CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 171606Z JUL 24 MID120001340983U FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 061/24 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/JUL// SUBJ/GUIDANCE ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY PERSONNEL (CORRECTED COPY)// REF/A/DOC/DOD DIRECTIVE 1344.10/19FEB08// REF/B/LTR/DEPSECDEF/15FEB24// REF/C/DOC/10 U.S.C. SECTION 801 ET SEQ.// REF/D/DOC/5 U.S.C. SECTIONS 7321-7326// REF/E/DOC/DODI 1334.01/13JUL21// REF/F/DOC/5 C.F.R. PARTS 733-734// REF/G/DOC/5 C.F.R. PART 2635// REF/H/DOC/DOD DIRECTIVE 5400.17/24JAN23// REF/I/DOC/32 C.F.R. PART 234// REF/J/DOC/DODD 1442.11/08NOV2021 NARR/REF A IS THE DOD DIRECTIVE ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. REF B IS THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MEMORANDUM ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. REF C IS THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE. REF D IS THE HATCH ACT. REF E IS THE DOD INSTRUCTION WEARING OF THE UNIFORM. REF F IS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. REF G IS THE STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. REF H IS DOD DIRECTIVE ON USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. REF I IS CONDUCT ON THE PENTAGON RESERVATION. REF J IS PARTICIPATION OF DOD POLITICAL APPOINTEES IN POLITICAL ACTIVITY.// RMKS/1. The Department of the Navy (DON) celebrates democracy and is committed to continuing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, as our Sailors, Marines, and civilian personnel have done for nearly 250 years. Now that the 2024 election season is upon us, it is more important than ever for us to remember that the DON is an apolitical body and our members cannot participate in activities that could appear to imply sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause, as mentioned in reference (a) for DON Service Members. Public trust and confidence depend on this. 2. I encourage all DON Service Members and civilian employees to carry out the obligations of citizenship, including participation in the electoral process. As the Deputy Secretary of Defense stated in reference (b), it is imperative that each of us is aware of the difference between permitted and prohibited activities. For DON Service Members, reference (a) provides a non-exhaustive list of permissible and prohibited activities, and is a punitive lawful general regulation, violations of which are punishable under Article 92 of reference (c). For civilian employees, the Hatch Act, reference (d), governs permissible and prohibited political activities. Restrictions vary depending on a civilian employee's position or office. Department of Defense (DoD) policy further restricting the political activities of certain political appointees is addressed in reference (j). 3. To ensure that DON Service Members are aware of their obligations regarding political activities, commanding officers and supervisors at all levels are directed to provide training to their uniformed personnel on reference (a), which must include briefing on the permissible and impermissible activities listed in paragraph 4 of this message. This training must be completed by 15 September 2024. In the event operational requirements prohibit the conduct of the training by this date, extension requests must be submitted through the first General or Flag Officer in the chain of command, via Chief of Naval Personnel/Deputy Commandant (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) and ultimately to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs for adjudication. DON civilians who are new to the department or who file financial disclosure reports will receive guidance on Hatch Act requirements through normal ethics training channels. 4. Service Members a. Reference (a) distinguishes restrictions on political activities between members on active duty, Reserve members not on active duty, and retired members. Reference (e) provides further guidance on proper wear of the uniform. Reference (h) lists proper use of social media for DoD personnel. b. Active duty includes the following: full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance while in the active military service at a school designated as a Service school. c. All Service Members shall not: (1) Act in a manner that could reasonably create the perception or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement by the DoD or the DON; (2) Use government equipment for political activities; (3) Send or forward political emails or post political messages to a social media account while in the federal workplace (including telework), even if the individual uses their personal electronic device; and (4) Provide support, in their official capacity, to political campaign events (e.g., color guard, band, musician singing the National Anthem, etc.). d. All Service Members may: (1) Register, vote, and express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, but not as a representative of the Armed Forces; (2) Promote and encourage others to exercise their voting franchise if such does not constitute use of their official authority or influence to interfere with the outcome of any election; (3) Join a partisan or nonpartisan political club and attend its meetings when not in uniform; (4) Serve as an election official if such service is not as a representative of a partisan political party, does not interfere with the performance of military duties, is performed when not in uniform, and the Secretary of the Navy has given prior approval; (5) Sign a petition for a specific legislative action or a petition to place a candidate's name on an official election ballot, if the signing does not obligate the member to engage in partisan political activity and is done as a private citizen and not as a representative of the Armed Forces; (6) Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing the Member's personal views on public issues or political candidates if such action is not part of an organized letter-writing campaign or a solicitation of votes for or against a political party or partisan political cause or candidate. If the letter identifies the Member as on active duty (or if the Member is otherwise reasonably identifiable as a member of the Armed Forces), the letter should clearly state that the views expressed are those of the individual only and not those of the DoD; (7) Make monetary contributions to a political organization, party, or committee favoring a particular candidate or slate of candidates, subject to the limitations of campaign finance law and the limitations against campaign solicitations in the federal workplace; (8) Display one political bumper sticker on the Member's privately owned vehicle; (9) Attend partisan and nonpartisan political fundraising activities, meetings, rallies, debates, conventions, or activities as a spectator when not in uniform and when no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn; (10) Participate fully in the Federal Voting Assistance Program; (11) Express personal views on social media that do not promote the success or failure of a partisan political candidate or party; and (12) "Friend," "like," or "follow" a social media page or the social media account of a political party or partisan candidate, campaign, group, or cause. e. Service Members on active duty shall not: (1) Participate in partisan political fundraising activities (except as permitted in subparagraph 4.d.), rallies, conventions (including making speeches in the course thereof), management of campaigns, or debates, either on one's own behalf or on that of another, without respect to uniform or inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement. Participation includes more than mere attendance as a spectator; (2) Use official authority or influence to interfere with an election, affect the course or outcome of an election, solicit votes for a particular candidate or issue, or require or solicit political contributions from others; (3) Allow or cause to be published partisan political articles, letters, or endorsements signed or written by the member that solicits votes for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause. This is distinguished from a letter to the editor as permitted under the conditions noted in subparagraph 4.d.