OPSEC essential to maintaining mission

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danny Monahan
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  All Air Force members need to be cautious when divulging information to ensure proper operational security and identity protection.

Recently an Airman here received a phone call from an individual who explained to the Airman that he won a substantial amount of money. The caller asked a series of questions such as name, age, etc. Then he began asking questions about whether or not the Airman will deploy this year, how long he will be gone, where he's going and more. The Airman declined to answer the questions and reported the incident to the Office of Special Investigations.

Although some of the answers to the questions may not be classified, the answers pertain to operational security. The purpose of OPSEC is to prevent the compromise of Air Force and other government activities and information through the enemy's collection of unclassified information that can be harmful to military actions or intentions.

"It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle," said 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ballif, 5th Bomb Wing OPSEC monitor. "You gather pieces from different parts of the box and start piecing them together, eventually a picture is going to form. OPSEC is trying to withhold or block those information pieces before the picture is formed. It is as simple as shredding a paper with a social security number or monitoring what you say over the Internet."

Individuals who are contacted by a telemarketer, tourist, or military enthusiast asking probing questions regarding military operations, capabilities and deployments should respectfully decline to answer their questions and report the incident, officials said.

"Remember as much as possible such as date, time, duration of call, the name of the individual, who they work for, the number they called from, and where they called from," said Special Agent Jonathan Bofinger, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 228. "Report this information to your supervisor and AFOSI."

In addition to OPSEC, incidents of this nature may also be associated with a variety of fraud schemes people may encounter.

"These schemes come in many forms, but often request the recipient provide bank account information or a check for several thousand dollars in return for a larger sum of money," said Special Agent Bofinger. "Once a person completes the transaction and realizes they have been scammed, it is too late, there is little chance they will ever see their money again. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Protect your identity and bank account information."

The growth of the Internet has also created OPSEC concern with the use of personal sites and blogs.

"Personal sites, blogs and emails are a popular way of communicating with our friends and family," said Lieutenant Ballif. "It is also a popular way our enemies use to gather information about ourselves and our operations. Ask yourself if you are revealing any critical information before posting anything, especially pictures. You may be posting a picture of you and your buddies in the desert, but al Qaeda is looking at the terrain in the background trying to locate your unit."

To avoid revealing critical information, people should be familiar with their base's critical information list.

"This list goes into detail about what the base, group, and units deem unclassified, but critical information," said Lieutenant Ballif. "There should be a copy of the CIL located near each phone."