Defense Secretary Gates, Admiral Mike Mullen Talk About Iran, Twitter, Facebook and More in Briefing

Thanks to NDN alum Travis Valentine for sending this fascinating press briefing along in which Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are asked at length by a reporter about how the new technologies and tools of the 21st century are coming into play in the context of national security.

The reporter clearly has the Green Tech Revolution in Iran (as described by Dan) on the mind when she asks Gates and Mullen about Twitter, Facebook and other communications tools.

In that vein, we've heard from the State Department and the Oval Office about 21st century statecraft, but this is the first time I've seen the Pentagon weigh in.

In the press briefing, which was broadcast on C-SPAN 3, Gates talked about how such technologies have made it much harder for oppressive regimes to shut down communications within a country -- a development he considers good for national security.

Interestingly, when asked if either of them have Facebook pages, Gates stumbled and said he didn't understand the new technologies such as Twitter, etc. However, Mullen took up the slack, informing reporters that he Twitters and that not only are new tools important for the development of democracy, they are critical to the Pentagon's efforts to keep in touch with its forces, whose average age, according to Mullen, is "20-ish." Exactly. The Millennial Generation.

Gates bounced back, agreeing that Mullen's point was critical and in fact, the Pentagon was behind in this department but ready to catch up. He also noted -- correctly -- that in addition to reaching young service members, such technology could be used to reach young people around the globe in an effort to educate them about U.S. defense policy.

The NDN team has been writing about Iran throughout this dramatic week. Simon's essay about President Barack Obama and Iran has been featured prominently on Huffington Post for several days and he also wrote compellingly about Iran and the global politics of the mobile age. Dan also has served up several insightful commentaries, including this one on social media in Iran.

Additionally, if you haven't been seen it yet, check out Huffington Post's Nico Pitney, who is doing an amazing job -- from DC -- of liveblogging events in Iran as they unfold.

You can watch the full Pentagon briefing with Gates and Mullen here: