Today's customers are changing and the U.S. Army IT wants to adapt. The young men and women joining the military don't use e-mail, and have grown up using social networking tools Facebook (See the ) and MySpace (See the )as their preferred means for sharing information.

"That really challenges us to get similar capabilities to collaborate but within a small circle and a secure environment," said Robert Neilson, knowledge management advisor to the U.S. Army CIO.

Military branches are using some social networking tools because they see merit in them, but adoption faces obstacles ranging from implementation costs to security.

The real benefit of social networking technology is the openness of it, the ability to invite people and gather information but "we have to temper that," said Neilson.

The Department of Defense has task forces exploring the use of social networking, said Neilson. But there are also broader and targeted efforts to ensure that information is shared in ways that improve performance and doesn't leave with a retirement.