It's OK for service members to use non-classified government computers to visit and post items on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other Web-based social media, as long as such activities do not compromise security or involve barred activity or visits to banned Web sites. The Defense Department spelled out the latest policy on social-media use on Feb. 26, recognizing that their capabilities must be balanced with regulations that bar use of pornographic, gambling, or hate crime-related sites, and protect government computers from hacking and other security infringements.
 

The Air Force has selected 1,269 of 13,741 eligible master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant. Promotions will begin in April. The service planned to publish the list of selectees' names on the Air Force Personnel Center's “Ask” site. The selection rate was 9.24 percent. Selectees had an average score of 665.85, and served an average of 4.38 years in grade over a career that spanned an average of 20.2 years.
 

The Navy will lift the ban on women serving on submarines, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told Congress on Feb. 19. The change will not take effect right away. Congress must be in session for at least 30 days, and the Navy must submit plans to lawmakers to alter vessels' configurations to accommodate women in work and crew spaces. The next step is for the Navy to present Congress with a budget request to implement the changes, as part of a phase-in plan. Women have served on surface combat vessels since 1993.
 

Officers and airmen who commit themselves to flying or operating sensors on remotely piloted aircraft can now qualify for incentive pay, with incentives that vary depending upon time spent within career fields. With the new pay, service officials hope to increase the ranks of remote aircraft pilots and crews to 1,000 from the present 400, to meet increasing demand for combat patrols by remotely piloted aircraft. More information is available on the Web at CEA.Recruiting@pentagon.af.mil. 
 

The Marine Corps has released the names of officers selected for promotion in March and projected promotion in April. No promotion will take effect until the officer's name appears either on a promotion MARADMIN or message from the commandant. To view the list of names, read MARADMIN 112-10 at http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/pages/.
 

Service members are reminded that as the begins Census Bureau counting heads to determine exactly how many people live in the United States on March 15, they will be included. As such, they should expect to receive questionnaires for the 2010 Census accordingly. The military census will consist of six questions. Some service members will have to fill out other forms. For example, sailors at sea will receive questionnaires for both shore addresses and shipboard census reports. Service members assigned to group quarters, such as bachelor officer or enlisted quarters, will be counted at the quarter. Service members who live off base will receive questionnaires at their home addresses. Participation in the U.S. Census is mandatory for all citizens. More information is available online at http://www.npc.navy.mil/CommandSupport/Census2010/ .
 

Army Emergency Relief (AER), the service's non-profit social service agency, launched its annual fund-raising campaign on March 1. The drive will continue through May 15. In the past five years, AER has distributed roughly $300 million to more than 280,000 soldiers and their families, to help them through rough financial times. Most AER assistance comes in the form of no-interest loans of less than $1,000, repayable within a one- or two-year period. More information is available on the AER Web site at http://www.aerhq.org/.

Commercial airlines will not charge service members the fees for baggage that civilians must pay. But Air Force logisticians advise those in uniform to make sure they are carrying their military identification card if they want to make sure they avoid baggage fees at the airport. Should airlines impose baggage fees anyway, service members should keep receipts and submit them on travel vouchers. Also, when it is clear that service members will be carrying an excess amount of baggage, they should request an amendment to their orders stating as such. More information is available on the General Services Administration Web site at http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=28734.
 

The proposed 2011 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs includes $251 million for cemetery operations and maintenance, a 3.8-percent increase over 2010. The VA says the funds would pay for more than 114,000 internments, and help maintain the department's 3.1 million gravesites. The request includes $37 million, which would be used to clean and realign 668,000 headstones and repair 100,000 sunken graves.
 

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued a list of Navy vessels from the Vietnam War era verified to have served in inland “brown water” regions. Sailors and officers who served on these vessels are presumed by the VA to have been exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange. As such, if they become sick with any of the illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure, they would qualify for treatment at VA medical facilities. The list includes all vessels of Inshore Fire Support Division 93, all LST, LCVP, PCF (“swift boats”) and PBR during the Vietnam conflict.