OPSEC

The Laws of OPSEC

If you don't know the threat, how do you know what to protect?
If you don't know what to protect, how do you know you are protecting it?
If you are not protecting it. . . .the adversary wins!

For us it is important to keep the information of the military person we know safe. In the wrong hands, the unclassified information YOU possess could cause potentially grave harm to the United States or your military person.

What is the threat?

The threat is harm to the United States or your military person. If there were no threats, there would be no reason to protect anything. These threats are what your men are fighting against.

What are you protecting?

Any and all unclassified/classified information. Hopefully if you do not possess a security clearance, you do not know any classified information. But all information needs to remain safe.

Examples of this include:

• Last names
• All Dates (Returning/Leaving/R&R, etc)
• Exact Unit numbers or Unit Names
• Exact locations (Bases, Posts, Forts, Ports)
• Addresses, email, phone numbers
• Detailed information about the mission of assigned units.
• 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.

All information trusted to you should remain in your brain, do not share this information. If it's questionable as to whether or not you should say the information, ask an Administrator or keep it to yourself.

Need To Know

Need to know is an important concept to understand. Stop, think and decide whether or not another person needs to know this information. Does a Person A need to know Private John's last name? In most all cases NO! Addresses, phone numbers, AIM names, email addresses, dates, unit numbers, locations or bases/posts etc., and all other 'sensitive' information are all examples of things "strangers" do not need to know.

Even between two people who hold a Top Secret security clearance. One person may not tell the other a classified number if that person does not have a need to know.
Before you give away any information to another person, decide if they have the need to know. This is a very important concept.

Basic OPSEC Countermeasures

• Properly destroy sensitive information.
• Avoid posting or displaying sensitive information.
• Do not leave laptop computers unattended in public places.
• Be aware of the threats.
• Know how information is gathered.
• Know what information requires protection.
• Know what you can do to protect the information

Sensitive Information

What is Sensitive Information?

Sensitive information can be anything. Usually sensitive information is any piece of unclassified (or classified) information that can help the enemy put the missing pieces of the puzzle together. Sensitive information can be anything from a last name to a bank account number. Be practicing need to know, you should be effective in minimizing the amount of sensitive information you give out. The most important concept is to stay aware of the information you know, and be sure that you keep it safe.

The Intelligence Puzzle

When the enemy collects enough sensitive UNCLASSIFIED information he may be able to find out what the big picture is. With enough unclassified information, it is significantly easier to piece together what the CLASSIFIED information would be. This is a huge security risk. 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.
OPSEC is so much more than this, but this is a general idea of it. Please check out the links on the side of the page for more information. OPSEC is a great tool that we all use, but should be more aware of, especially when our country could be at stake.
Determined individuals can easily collect data from cordless and cellular phones, and even baby monitors, using inexpensive receivers available from local electronics stores.

If anyone, especially a foreign national, persistently seeks information, notify your military sponsor immediately. He or she will notify the unit OPSEC program manager.

The Web

• The global reach of the World Wide Web requires special precautions be taken when posting information. The following types of information shall not be posted to this or any publicly accessible web sites:
• Information that is for official use only (FOUO). This type of information would pose an unacceptable risk to the [military], especially in electronically aggregated form. While records containing FOUO information will normally be marked at the time of their creation, records that do not bear such markings shall be assumed to contain FOUO information.
• Analysis and recommendations concerning lessons learned which reveal sensitive military operations, exercises or vulnerabilities.
• Reference to unclassified information that would reveal sensitive movements of military assets or the location of units, installations, or personnel where uncertainty regarding location is an element of military plan or program.
• Personal information including complications of names of personnel assigned to overseas, sensitive, or routinely deployable units.
• Names, locations, and specific identifying information about family members or military personnel and employees
• Technical information that can be used or be adapted for use to design, engineer, produce, manufacture, operate, repair, overhaul, or reproduce any military or space equipment or technology concerning such equipment.