Operation security: Pieces of information puzzle may cause harm if gathered

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daryl Knee
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  A new Air Force Space Command supplement was recently added to the operational security Air Force Instruction. 

Several new rules come into effect immediately. 

"This new supplement provides guides and rules to lower the probability of enemy interception," said Tech. Sgt. Chad Glazier, 90th Space Wing antiterrorism office. "The rules might be hard to adhere to at first, but they are for our safety." 

Out-of-office e-mail replies should contain no information that violates OPSEC principles, Sergeant Glazier said. The restrictions include exact deployment location, leave or temporary-duty-assignment dates, description or nature of leave, or any personal details, which could lead to exploitation. 

The new supplement contains a generic guideline: "I'm currently out of the office. In case of an emergency, please contact me on my cell phone at 555-5555. For routine program inquiries, please contact John Doe at 555-5550." 

Another new addition to OPSEC regulations is the reintroduction of the 100 percent shred policy, Sergeant Glazier said. Warren has had a basic shred when possible mentality, but as of now, all unclassified paper products, excluding magazines and newspapers, which have work sensitive material written on it will be shredded prior to disposal or recycling. 

Strip shredders will have to go, Sergeant Glazier said. For diligent enemies, information processed through a regular strip shredder can be pasted back together. To ensure complete destruction of information, cross-strip shredders are mandatory. Every office will need to be equipped with the new shredders, he added. 

Lastly, government or personal cell phone use in the work area is prohibited, Sergeant Glazier said. With advancements in technology, some terrorists may have the availability to tap into cell-phone signals and glean important information from background noises. 

"People should refrain from using non-secure phone lines," Sergeant Glazier said. "Basically, any wireless device is more vulnerable to tapping than a hard-wired line, like an office telephone." 

The use of such telephones is authorized in all break areas, the sergeant said. Be sure to avoid work-related conversations. 

"These new items are inspectable," Sergeant Glazier said. "If, during an operational readiness inspection, the evaluators decide to check all the office garbage cans for unshredded paper, they very well can." 

Make the new OPSEC awareness additions a habit, Sergeant Glazier said. Protecting our information from the enemy is vital to the mission. 

"Applying good OPSEC practices will protect our mission's critical information from our adversaries or enemies," he said. 

"Ultimately, OPSEC is about guarding small pieces of information that may seem unimportant on its own, but together can be damaging to the mission of the 90th Space Wing and the security of our nation," he added.