Why should you read this and watch the video Dishonorable Disclosure? If you have served in the military it pertains to you. If you have loved ones in the military it pertains to you. If you have any interest in politics and the military, this pertains as well. If you do not fall into the previous categories, out of mere curiosity you should continue reading.
I want to quickly talk about something that many people most likely have no idea what I am talking about. My military readers will understand this and anyone associated with them may understand this as well. For the rest of you, there exists something called OPSEC, short for Operation Security. It covers a wide gamut of topics but the takeaway is that you do not talk about an operation before hand or even after. It is a prolific problem within the military as it is and now it has spread to the political sector. I am not highly political in any sense and I do not associate myself with any political party. The following relates to the video Dishonorable Disclosure.
OPSEC is a problem with today’s social media outlets because many military members probably do not understand it fully. I know for one I did not really appreciate the idea until I deployed on my first combat tour. You’ll see many people posting to Facebook and Twitter from overseas talking about what town they are in, where they are, patrol info, and events that may have happened. This is a violation of OPSEC. OPSEC is important because it’s emphasis on secrecy. It is like making a million dollars super easy, and then telling everyone how you did it. By doing so, you have negated your advantage to make that million dollars. In the OPSEC world, the currency is human lives. Everyone’s rush to stay connected leads to lapses and small slips that while may seem unimportant, they can add up to a savvy user. Make no mistake, to underestimate your enemy is the worst thing you could possibly do. So it should be assumed that they can access Facebook and find information from people within a unit. They can find out that a unit is deploying, almost to the day, where they are going, for how long, and even make estimates to strength numbers. Now to be fair, there exists units that secrecy is even more paramount that protect their secrets fiercely. They are not usually made up of 18-20 year old young men and women that want to brag to the rest of their friends about how cool they are and try to pick up chicks or guys. Chances are that if they are bragging about being SOF, they most likely are not, take note females.
These particular units were recently outed by the political administration. The raid on Osama Bin Lade was great and as an American I am proud and happy that chapter is over. However I was appalled to learn of the huge breach of security that immediately followed the news of his death. Seal Team Six, who used to exist in relatively annomity to all outside the military or military buffs, was suddenly thrust toward the spotlight. Tactics where divulged, training, and even the dog was put at risk because his name was divulged. I can understand the desire to tell the world that we are awesome and we took this guy down. But seriously? This is how you do it, by providing information about training standards, unit locations, and size. All for what? A political bump up in the world of politics? A boost for when election season returns? I encourage you all to watch the following youtube video provided through Special Ops: OPSEC.
Please note that I am not taking sides in a political battlefield I am merely trying to spread word about an issue that I think people deserve to know about. The video covers all I have said and more and probably better explains the whole issue better than I could writing it.
Related Article:
Wikipedia: Operational Security
