The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), formerly the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, is an operation supported by the Defense Media Activity (DMA). It provides a connection between world media and the American military personnel serving at home and abroad. It supports all branches of the U.S. military and combatant commands worldwide.
Operations
A network of portable Ku-band satellite transmitters and IP video encoders connected to its 24/7 Cloud Network Operations Center, feed DVIDS with PR and combat content, including live video feeds.2 DVIDS broadcasts videos, photographs, podcasts, audio, webcasts, interviews, and print products (e.g., publications).345
The service currently uses cloud computing technologies for infrastructure as a service. It operates DefenseTV, a military television over the top box app accessed through FireTV, Chromecast or Roku,67 and offers the Military 24/7 mobile app, which delivers news, video, and photos supplied directly by deployed service members.8 It maintains the DoD archive for worldwide operations.
Scott Betts leads the Department of Defense DVIDS program via Defense Media Activity, at Fort Meade, Maryland.9
In 2025, DVIDS took down all "news and feature articles, photos, and videos that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)."101112 A previous mass removal was done in 2021 to protect Afghans.13
See also
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.- Official website
- DVIDS, Public Affairs Officers' qualification course, Defense Information School
References
"Is DVIDS run by the military?", DVIDS website https://www.dvidshub.net/about/faq#faq20 ↩
dvidshub. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/user/dvidshub ↩
The Red Bull Express, newsletter of the 34th Infantry Division http://static.dvidshub.net/media/pubs/pdf_8860.pdf ↩
"Round-Up" (PDF). Newsletter of US Regional Command Southwest, Afghanistan. http://static.dvidshub.net/media/pubs/pdf_8861.pdf ↩
About DVIDS DVIDS website http://www.dvidshub.net/about ↩
DefenseTV, DVIDS website https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/DefenseTV ↩
"DVIDS Extends U.S. Military News & Information App 'DefenseTV' to Amazon Fire TV", CHIPS, Department of the Navy magazine, 10 April 2015 https://www.doncio.navy.mil/CHIPS/ArticleDetails.aspx?ID=6253 ↩
[1], Military 24/7 https://www.dvidshub.net/app/military-24-7 ↩
Personnel, DVIDS website http://www.dvidshub.net/about/personnel ↩
Mitchell, Billy (2025-02-27). "DOD leadership orders components to scrub DEI content across websites, social media". DefenseScoop. Retrieved 2025-03-07. https://defensescoop.com/2025/02/27/dod-memo-scrub-dei-content-across-websites-social-media-sean-parnell/ ↩
"War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal in Pentagon's DEI purge". AP News. 2025-03-07. Retrieved 2025-03-15. https://apnews.com/article/dei-purge-images-pentagon-diversity-women-black-8efcfaec909954f4a24bad0d49c78074 ↩
"Pentagon Releases Digital Content Refresh Memorandum". U.S. Department of Defense. 2025-02-27. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4079501/pentagon-releases-digital-content-refresh-memorandum/ ↩
Mike, Glenn (2021-11-01). "Pentagon deletes Afghan war photos from Defense Department website". The Washington Times. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/nov/1/afghanistan-war-photos-deleted-defense-department-/ ↩