The Marine Corps just launched its own type of YouTube to spread the knowledge of Marines Corps-wide.

The MarineNet Video service is available to any Marine registered to use MarineNet, an online education portal available to Marine spouses, civilians, retirees and anyone registered in the DEERS system. Currently, the video service is only available to Marines. It was started because it was a way to spread the experience of other Marines to the entire Corps. In addition, it was started because Marines requested it through a survey that was done on how MarineNet could be improved.  Although traditional training and education has been a staple of the Marine Corps, user-generated instructional videos are the leading method in which people learn and Marines are no different, according to the survey.

Videos can include subjects such as combat, ceremony, logistics, physical fitness and more. To provide this capability, MarineNet Video, now live, allows all Marines to access new training and education related videos. This tool will help Marines share knowledge and experience through an engaging format. Activated in mid-January 2017, MarineNet Video has added several Marine Corps formal school channels that are developing fresh content. A few examples of instructional videos include, “Field Day Procedures” from Ripper Academy 7th Marines, “Disassemble/Assemble  the M240B” from The Basic School and “Tactical Vehicle Lubrication” from Logistics Operations School.

Any Marine Corps unit or organization is able to request a channel through the video site. The only requirement for channel creation is command sponsorship from the unit commander or the organization’s director. A College of Distance Education and Training representative will then be able to help create the unit’s new channel. A sponsor is able to designate a number of channel managers to maintain its content and assign reviewer permissions.

To ensure that videos are accurate and appropriate with relevant content, there is an approval process for each video. After a Marine uploads a video to his or her unit’s channel, a reviewer from that unit will act as a subject matter expert to approve or disapprove the video before it is posted to the site. In case a posted video is later found to be inappropriate, the system allows anyone that can view it to report the issue and have the video removed.

Common Access Cards are not required to access MarineNet Video, so video can be uploaded to the site from a cell phone or other mobile devices, making it easy to provide valuable information to Marines.  In the future, there will be a feature which will allow units to share videos privately so no one else can see them. 

Marines who are part of a channel can now start adding their own videos. They can take video with any device they want and upload those videos from the same device to share with everyone on MarineNet. For more information on developing a channel please go to the MarineNet Video site and follow the steps on creating a channel.

(Marine Corps University staff also contributed to this report)