Think OPSEC

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Clifton Bond
  • 615th Contingency Response Wing
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Social networking sites on the World Wide Web can be fun places to surf, hang out and keep in touch with friends and family, but keep in mind not everyone in the world has good intentions and your information on the web could fall into the wrong hands. 

For example, if you were going on vacation, you wouldn't put a billboard in your front yard that says, "I am not home. I am on vacation for two weeks. If someone wants to burglarize the house, now is a good time." Of course not, but if you are posting your vacation plans on the Internet, you are doing just that. You might as well tell them which window or door to use. 

The same logic applies to the mission. We all want to share our experiences with friends and family back home but the enemy is watching too. They would love to have a picture of someone with a line badge or ID card, making it easy to counterfeit. 

One serious OPSEC violation occurred when a troop posted photos of a Humvee impacted by an improvised explosive device. He divulged exactly when and where it happened. Potentially, a terrorist could use this information to adjust the amount of explosives in an IED to do more damage next time. Another servicemember posted exactly how far a mortar missed his tent. Now the adversary knows how to adjust their aim. 

Once something is on the Internet it cannot be taken back. If you wouldn't hand it to the enemy, don't post it. Before you click upload, update, submit or send ... think about the impact on the mission ... think OPSEC.