Obsec newsletter
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The document is a newsletter about operations security (OPSEC). It discusses the passing of Rear Admiral Donald Showers, who helped develop the core OPSEC process. It provides updates on canceled conferences and regional training events. It encourages family members to be cautious about sharing deployment information online. Finally, it shares some historic OPSEC posters and the origins of the OPSEC program dating back to the Vietnam War.
Obsec newsletter
- 1. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 Since our last publication, In This Issue: we have lost one of the original Purple Dragon team, Chat with the Chief Rear Admiral (RADM) Donald DoD Websites Conference Update “Mac” Showers. Part of the FY13 OPSEC Regional initial 16 person team, Training Events RADM Showers was better Family OPSEC known for convincing OPSEC History Admiral (ADM) Chester Historic OPSEC Posters Nimitz that the Japanese might be targeting Midway. Based on the cryptologic achievements of the team 2013 National OPSEC that deciphered the Japanese Navy messages, ADM Nimitz was able to get Conference is cancelled. his force in position and in time to defend Midway.1 Less well known to Please read how we are the general public, but arguably as important, was his role as head of the addressing this, and be Purple Dragon team. Under his direction, the team conducted a survey of sure to check our all the processes associated with operations planning and execution. This website for more training and education survey included reviews of communications methods, reviews of options as they become movement of personnel and equipment, and personal interviews with each available. person performing an action related to the mission, from drafting www.ioss.gov messages to pilot communications. The methodology used by the team became the core processes known today as Operations Security, or OPSEC.2 ______________ We will miss the Admiral; however, as we celebrate 25 years of National Many thanks to those who have contributed Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 298, we know that his contributions on articles and information behalf of OPSEC will endure. to this Newsletter! You will see below updated information about the National OPSEC Conference, which is cancelled. We regret this decision, and are looking into more, and innovative, ways to get the word out about OPSEC. 1 “Course to Midway – Rear Admiral Donald Showers USN” 1 http://www.navy.mil/midway/showers.html Page 2 2008 National OPSEC Conference program “20 Years of Excellence in Operations Security”
- 2. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 In This Issue: DoD Websites Chat with the Chief DoD Websites There are some great Department of Defense (DoD) websites you might Conference Update want to bookmark. One focuses on social media and the other is a useful FY13 OPSEC Regional dictionary of military and associated terms. The Social Media Hub website Training Events Family OPSEC (http://www.defense.gov/socialmedia/) includes a link to Education and OPSEC History Training information, links for Terms of Service Agreements, Site Registry Historic OPSEC Posters and DoD policies, plus links to the DoD Component Social Media portals. The Education & Training page has a plethora of PDF files; web based training links, slides, and videos ranging from Best Practices for Keeping Your Home Network Secure, to Organizational Level OPSEC: Vulnerabilities and Indicators, to YouTube Uses in the Field. 2013 National OPSEC Conference is cancelled. Please read how we are The website for the DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, 8 addressing this, and be November 2010 as amended Through 15 November 2012, sure to check our (http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/), includes a PDF of the website for more Joint Publication 1-02, a searchable link, and a browse-by-letter capability. training and education In addition to the definitions, there is also a tab for military and associated options as they become acronyms. Other links on this website include the Joint Electronic Library available. www.ioss.gov (JEL), Universal Joint Task List (UJTL), Capstone Concept for Joint Operations (CCJO), Joint Doctrine, Education & Training Electronic ______________ Information System (JDLIS), Doctrine Networked Education & Training (DOCNET), and Joint Publication Executive Summary Podcasts. Many thanks to those Please note: access to some of these sites is regulated by PKI. who have contributed articles and information to this Newsletter! Conference Update In light of the current fiscal climate, IOSS will be cancelling this year’s National OPSEC Conference. To ensure OPSEC information is still available, the IOSS will be exploring the following interim options: 2 Page
- 3. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 Scheduling Continuing Education Seminars via the virtual learning In This Issue: platforms (DCO and CENTRA) Exploring options for integration of OPSEC presentations into other Chat with the Chief DoD Websites events Conference Update Exploring new awareness resources to be made available via the FY13 OPSEC Regional IOSS Website (www.ioss.gov) Training Events Posting recorded presentations on the IOSS website Family OPSEC OPSEC History Please stay tuned and watch the www.IOSS.gov website for new Historic OPSEC Posters information. 2013 National OPSEC Family OPSEC Conference is cancelled. Please read how we are When loved ones get deployed, it addressing this, and be can be an emotional event, sure to check our especially with concerns about website for more their safety. However, there is training and education something that you as a family options as they become available. member can do to help keep them www.ioss.gov safe; it is called Operations Security, or OPSEC. What is ______________ OPSEC? OPSEC is protecting critical information which can in Many thanks to those turn, protect your loved ones. As who have contributed articles and information a family member of the military to this Newsletter! community, you play a crucial role in protecting their wellbeing. Here are a few examples of deployment critical information to protect: 1) The unit’s deployment dates 2) The exact location where the unit is deployed 3) Detailed information about the mission or deployment 3 Page
