Operations security needed in daily lives Published Nov. 27, 2006 By Capt Courtney Colby 71st Flight Training Wing Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- In recent years, our nation has suffered several terrorist attacks -- the Oklahoma City bombing, the U.S.S. Cole attack and the tragic events that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2001. In these cases, the adversaries were successful because they knew our nation's vulnerabilities. Americans at large provided much of what was used against us. The only thing our enemies brought to the table was their personal agenda and their resolve. It is for this reason we must all be vigilant about incorporating Operations Security into our daily lives. OPSEC is a process we use to deny our enemies information concerning our intentions and capabilities as a base and a nation. The mishandling of information can put everything at risk and cost the lives of many civilian and military members. The information often used against us is not classified; it is information that is openly available to anyone who knows where to look and what to ask. Although Vance Air Force Base seems like an unlikely target for terrorist activity, we must still be vigilant about our actions. OPSEC is a tool our adversaries believe in ... and one we all need to understand and integrate into our daily routine. Our work is information, and not all of it is classified. What we don't always realize is how much we are giving away by our predictable behavior, casual conversations, routine acquisitions and what we post on the Internet. We must be careful of what we are revealing because failure to do so could provide our adversaries with the information they need to execute additional terrorist acts. We can all incorporate OPSEC into our everyday work routine. When you do something, ask yourself, "What could an adversary garner from the knowledge of this activity? Is it revealing information about what we do and how we do it?" It is helpful to view yourself and what you're doing as an adversary would. Keep in mind that a small piece of information which may seem undamaging and insignificant on its own has the potential to become the missing link needed by an adversary to accurately uncover the big picture of Team Vance's overall mission and capabilities. We can never underestimate the wherewithal or strength of conviction of terrorists or any other adversary. Nothing is more dangerous than people who are willing to die for a cause. Our enemy took us by surprise, and we will never be the same country again. In order to effectively bring the enemy to justice, we need to maintain the element of surprise. Every element of our operation is more sensitive than ever before. We must rededicate ourselves to our mission and our country to help ensure past terrorist attacks will not be repeated. Security must be incorporated into every aspect of our jobs. If we are not vigilant in protecting critical information, it will happen again. The future of America depends on changing the way we look at security. OPSEC can make the difference. (Excerpts for this article were provided by the Interagency OPSEC Support Staff at: www.ioss.gov)