As a Military Wife, I have learned through my husband and through other wives about OPSEC, BUT there are still some that either do not care, do not want to care, or are just...you know, I do not know how to explain them...lol.
SO...if you don't know about OPSEC, here's a little information to help...if you just DON'T CARE...I have nothing more to say, except...get off my page please, and thank you. OPSEC is for the safety of ALL of our SOLDIERS, so please understand how important these rules are. Thank you to the spouses who helped and taught me as well in regards to learning more.
OPSEC Rules for blogs, forums and chat
Operations Security can’t be summed up in a brief list of rules and regulations and be expected to cover every possible situation. However, many forum, blogs and chat rooms need to set certain standards and guidelines in order to promote good OPSEC practices. These guidelines are often referred to as “OPSEC Rules”, and must be acknowledged before an account is created.
This article will provide a basic set of OPSEC rules for free, unrestricted use on any site or forum. Please note that this is not an inclusive list, and should be modified to fit the requirements on the medium.
OPSEC Rules:
1-Do not post exact deployment dates or redeployment dates
2-Do not reveal camp locations, including nearby cities. After the deployment is officially announced by Military officials, you may discuss locations that have been released, normally on the Country level.
3-Do not discuss convoy routes (“we travelled through Takrit on our way to X”)
4-Detailed information on the mission, capabilities or morale of a unit
5-Specific names or actual nicknames
6-Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, etc)
7-Details concerning security procedures, response times, tactics
8-Don’t discuss equipment or lack thereof, to include training equipment
9-Don’t speculate about future operations
10-If posting pictures, don’t post anything that could be misconstrued or used for propaganda purposes. A good rule of thumb is to look at your picture without your caption or explanation and consider if it could be re-captioned to reflect poorly on coalition forces. For example, your image might show your Soldier rescuing a child from a blast site, but could be re-captioned to insinuate that the child being captured or harmed. (it’s happened!)
11- Avoid the use of count-up or count-down tickers for the same reason as rule #1
12-Be very careful if posting pictures of your loved one
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13-Avoid images that show significant landmarks near their base of operations, and black out last names and unit affiliations
14-Do not, ever, post information about casualties (coalition or enemy) before the official release of the information.
15-Do not pass on rumors (“I heard they’re coming home early”, etc)
If you have any questions, contact your (or your sponsor’s) unit OPSEC manager.
These OSPEC rules aren’t meant to limit your free speech or restrict your liberties- that’s exactly what our Men and Women fight to protect. However, they are designed to help ensure the safety and security of the Service Members in your life.
Remember, no matter your affiliation, status, rank or age- you have a part in the security of your Soldier!!!
**THIS INFORMATION WAS GATHERED AND RE-POSTED FROM http://www.opsecprofessionals.org/articles/OPSEC_Rules.html
