OPSEC: It's everyone's business Published Feb. 11, 2008 By Victor C. Duckarmenn 21st Space Wing OPSEC program manager PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Operations security is one of the many programs that may just save your life and the lives of the people you work with. Since the 1970s, the OPSEC process has been integrated into the daily lives of servicemembers everywhere. It is how we keep adversaries and people who are just plain nosy from snooping into information that is sensitive or critical to our mission. One of the main things OPSEC is used for is identifying, controlling and protecting information. Things like loose badges, common access cards and even the trash you throw away every day could give adversaries small hints to our critical information that, when put together, could put everyone at risk. It's no secret that any of this information, in the wrong hands, could be used to our disadvantage. Sensitive or critical information is any unclassified information about an organization's intentions, capabilities, activities and its team members that must be protected to keep an adversary from gaining a significant advantage. This information is usually gathered from openly available sources, like the internet. Critical information may include computer passwords, travel itineraries, and recall rosters. While most think of OPSEC in their official capacities, it can also be used to protect personal information. Recent reports indicate that more than 11.8 million people have become victims of identity theft. Some victims spend as many as 175 hours, or nearly four full work weeks trying to resolve their identity theft-related problems. Identity theft in America equates to billions of dollars in lost wages and production, in addition to instilling a sense of volatility and fear in businesses and employees everywhere. One way to protect both personal and official critical and sensitive information is to use shredders, yet, in inspections we've discovered people aren't using them. It's a simple fix to a problem that has huge ramifications. In the end, taking a few moments each day to shred documents can save you, your family and the Air Force a world of heartache and even lives. Don't allow the mission, your family or your wingmen to become a victim of lax operational security Training on this vital program is mandatory for all military members, contractors and civilians who deploy or work on Peterson Air Force Base. An OPSEC awareness course is available on the Advanced Distributed Learning System. You can get to the site either through ADLS directly, or, if you don't remember your password and username, through the Air Force Portal Single Sign-on. For directions to the OPSEC computer-based training course or questions on OPSEC, call OPSEC managers Victor Duckarmenn at 556-1714 or Leonard Vargas at 556-6262. Remember - OPSEC is everyone's business - including your enemies.