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OPSEC trainers visit deploying Soldiers

By Spc. Chris Jones
December 2, 2005

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Army News Service, Dec. 2, 2005) -- Due to the high number of deployed Soldiers using the Internet as a way to keep in touch with family and friends back home, Operations Security training has become a growing concern for the Army.

In August, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker augmented Army OPSEC training by issuing guidance resulting in the establishment of four Mobile Training Teams to speak to Soldiers before they deploy to the theater of operations.

The goal of these MTTs, which consist of OPSEC experts, is to train brigade or division-level officers and noncommissioned officers on what is regarded as sensitive but unclassified information and to ensure these leaders filter the information to their subordinates.

Enemy has Internet

Lt; Col. Herbert White, commander of the Information Operations Vulnerability Assessment Detachment, and responsible for the MTTs, said the Internet has caused OPSEC training to be updated from previous conflicts due to the enormous level of information readily accessible to everyone.

“It’s important that Soldiers know,” White said, “when they send something out through the Internet, their intended recipient may not be the only recipient.”

“Although OPSEC training has always been a concern for Army leaders, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with the rapid growth of the Internet, has made OPSEC more relevant than it may have ever been,” White said.

“An e-mail is like a postcard,” he said. “You don’t write something on a postcard that you (don’t) want everyone to read, because everyone can read it. You put the personal and private stuff in an envelope, and that’s why we’ve got [secure Web sites].”

“There are currently four MTTs, each of which are on the road weekly to train troops from various Army installations. Other branches of the military have similar training,” White said. MTTs were scheduled for 16 training events between October and December..

Blogging concerns

One of the main concerns for OPSEC officials is the inadvertent release of sensitive information. This may occur through online blogging, e-mails and sensitive photographs posted on the Internet, White said.

Although these are ways for deployed Soldiers to stay in touch with family and friends, “the concern is that Soldiers may not know the serious impact that unfiltered information can have on the battlefield,” White said. “It’s free intelligence for the adversary.”

The Army does not want to prevent Soldiers from communicating with loved ones, White said The goal is to educate soldiers on what is considered sensitive information and “then trust the Soldiers to do the right thing,” White said. “And Soldiers will do the right thing, as long as they know what the right thing is.”

Soldiers who leak sensitive information can face serious consequences. Spc. Leonard Clark, an Arizona National Guardsman, was reduced in rank, fined $1,640.00 and sentenced to 45 days of extra duty for violating Article 92 of the UCMJ for releasing classified information such as unit convoy routes on a Web site he ran.

“Computers have made it easier for Soldiers to keep in touch back home,” White said. “But it’s also easier for the enemy to learn what’s going on. It’s something every Soldier needs to be aware of.”

(Editor’s note: Spc. Chris Jones serves with the 40th PAD.)