(6). (4) Serve in any official capacity with or be listed as a sponsor of a partisan political club; (5) Speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause; (6) Participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause; (7) Conduct a political opinion survey under the auspices of a partisan political club or group or distribute partisan political literature; (8) Perform clerical or other duties for a partisan political committee or candidate during a campaign, on an election day, or after an election day during the process of closing out a campaign; (9) Solicit or otherwise engage in fundraising activities in federal offices or facilities, including military installations, for any political cause or candidate; (10) March or ride in a partisan political parade; (11) Display a large political sign, banner, or poster (as distinguished from a bumper sticker) on a private vehicle; (12) Display a partisan political sign, poster, banner, or similar device visible to the public at one's residence on a military installation, even if that residence is part of a privatized housing development; (13) Participate in any organized effort to provide voters with transportation to the polls if the effort is organized by or associated with a partisan political party, cause, or candidate; (14) Sell tickets for or otherwise actively promote partisan political dinners and similar fundraising events; (15) Attend partisan political events as an official representative of the Armed Forces; (16) Make a campaign contribution to, or receive or solicit (on one's own behalf) a campaign contribution from, any other member of the Armed Forces on active duty; and (17) Promote the success or failure of a partisan political candidate or party on social media, which includes posting or distributing direct links to a political party, candidate, campaign, or cause or suggesting that others like, friend, or follow the political entity. (18) Additional restraints on impermissible activities can be found in reference (a). Activities not expressly prohibited may be contrary to the spirit and intent of reference (a). Any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the DoD, or any component, with a partisan political activity shall be avoided. f. Reserve members not on active duty and retired members: Per reference (a), while Reserve members not on active duty, as defined in 4.b., and retired members are not subject to the prohibitions of paragraph 4.e., they still shall not: (1) Use their military rank, job title, and photographs in uniform in campaign literature (including web sites, videos, television, and conventional print advertisements) to imply DoD or DON endorsement; (2) Use or allow the use of photographs of themselves in uniform in campaign literature, unless: (1) such photographs are not the primary graphic representation; and (2) are accompanied by a prominent and clearly displayed disclaimer that neither the military information nor photograph implies endorsement by the DoD or the DON; (3) Depict themselves in campaign literature or in uniform in a manner that does not accurately reflect their actual performance of duty (i.e., reserve or retired status); (4) Use the official Navy or Marine Corps seals or emblems in campaign literature; and (5) On social media, act in a manner that could reasonably create the perception or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement by the DoD or DON. g. Article 88, UCMJ, reference (c), prohibits contemptuous speech by any commissioned officer directed at the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a Military Department, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which the officer is on duty or present. 5. DoD civilians a. Reference (d), the Hatch Act, governs participation in political activities by DoD civilians. Reference (f) regards permitted and prohibited political activities of Federal employees. Reference (g) is the standards of ethical conduct for employees of the Executive branch. Reference (h) lists proper use of social media for DoD personnel. DoD policy further restricting the political activities of certain political appointees is addressed in reference (j). These restrictions vary depending on an employee's position or office. There are two sets of restrictions for civilian employees: those for Less Restricted employees and those for Further Restricted employees. b. Further Restricted employees include individuals appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, career Senior Executive Service (SES)employees, and non-career SES employees, Contract Appeals Board members, or employees of the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, or National Geo-Spatial-Intelligence Agency. c. Less Restricted employees include DoD civilian employees and Schedule C political appointees. d. All DON civilians (Less and Further Restricted) shall not: (1) Use or permit the use of their government position or title, or any authority associated with their public office, in a manner that could reasonably be construed to imply that their agency or the government sanctions or endorses their personal activities or those of another. (2) Use government equipment for political activities; (3) Send or forward political emails or post political messages to a social media account while in the federal workplace (including telework), even if the individual uses their personal electronic device; and (4) Solicit, accept, or receive political contributions. e. All DON civilians may: (1) Express their personal opinions; (2) Make monetary contributions to a campaign; and (3) Attend, but not actively participate in, campaign events or fundraising functions sponsored by candidates for partisan political office or political parties, in their personal capacity. (4) Work as an election judge or poll watcher for the city or county on Election Day. (5) Work or stand at the polls, for a political party or candidate, on Election Day. f. Less Restricted DON civilians may: (1) Volunteer with a political campaign or political organization in their personal capacity, including organizing political rallies and meetings, making phone calls on behalf of a candidate, serving as a delegate to a party convention, and working for a political party to get out the vote on Election Day; and (2) Work or stand at the polls, for a political party or candidate, on Election Day. g. Further Restricted DON civilians. In addition to the restrictions of paragraph 6.d, Further Restricted DON civilians shall not: (1) Volunteer or work on a campaign of a candidate running for office; and (2) Work or stand at the polls, for a political party or candidate, on Election Day. 6. Contractors a. Although not subject to the prohibitions contained in references (a) through (h), contractors are subject to any general restrictions imposed by installation commanders on political activities on government property. b. In the case of contractors within the Pentagon reservation, restrictions on political activities are imposed by the Washington Headquarters Service pursuant to reference (i). c. Individual contracts may contain further restrictions on political activities. DON personnel may obtain information regarding any restrictions on contractors in their workplace by contacting the appropriate contracting officer or their representative. 7. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//