U.S. military members warned against using ‘military slang’

A memo has been released by top U.S. commanders advising troops to refrain from using “military slang” and giving away any other indicators in public that would identify them as military members.

The Washington Times reported that the military command in charge of protecting the U.S. homeland has sent a message to troops, warning them to hide family information from terrorist groups that are trying to frighten them.

The message was sent by U.S. Northern Command in response to the Islamic State posting the names of 100 U.S. troops as targets for attacks.  The militant group is believed to have obtained the information from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

This is not the first time the military has issued a warning to military personnel.  Last October, an Army intelligence bulletin was issued to warn troops and their family about the Islamic State calling on its supporters to target their homes.  FOX News reported at the time that the warning came after the terrorist group called on its supporters to search social media for addresses of military family members and to “show up and slaughter them.”

According to The Washington Times, the memo warned against using “military slang” or decorating a home with military items, basically avoiding anything that would indicate that an individual was either in the military or part of a military family.

Additionally, the memo from U.S. Northern Command stated, “These organizations are attempting to use our own personal information against us to create fear and anxiety among our ranks and within our families.  We all have a responsibility to protect ourselves and our fellow service members and their families.  We must reduce our vulnerabilities through active and vigilant monitoring of the information provided via the Internet and social media sources.”