Renae
06-09-2005, 12:13
Angi asked me a great question:
...but one thing that has always confused me, is can we say where our guy is? We're supposed to protect exact locations....so why do people say what base their guy is on? Like Ft Hood, or Ft Dix, etc.
This was a very good question.
My response was:
That's actually pretty complex. I should probably say that no exact locations shoud be displayed like bases, just states. Even that could be a little too much information.
Like the "laws of opsec" state, If you don't know what you are protecting, how are you protecting it. So I'm glad you asked this question.
Nothing is exact, and it's hard to give answers about exact things, because OPSEC isn't black adn white. It's gray all around.
I would say that giving out base information is about up there with last names. They are both security risks. Because once a 'threat' has enough pieces of the information puzzle, then they can put it all together. I'll update my stuff with that being a very important thing to keep secret.
So let's keep the base/post/port info on the DL. States I would say is mildly okay. But keep it to a minimum. Parts of the country are fine. But remember, who has a need to know?
If you want to talk about a specfic base/post/port with another member, keep it in PM's, IM's or emails. But even when discussing this information with a "friend" from here, always determine what they have a "NEED TO KNOW".
Thanks for the question ANGI, I hope this clears stuff up.
...but one thing that has always confused me, is can we say where our guy is? We're supposed to protect exact locations....so why do people say what base their guy is on? Like Ft Hood, or Ft Dix, etc.
This was a very good question.
My response was:
That's actually pretty complex. I should probably say that no exact locations shoud be displayed like bases, just states. Even that could be a little too much information.
Like the "laws of opsec" state, If you don't know what you are protecting, how are you protecting it. So I'm glad you asked this question.
Nothing is exact, and it's hard to give answers about exact things, because OPSEC isn't black adn white. It's gray all around.
I would say that giving out base information is about up there with last names. They are both security risks. Because once a 'threat' has enough pieces of the information puzzle, then they can put it all together. I'll update my stuff with that being a very important thing to keep secret.
So let's keep the base/post/port info on the DL. States I would say is mildly okay. But keep it to a minimum. Parts of the country are fine. But remember, who has a need to know?
If you want to talk about a specfic base/post/port with another member, keep it in PM's, IM's or emails. But even when discussing this information with a "friend" from here, always determine what they have a "NEED TO KNOW".
Thanks for the question ANGI, I hope this clears stuff up.