United States Pondering Potential Use of X in Bombing Decisions
The U.S. Defense Department continues to navigate ongoing turbulence since President Trump took office, with the latest controversy revolving around allegations of the use of unverified social media accounts in the bombing campaign in Yemen.
However, available reports suggest that these accusations may be unfounded. The Houthis in Yemen are known to use social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and WhatsApp to traffic military-grade weapons, including captured U.S.-branded arms, in violation of international sanctions. Yet, this pertains to Houthi-linked arms dealers' use of social media, not the U.S. military's targeting processes.
U.S. airstrikes in Yemen have primarily targeted Houthi infrastructure, with some reports noting strikes on Sana’a and civilian areas. The Pentagon has cited retaliatory actions against missile and drone attacks by the Houthis. However, no source mentions the reliance on social media accounts for selecting targets.
One controversial incident involved an amateur OSINT X account, @VleckieHond, who identified a location in Yemen as an underground Houthi base. This account, which has been publicly cited by reputable military-linked publications, was referred to as "ever-resourceful analyst" in an April 2024 report by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Sentinel. CENTCOM carried out an airstrike at the location identified by @VleckieHond, resulting in civilian casualties.
@VleckieHond later regretted posting the identification of the location, and admitted that she marked the location as an underground base based on satellite imagery. However, it's important to note that the use of satellite imagery is a standard practice in intelligence gathering and not exclusive to social media.
Despite the controversy surrounding @VleckieHond, there is no evidence to suggest that the U.S. military is systematically relying on unverified social media accounts for bombing coordination. The U.S. targeting process generally involves intelligence from multiple verified military and intelligence sources, not open-source social media accounts without verification.
The Pentagon has not yet commented on the use of open-source information in targeting. Gizmodo reached out to the Defense Department for comment on this matter, but as of now, no official response has been received.
Meanwhile, other scandals continue to surface in the Defense Department, including the recent dismissal of one of Trump's national security advisors, Mike Waltz. Additionally, the Navy lost a $60 million jet after it slipped off an aircraft carrier amidst evasive maneuvers in the Red Sea, earlier this week.
As the U.S. continues its bombing campaign in Yemen, the question of social media's role in military operations remains a topic of debate and ongoing investigation.
- The controversy surrounding the use of unverified social media accounts in military operations, such as the case of @VleckieHond, is a subject of ongoing debate and investigation.
- While it's known that the Houthi rebels in Yemen use social media platforms like X for illicit arms trafficking, there is no evidence suggesting that the U.S. military is systematically relying on unverified social media accounts for bombing coordination.
- Reports from reputable military-linked publications like the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Sentinel have cited @VleckieHond as an "ever-resourceful analyst," but there is no official confirmation that the U.S. military utilizes open-source social media accounts without verification in its targeting process.
- Tech and general news outlets like Gizmodo are ongoing in their pursuit for comment from the Defense Department on the use of open-source information in targeting, but as of now, no official response has been received.
