Opsec: A Brief Primer and Best Practices

Photo By Staff Sgt. Ian Vega-Cerezo | An Infographic prescribing OPSEC practices and precautions  

EL PASO, TX, UNITED STATES

10.19.2023

Story by Staff Sgt. Ian Vega-Cerezo 

32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command

FORT BLISS, Texas – In a world where personal details, financial information and even national secrets can be accessed at the press of a button or the swipe of finger, the practice of safeguarding information is becoming a growing problem with a shrinking number of solutions.
Operational Security, or OPSEC for short, is a critical aspect of national defense and a deciding factor in military operations, but one that is being constantly challenged in an ever evolving information age.
“OPSEC is the systematic and deliberate management of information to ensure that we as an organization are not careless with it,” said Sgt. 1st Class McPierrot Nelson, protection NCO, G34, 32d AAMDC. “Basically, we want to ensure that we're not careless with sensitive information floating around the unit, to keep it out of the reach of our enemies. Information that we think is trivial, to the right or wrong person can be a treasure trove of information that they can use to pick out vital information that could endanger our forces.”
Another contributing factor actively working against traditional operation security is spillage, the unintentional or intentional leaking of sensitive information on any easily and publicly accessible forum, digital, verbal or otherwise.
"Spillage can negatively impact an operation by disclosing information that can be
very sensitive and detrimental to the mission itself it can put people's lives in
danger depending on the type of information disclosed," said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Ashley, intelligence sergeant, G2, 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command. "Preventing spillage can be as simple as training and educating Soldiers to understand what spillage is and how to prevent it. Instilling individuals with better and security practices and teaching them what to do and not to do when they find unsecured classified information anywhere it shouldn't be.”
Going forward, confronting the challenges of information spilling will be a complex endeavor, but one that can be overcome with diligence and adherence to standards and existing systems within the military structure.
“Information, especially specific information is need to know, because the worst thing that can happen is that the enemy uses information they find to attack and kill U.S. Soldiers.” said Nelson. “One of the best practices for OPSEC in the military is to keep quiet and let the proper channels disclose certain information, especially with the topic of deployments strategic operations and unit activities."
Remember, if you see something, say something. You can call 1-800-CALL-SPY, your local Provost Marshall or CID office, or web search ‘isalute’ for secure reporting of suspicious activity or information leakage.

• Date Taken: 10.19.2023
• Date Posted: 10.19.2023 19:26
• Story ID: 456175
• Location: EL PASO, TX, US