Soldiers should be allowed usage of social media, smartphones: Army chief

Army chief Bipin Rawat has said that Army personnel can’t be denied the use of smartphones, underlining that social media can be used for psychological warfare and to combat proxy war, insurgency and terrorism.

Armed forces personnel are not encouraged to use smartphones because of the sensitivity of their job. He said if the usage of smartphones cannot be prevented then at least the individual should be taught how to use it in the right manner.

He referred to a mobile app designed for the welfare of soldiers and officers and said if applications are being created for them then how can they be denied the use of smartphones.

He added that if the armed forces don’t keep pace with time and the manner in which social media is moving forward then it will be “fire-fighting” to keep up with time.

He said, a special application is being developed named Arpaan to benefit the soldiers, the officers the JCOs and their families in reaching out to various fora and coming out with their problems and seeking answers to it.

The Chief said “If we are creating our own apps then how can we deny the usage of smartphones to our soldiers. Smartphones are here to stay. We must learn to utilise them to our advantage.”

[source_without_link]SIASAT NEWS[/source_without_link]