6 Reasons to Use a Military VPN If You’re in the Army

Joining the military can be a life-changing experience, but it also means spending long periods of time away from your lover, friends, and family, and not being able to browse the Internet without dealing with cyber security threats and content restrictions.

While there are plenty of online resources on how to deal with separation from those close to you, there isn’t enough info on how to solve the second issue.

No need to worry, though – we’ll show you how to use a military VPN to enjoy the web like everyone else.

But before we begin, we should mention that we’ll mostly be talking about things relevant to people in the US army. However, it’s very likely that you’ll face many of these issues no matter what country’s army you’re serving in.

What Is a VPN?

To keep things simple, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an online service you can use to hide your IP address and encrypt your Internet traffic.

If you want to find out more about VPNs, here’s a useful guide that should offer you all the info you need.

Why Should You Use a VPN for Army Personnel?

Overall, there are six main reasons to use a military VPN service – both when you’re stationed in your country and when you deploy abroad:

1. To Bypass Local Censorship

You don’t always get to choose where you’ll be stationed or where you’ll deploy. If you end up in a country that heavily censors the Internet by blocking access to various websites, you’re going to have to put up with those restrictions.

After all, the government will just force all ISPs in the country to block any website they want, and you’re getting your Internet from those ISPs.

For example, if you deploy to a FOB in Afghanistan, you might not have access to platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp. The government already blocked those services once, and they might do it again whenever they want.

If something like that happens, you won’t be able to enjoy your favorite online content, check out what your friends and family are up to, or talk with your significant other.

No need to worry, though – with a military VPN, you can bypass any government censorship by just hiding your real IP address and Internet traffic.

2. To Bypass Network Firewalls

Depending on the base’s regulations, you might have to deal with firewalls or not. If your superiors force the network admins to block certain websites on the base’s network, they’ll have to comply.

Usually, there’s really no good reason for a military base’s network to block certain websites, but if it does happen, there’s not much you can do – especially if your superiors say they’re doing it for security reasons.

So, much like local censorship, a restrictive firewall could prevent you from enjoying your favorite online content during your down time.

The good news is that a military VPN can help in this case too. Since it hides your IP address and forwards your requests through the VPN server, no firewall will manage to prevent you from connecting to various websites.

3. To Get Rid of Geo-Restrictions

If you have to spend your deployment period outside the US, you’ll likely lose access to tons of content platforms. Netflix, HBO GO, and Pandora Radio are just some examples of websites you won’t be able to access even if you’re stationed in a US military base.

You still have some options like Hulu, which does offer services for military bases, But here’s the problem – you’ll still deal with limitations. For instance, you won’t get Hulu with Live TV since it’s only available in the US.

All in all, it’s a pretty bad deal. You can’t enjoy the entertainment you love simply because you’re in a different part of the world. What’s more, the people who are keeping you from accessing those platforms are the very same people whose freedom you’re defending overseas!

Well, things don’t have to be that bad. If you use a military VPN solution, you can bypass any geo-blocks you encounter, and get access to all the US content you want.

“But don’t content providers frown on VPN use?”

Normally, yes, and platforms like Netflix are doing their best to block VPN IP addresses. However, Netflix also made it clear they have no problem with people in the US army using VPNs to unblock their content.

So, go ahead and enjoy yourself – nobody will have a problem with it.

4. To Properly Secure Your Online Communications

Just because you avoid spammy ads and phishing messages doesn’t mean you’re safe from cybercriminals – especially if you use public WiFi from the base’s Internet cafe instead of your own private Internet subscription.

After all, the lack of security on public WiFi is no joke. Hackers can use that to their advantage to try and intercept the data you send to various websites (like login credentials and credit card details). And if you use HTTP websites instead of HTTPS ones, they can also monitor everything you do on them.

Worst of all, it seems that the military isn’t taking cyber security risks seriously enough.

Luckily, you can keep all those threats at bay if you use a secure military VPN solution. As long as the service encrypts your traffic, nobody will be able to decipher it.

5. To Enjoy a Smoother Online Gaming Experience

Playing a few online matches of your favorite video game is a great way to relax during your periods of down time. It lets you blow off steam, keeps you entertained for hours on end, and helps you keep in touch with your friends back home.

However, there are plenty of things that can ruin that experience, such as:

• Not being able to play matches with your friends because you’re in a different region.
• Getting randomly kicked off the match because of an IP ban from a host or admin who is a sore loser and has a problem with you being in the military.
• Upset losers or cyber criminals targeting you with Dos/DDoS attacks.
• High ping times that ruin your kill streak because you’re too far from the game server.

If you use an army VPN, though, you won’t need to worry about any of those issues. The service will hide your IP address, protecting you from DoS/DDoS attacks, and helping you bypass geo-blocks and unfair IP bans that are keeping you from playing with your friends.

Plus, you can connect to a VPN server in the country the game server is from to potentially reduce your lag.

If you want to learn more about how VPNs work with video games, check out this article.

6. To Make Sure Torrenting Doesn’t Harm Your Career

If you just enlisted or have been demoted to a lower rank, you won’t have a very big paycheck. Usually, the base pay for new recruits and low rankings averages between $1,500 and $1,700 per month.

With such a small budget, it’s hard to afford things like video games or subscriptions on streaming platforms – especially when you consider the additional costs you’ll deal with like weekly haircuts, cell phone bills, Internet bills, car insurance, and car payments.

So, it’s only normal you’ll try to torrent some of the stuff you can’t afford. Unfortunately, if the network admin catches you (which they likely will since they can see your traffic), you might get in trouble.

Now, you might be lucky and only get a slap on the wrist. But your superiors could also want to make an example out of you. So, they might demote you or deny you advancement opportunities because of that.

Well, with a VPN, you no longer need to worry about that. The service is usually cost-efficient, and will encrypt all your traffic, so nobody will be able to see that you’re checking out and downloading torrents.

How to Use a Military VPN

It’s pretty simple – just subscribe to a VPN service, download and install the VPN app, run it, and connect to a VPN server in the US. You’ll then get direct access to all the content you want, and you’ll encrypt your traffic as well.

If you’re stationed in the US, you can just connect to a US VPN server that’s near your location to secure your online data and enjoy better speeds.

Is a Military VPN Just for You?

That depends on your current marital status. If you’re on your own in the army, sure, you could say that you’re the only one who will benefit from using a VPN.

Of course, if you let your friends and bunkmates know about this, they’ll get all the perks we mentioned above too. And they’ll definitely be thankful. Who knows, you might even get a free beer out of it when you’re off duty.

But a VPN for army personnel would really come in handy if your family moved into military family housing on-base. It secures their online traffic and helps them deal with firewalls. Not to mention they’ll get access to US entertainment if they move to the country where you get deployed (like a base in Germany, Japan, or Poland).

Conclusion

While you can get decent Internet access in the army, it’s still a good idea to use a VPN whenever you go online. If you do that, you’ll be able to enjoy:

• A more secure online experience.
• Not having to deal with geo-blocks, government censorship, and firewall restrictions.
• Better privacy when downloading torrents.
• A better gaming experience.

If you’ve got a military family with you, even better – a VPN will ensure they have a decent, safe online experience too.

Just make sure you pick a reliable VPN provider to get the best perks.