News

Operational Readiness Inspection focus campaign kicks off with OPSEC guidelines

  • Published
  • By Holly Birchfield
  • 78th ABW/PA
A scrap piece of paper with a home address, a recall roster with your co-worker's name and home phone number - these items may seem harmless, but if left in the hands of the enemy, they could be the pieces of information needed to create a disastrous situation.

Glen Haisten, Installation Operations Security Program manager in the 78th Air Base Wing's Plans and Programs Division, said OPSEC isn't merely a concern for people as they get ready for the Operational Readiness Inspection in April. It should be a priority every day, in every area of life.

"We all practice good OPSEC at home, probably better than we do at work at times," he said. "(For instance), when we go on vacation and we stop our mail, or have a newspaper (delivery) stopped or have our lights come on with a timer, these are all things to fool any potential intruders into thinking someone is still there instead of advertising our absence."

While it's important to practice such methods at home, it's just as important at work.

Mr. Haisten said people should keep recycling bins and trashcans free of classified and other critical and sensitive information and don't leave such items lying on an unoccupied desk where they could easily be found.

"We try to encourage most organizations to adopt a shred policy," he said. "If you don't want it read, shred instead. That's a good ditty we try to get across to people, and it's easy to remember."

Mr. Haisten said people should ensure the information they're openly working on isn't on the installation or unit critical information list. Some of these items may include plans, projects, itinerary of special visitors and organizational charts. Such items should be kept out of view.

"We're not trying to make things inconvenient, but we're trying to protect each other in our own private lives by not revealing things no one needs to know," he said.

Mr. Haisten said OPSEC affects work done electronically also. Computers should be locked when a person is away and Common Access Cards should be secured with the person when the person's away from the computer even for a moment.

E-mails with critical information in them should always be encrypted and e-mail messages containing Privacy Act type information should be labeled as such in the subject line with a message warning the potential reader before the actual e-mail message body, Mr. Haisten said.

Mr. Haisten said people can check Air Force Instruction 33-332 for more information on the Air Force's rules with Privacy Act materials.

Along with ensuring work spaces are scrubbed, Mr. Haisten said people need to always know who is in the workplace.

Mr. Haisten said if visitors are expected, everyone in the office should be made aware so they can protect information accordingly.

"You need to be aware of people that walk into your office," he said. "It's also professional to ask someone you don't know if you could help them, direct them in the right area, and ensure they have a valid reason to even be there."

When a visitor is in one's office, that person shouldn't be left alone, Mr. Haisten said.

These are just a few of the points Keri Paul, a security manager in the 78th Security Forces Squadron who will soon take over as the Installation OPSEC Program manager, hopes to keep in the forefront of people's minds.

Mrs. Paul, who worked in security forces at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., before coming to Robins in December, said everyone is responsible for OPSEC.

Ensuring OPSEC is an around-the-clock venture, Mrs. Paul said.

People shouldn't discuss job-related items with anyone outside of work, because you never know who is listening and piecing together the bigger picture, Mrs. Paul said.

"Look how long it took for the planning of 9/11," she said. "It didn't take two weeks of people planning, 'Hey, let's do this.' It could take 10 years. People could be outside this base now trying to listen in to what people are saying so they can (say) 'okay, now we can achieve this goal,' and hurt our installation somehow."