Help Keep Your Soldier Safe

Operational security is for family members, too.

What is OPSEC?
OPSEC (Operational Security) is keeping potential adversaries from discovering critical information. As the name suggests, it protects operations, so the military can accomplish the mission quicker and with less risk. Enemies of freedom want our information, and they’re not just after the military member to get it. They want you, the family member, too.

What does it teach you?
Look at your daily activities from an enemies’ point of point of view. Understand what an enemy might know about you. Assess the amount of risk this places on your military son/daughter and your family. Develop and apply countermeasures, which are ways of preventing enemies from gaining sensitive information.

Limit what you say about:
Military movements, such as deployment and redeployment dates, dates of field exercises and flight times. “Next Tuesday” is a specific date.
Any issues with units.
Anything concerning security.
Equipment issues (What? No flak vests?)
Location of units (It’s ok to say that your son/daughter’s battalion is at Taji but not that he or she is flying over 14th St. and Baghdad Ave. tomorrow at noon.)

Watch what you say when you’re at:
Restaurants, gyms, shopping malls/stores, public transportation and anywhere someone you don’t know could be listening.

OPSEC measures to practice daily:
Be aware of your surroundings.
Keep sensitive discussions in designated secure areas.
Keep a need-to-know attitude.
Safeguard sensitive but unclassified information.

Some other things to keep in mind:
Make sure that your family knows that the information shared should not be repeated outside of the family.
Limit what you say on the telephone. Whether they’re land lines, cell phones, or cordless phones, they can be tapped.
Censor what you put into emails. Anything sent out over the Internet can be seen by anyone on the Internet.
Limit what you say in public. You never know who is listening.

Thank you to the US Army’s 4-4 AVN "Gambler Guns” for providing this valuable information.