Each Australian Army regiment and Air Force squadron will have its own social media channel in the coming years, according to Defence Department documents.
They will join nearly every vessel in the Royal Australian Navy, which already have Facebook pages, as the Australian Defence Force steps up its mass assault on social media.
But the giant Defence Department is starting at the top, looking to hire a private sector training outfit to put the top brass and senior civilian public servants through a social media boot camp to ensure they know how to "stay on message".
Defence has been working hard to maximise the power of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other channels to boost recruitment and enhance its image since the Hudson Review of 2011.
But it has also had to battle numerous scandals involving sailors, soldiers and air force personnel behaving badly online.
Missteps from official social accounts have also continued with one navy account @navyislamic dumped late in 2015 after it attracted the ire of the right wing media.
Departmental boss Dennis Richardson has decreed that all members of his "Senior Executive Service" must undergo the "Defence Media Awareness and Skills Course" and re-train every three years.
The course now including modules on social media and its "pitfalls" and the search is on to find private trainers to deliver the courses.
According to tender documents lodged with federal procurement website AusTender, senior officers and public servants must be given the ability to "inform the community or explain Defence's position confidently and competently in a believable, relatable manner, provide support to ministers and senior leaders when engaging with the media, stay 'on message' and 'manage an interview'."
"Social media policy contained within the Defence Communication Manual stipulates that content managers must undertake both face-to-face and on-line social media training," the documents read.
"There are currently more than 100 Defence social media accounts, including almost all navy ships having their own Facebook sites to engage the families and friends of the ship's company.
"In the future, every air force squadron and army regiment will likely have a social media account as well."
The departments wants senior officers to be confident too, while fronting cameras.
"Defence members may be required to interact with the media as subject matter experts or spokespeople who can deliver news or explain Defence's position," the tender documents read.
"The face-to-face course will cover the Defence environment, pitfalls of social media use, practical measures, the impact of social media, Defence's social media policy, and examples of successful and unsuccessful social media use.
"The service provider will also be required to provide situational training for both social media users and Defence leaders.
"It is intended that the replacement contract will enable all new SES officers and all existing SES officers to be re-qualified.
"Thereby, this will continue the secretary's directive that all SES officers are to complete the DMASC and requalify every three years."
The cost of the training will not become clear until a suitable training provider is found, and a contract awarded.
0 comments
New User? Sign up