- 4. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 It is important to remember that the bad guys get most of their In This Issue: information from “open source” materials such as newspapers, television, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, blogs, chat rooms, and many Chat with the Chief more. The posting of critical information in these sources could jeopardize DoD Websites Conference Update the safety of your loved ones, as well as the safety of the entire unit. FY13 OPSEC Regional Unless you really know a person, you can never be sure who you are talking Training Events to or who is looking at your social media page. Family OPSEC OPSEC History Remember to be cautious about what you post and what you say about Historic OPSEC Posters military deployments. Do your part in contributing to OPSEC to help keep our military members out of harm’s way! 2013 National OPSEC Conference is cancelled. FY13 OPSEC Regional Training Events Please read how we are March Regional Training in Indianapolis, Indiana addressing this, and be sure to check our Sponsor: DFAS, 20-28 March website for more Courses Offered: OPSE-1500, OPSE-2500 and OPSE-3500 training and education August Regional Training in Chesapeake, Virginia options as they become available. Sponsor: Coast Guard, 1-9 August www.ioss.gov Courses Offered: OPSE-1500, OPSE-2500 and OPSE-3500 Please visit www.IOSS.gov for a list of additional training ______________ opportunities offered by the IOSS and by our training partners. Many thanks to those who have contributed articles and information to this Newsletter! OPSEC History In 1988, NSDD 298 was signed, codifying OPSEC and naming the National Security Agency (NSA) as Executive Agency. 2012 was NSA’s 60th Anniversary, and the following piece was written to help celebrate that 4 anniversary. Page
- 5. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 The traditional view of OPSEC has its ties in the formation of human In This Issue: combat. Ever since the first humans began warring for territory and resources, OPSEC has always been a key to the success or failure of a Chat with the Chief mission or objective. OPSEC is a process that identifies friendly, critical DoD Websites Conference Update and unclassified information to determine what actions can be observed by FY13 OPSEC Regional an adversary; determines if information obtained by adversaries could be Training Events interpreted to be useful to them; and then executes selected measures Family OPSEC that eliminate or reduce the risk of exploitation of friendly critical OPSEC History information. Historic OPSEC Posters Beginning in the Vietnam era, the United States set 2013 National OPSEC out to review its Conference is cancelled. security posture Please read how we are from the vantage addressing this, and be point of the sure to check our enemy. This new website for more training and education positioning was options as they become created as a result available. of abject failures www.ioss.gov during combat operations; after ______________ attacking specific targets, U.S. Many thanks to those who have contributed Forces would withdraw, but not see the rate of damage/destruction articles and information promised via intelligence reports. Somehow the enemy seemed aware of to this Newsletter! the operational strategy employed by the U.S. and was able to successfully predict strike times, size of the forces and locations of attack. U.S. combatant commanders sought to find out why. The commanders created a team of military and civilian personnel to investigate this Vietcong awareness. After researching the issue, it was discovered that unclassified information released without consideration of 5 its sensitivity could be used to piece together a picture of strategic Page movements and operations. Using newspaper sources, word of mouth,
- 6. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 unencrypted communications, and supply shipment information, the team In This Issue: saw how an enemy force can use mundane information to form a hypothesis of where U.S. Forces would attack next. Once this information Chat with the Chief was given to the commanding officers, the U.S. began to employ counter- DoD Websites Conference Update strategies in order to offset the damage this unclassified information was FY13 OPSEC Regional having on the war effort. Training Events Family OPSEC Thus, began the formation of what we know today as Operation PURPLE OPSEC History DRAGON. From its beginnings in 1966 and 1967, PURPLE DRAGON proved Historic OPSEC Posters to be one of the most effective operations ever put together by the U.S. Military. It prompted investigations into how the military massed and executed their forces and subsequently compared this to the flow of information from combat operations. Thus, unsecured information 2013 National OPSEC regarding troop operations was scaled back so that valuable and Conference is cancelled. exploitable information could no longer flow as easily to the enemy. Please read how we are addressing this, and be Today, we still see sure to check our the results of website for more training and education Operation PURPLE options as they become DRAGON with the available. institution of the www.ioss.gov National OPSEC Program mandated ______________ by the Reagan Administration, and Many thanks to those who have contributed with our nation’s articles and information posture on creating to this Newsletter! a balance of transparency, with needed secrecy. These new postures have enabled a limited flow of data to the enemies of the United States and have saved countless lives. As threats continue to grow and as the world becomes a more dangerous place, OPSEC will always be there to protect our most precious commodity: information. 6 Page
- 7. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 In This Issue: Historic OPSEC Posters Chat with the Chief DoD Websites In honor of NSDD’s 25th Anniversary, on the next couple pages and Conference Update scattered throughout the Newsletter, are some OPSEC posters from years FY13 OPSEC Regional past. Training Events Family OPSEC OPSEC History Historic OPSEC Posters 2013 National OPSEC Conference is cancelled. Please read how we are addressing this, and be sure to check our website for more training and education options as they become available. www.ioss.gov ______________ Many thanks to those who have contributed articles and information to this Newsletter! 7 Page
- 8. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 In This Issue: Chat with the Chief DoD Websites Conference Update FY13 OPSEC Regional Training Events Family OPSEC OPSEC History Historic OPSEC Posters 2013 National OPSEC Conference is cancelled. Please read how we are addressing this, and be sure to check our website for more training and education options as they become available. www.ioss.gov ______________ Many thanks to those who have contributed articles and information to this Newsletter! 8 Page
- 9. Think. Protect. OPSEC. Winter 2013 In This Issue: Chat with the Chief DoD Websites Conference Update FY13 OPSEC Regional Training Events Family OPSEC OPSEC History Historic OPSEC Posters 2013 National OPSEC Conference is cancelled. Please read how we are addressing this, and be sure to check our website for more training and education options as they become available. www.ioss.gov ______________ Many thanks to those who have contributed articles and information to this Newsletter! 9 Page