OSPEC
What is it? Why is it important? What are the rules?
Loose lips sink ships!
You may have heard this saying in the past, but this saying becomes reality when you or a family member join the military.
Many families have questions, especially in online forums/groups — so let’s talk about it.
Please take the time to read OSPEC rules. These are set in place for the protection of our loved ones.
OPSEC RULES FOR MILITARY FAMILIES
Operations Security can’t be summed up in a brief list of rules and regulations and be expected to cover every possible situation. However, many forum, blogs and chat rooms need to set certain standards and guidelines in order to promote good OPSEC practices. These guidelines are often referred to as “OPSEC Rules”, and must be acknowledged before an account is created.
This article will provide a basic set of OPSEC rules for free, unrestricted use on any site or forum. Please note that this is not an inclusive list, and should be modified to fit the requirements on the medium. Please note that these OPSEC rules are primarily directed towards Military sites, but it may be modified to fit any other application.
OPSEC Rules for (forum, blog, chatroom name):
1. Do not post exact deployment dates or redeployment dates
2. Do not reveal camp locations, including nearby cities. After the deployment is officially announced by Military officials, you may discuss locations that have been released, normally on the Country level.
3. Do not discuss convoy routes (“we travelled through Takrit on our way to X”)
4. Detailed information on the mission, capabilities or morale of a unit
5. Specific names or actual nicknames
6. Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, etc)
7. Details concerning security procedures, response times, tactics
8. Don’t discuss equipment or lack thereof, to include training equipment
9. Don’t speculate about future operations
10. If posting pictures, don’t post anything that could be misconstrued or used for propaganda purposes. A good rule of thumb is to look at your picture without your caption or explanation and consider if it could be re-captioned to reflect poorly on coalition forces. For example, your image might show your Soldier rescuing a child from a blast site, but could be re-captioned to insinuate that the child being captured or harmed. (it’s happened!)
11. Avoid the use of count-up or count-down tickers for the same reason as rule #1
12. be very careful if posting pictures of your loved one. Avoid images that show significant landmarks near their base of operations, and black out last names and unit affiliations
13. Do not, ever, post information about casualties (coalition or enemy) before the official release of the information.
14. Do not pass on rumors (“I heard they’re coming home early”, etc)
If you have any questions, contact your Recruiter or Station Commander.
These OPSEC rules aren’t meant to limit your free speech or restrict your liberties- that’s exactly what our Men and Women in uniform fight to protect. However, they are designed to help ensure the safety and security of the Service Members in your life.
Remember, no matter your affiliation, status, rank or age -- you have a part in the security of your loved one!
Put simply... as a soldier, you could be a target and your family could be a target. Terrorist looks and sees you are not going to be home, wife alone at home... goes to your profile, finds your wife, finds out address.... OR, terrorist sees you are shipping on a specific date, knows what airport is there, sees your profile and pictures on it, meets you at the airport and you never make it to BCT.
These things have happened.
Very Important final reminder:
DO NOT POST YOUR SHIP DATE!!
