be able to show that to the public almost immediately,” Drdek said.

This is the first time social media has been used during a Talisman Sabre exercise; it’s added the capability for U.S. and Australian forces to publish information to one central location.

“In the past, both forces could only distribute through their own websites,” said Australian army Cpl. Janine Fabre, from Melbourne, Australia, photographer for the CJIB. “Now we can all [U.S. and Australian forces] really focus on our interoperability and contribute to the larger picture.”

Talisman Sabre 2011 is an exercise designed to train U.S. and Australian forces to plan and conduct combined task force operations to improve combat readiness and interoperability on a variety of missions from conventional conflict to peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance efforts.

• Date Taken: 07.16.2011
• Date Posted: 07.25.2011 00:35
• Story ID: 74239
• Location: SHOALWATER BY TRAINING AREA, QL, AU