The “OP” in OPSEC doesn’t stand for optional
Know OPSEC. Keep OPSEC. Get over yourself.
There are literally hundreds of articles on the Internet about the vital importance of OPSEC (Operational Security). These articles all outline the main point of OPSEC and that is to keep our soldiers safe during any military operations. This is more than a refresher on OPSEC. I am going to post a quick example and then cite the massive OPSEC violations I witnessed happening on an Army approved social networking page when my son deployed.
I found a good example on the Stryker Brigade News website (who, by the way, are exemplary in OPSEC adherence in my opinion!) of basic OPSEC guidelines:
Operations Security, or OPSEC, is keeping potential adversaries from discovering our critical information. As the name suggests, it protects our operations planned, in progress, and those completed. Success depends on secrecy and surprise, so the military can accomplish the mission faster and with less risk. Our adversaries want our information, and they don’t concentrate on only soldiers to get it. They want you, the family member.
Protecting Critical Information
Even though information may not be secret, it can be what we call “critical information.” Critical information deals with specific facts about military intentions, capabilities, operations or activities. If an adversary knew this detailed information, our mission accomplishment and personnel safety could be jeopardized. It must be protected to ensure an adversary doesn’t gain a significant advantage. By being a member of the military family, you will often know some bits of critical information. Do not discuss them outside of your immediate family and especially not over the telephone.
Examples Of Critical Information
Detailed information about the mission of assigned units.
Details on locations and times of unit deployments.
Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, deployment information).
References to trends in unit morale or personnel problems.
Details concerning security procedures.Puzzle Pieces
These bits of information may seem insignificant. However, to a trained adversary, they are small pieces of a puzzle that highlight what we’re doing and planning. Remember, the elements of security and surprise are vital to the accomplishment of our goals and our collective personnel protection.
I have mentioned here on this blog that we were preparing as a family to see our son head out on his second deployment. What you did not see is a long post full of lament on the day he deployed. You did not see a little “time ticker” put in a post, and you didn’t hear me go on and on about how inconvenient the time of his deployment was to his wife.
This is exactly what I witnessed on a social networking site for his Brigade. That site is approved by the Army and it’s supposed to be monitored. I watched in disbelief as wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, etc. came onto the site and left their comments with their soldier’s full name, rank, the date he was actually leaving, the TIME, the location the destination, and every other obscene and downright infuriating detail you can imagine. My daughter in law complained, and one post that was the most offensive to the rule was removed. I was literally sickened to think that the information was put out there like that for any one to see. That means Aunt Bea and Al-Qaeda!
The picture at the top of this post made me chuckle when I first saw it. It’s a funny threat because we know that not all OPSEC violations actually materialize into any hostile action against our troops (hence the threatening them with kittens!) The kitten banner is funny, but the reality of the threat of broken OPSEC is not. The Army shouldn’t have to babysit family members. This is not a reality TV show. Our soldiers are fighting a ruthless enemy.
Every time you break OPSEC you potentially aid the very enemy that threatens the lives of our soldiers — YOUR soldier. Think of the soldiers!
