OPSEC or Keeping the Car Pool Schedule Secure

I’ve been thinking a lot about OPSEC lately. I know what you’re thinking, “Burn, what in the heck is this military mumbo-jumbo you’re talking about?” And of course you would be right. OPSEC is an acronym for operation security. Now you’re thinking, “What does that have to do with me, living in a small town in Ohio, or a big city in Nevada?” …or where ever you live? “I don’t do any operations!” you might say. And that is where you’re dead wrong. Do you go to work? Do you or your kids go to school? Do you have food storage in your home? Do you have a gun and do you store ammunition? Do you want just anyone knowing the answers to these and many other questions? OPSEC in regular civilian life is basically keeping your mouth shut. And doing the same online. I’m not saying to not have a Facebook page or a Instagram account, I’m just saying don’t put any information, or partial information, online or anywhere for all to see, hear, or know. You don’t have to be paranoid or become a hermit, but you should be careful about who knows what you and your family do. You can still have a car pool, just don’t put the schedule online. You can recommend a business but don’t tell everyone which gym you go to and your schedule for working out. If any of this information is shared, make sure of the integrity of with whom you share. One of the things the military has taught me is that bits and pieces of information about what you and your family do can be compiled with other bits of information to form a bigger picture. For instance, you have some new neighbors. You’ve met them and your kids have played together already. The father drives a Jeep Wrangler and has an NRA sticker on the back window. You’ve also noticed right after Christmas that among the usual Amazon boxes and wrapping paper put out for trash pick up was a long, flat box with “Winchester” on it. You also noticed that your neighbor wears 2nd amendment, and gun manufacturer t-shirts all the time. From these casual observances would you conclude that your neighbor is a hunter or owns guns? With these few things you would probably be right. Whatever you would want to keep private maintaining good OPSEC may be more important than you realize. Especially when it comes to one’s immediate circle of friends (and others) – even those whom you may trust to varying extents. Read that last line a few times. OPSEC became important during the war in Vietnam when military members were too open with what they were involved with. The following is an explanation of the military definition. Identification of Critical information: Critical information is information about friendly intentions, capabilities and activities that allow an adversary to plan effectively to disrupt their operations. Analysis of Threats: A Threat comes from an adversary – any individual or group that may attempt to disrupt or compromise a friendly activity. Analysis of Vulnerabilities: Examining each aspect of the planned operation to identify OPSEC indicators that could reveal critical information and then comparing those indicators with the adversary’s intelligence collection capabilities identified in the previous action. Assessment of Risk: First, planners analyze the vulnerabilities identified in the previous action and identify possible OPSEC measures for each vulnerability. Second, specific OPSEC measures are selected for execution based upon a risk assessment done by the commander and staff. Application of Appropriate OPSEC Measures: The command implements the OPSEC measures selected in the assessment of risk action or, in the case of planned future operations and activities, includes the measures in specific OPSEC plans. Remember the saying from WWII? “Loose lips sink ships.” This is how it can happen even with those you can trust. You mention something to someone in your inner circle. It seemed harmless enough to mention. After all, you trust that person not to blab to the whole world about it, right?. Well here’s the thing… That other person might not have the same level of OPSEC or concern about that particular nugget of information as you do. That info might inadvertently come out during another ‘harmless’ secondary conversation with someone else from THEIR OWN circle of friends. So now that information has been revealed outside your immediate circle. Even if that person who is within the second ring of people is not a blabbermouth, – that person might not realize the OPSEC value of the nugget of information that was casually revealed to them. And then that person might inadvertently (or on purpose?) reveal that information within THEIR OWN own circle (which would now make it three levels away from you). All it takes is one person to potentially take advantage of that information to ‘ruin your day’ so to speak. This seems very vague and broad but this is how information can spread even unintentionally. So how do you function in life with the sword hanging over your head every day? The answer is, “Need to know.” Who needs to know your personal, private life? I’m not saying to be paranoid like me, (tongue in cheek) but rather there are things only you and your family needs to know. Think about you’re about to say, and more importantly, WHO you are saying it to. We live in troubled times. Things seem to be fluid about what society accepts and what others think. To be preparedness minded, or self-sufficiency minded, or even security minded are viewed by many as “extreme”. Politics, your feelings about social issues and even religion are being scrutinized, criticized, and demonized. The security of your family and you personally can change in an instant. Being aware of this and using OPSEC can keep prying eyes, and those “Karens” out of your life and away from you and your family’s business. Be careful out there. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Crazy Ivan Mindset

Thirty-nine years ago this coming May, Lt. Commander Albert Schaufelberger was assassinated in San Salvador in the country of El Salvador on May 25, 1983. Schaufelberger saw his role in El Salvador of preventing a communist takeover of the country for all of the people of El Salvador, not just those of means. He realized, however, that he might be a target of the insurgents, given the success of the weapon interdiction efforts. During his last discussion with journalists covering U.S. advised Salvadoran military operations, Schaufelberger told those present that the insurgents "know who I am, and where I live". His house had apparently already received drive-by gunfire on a recent evening prior to the assassination. Schaufelberger had been dating the manager of a cooperative store, Consuelo Escalante Aguilera for several months and developed a routine of picking her up at the same time and place. On May 25 he arrived and sounded the horn of his armored embassy-provided Ford Maverick, his signal to inform his date that he had arrived. Ms. Aguilera exited her office and observed what she believed to be a white Volkswagen microbus pull up and stop near Schaufelberger's car. Reportedly several individuals were involved with the assassination, with at least one firing through the open window of Schaufelberger's car. Schaufelberger was shot four times in the head. Schaufelberger's car leaped forward, impacting a car directly in front of it. The assassins then jumped into their vehicle and escaped. Unfortunately for him, Schaufelberger had removed the bullet-resistant glass over the driver's-side window after the air conditioner in his vehicle was not working. There was speculation that the A/C had been sabotaged. A group under the umbrella of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), the Central American Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRTC), is thought to have carried out the act. Complacency kills. RIP Lieutenant Commander Schaufelberger. Hindsight is always 20/20. But had the Commander thought about where he was going and how he did things, he may have lived to make a bigger difference in Central America. Most of us are not being targeted as Lt. Commander Schaufelberger knew he was. But in your own life you should assess your operations security. Your family should do this too. The words “operation security” are just a fancy way of saying being aware of your habits and trends and changing them. Something as simple as changing where you park, or changing the route you take to or from school or work can make a difference. Most criminals are not very bright. But career criminals may have learned their “craft” better over time. If I wanted to rob someone, or kidnap someone, I would watch them for a while. Once you can see that like most human beings your target is a creature of habit, you can devise a trap or ambush that will be more effective than to just hope for an opportunity. This can take in many aspects of our lives. Breaking habitual movement or routines is not hard, but situational awareness must always be maintained. Becoming complacent can kill. Little things make a difference. Had Commander Schaufelberger just made sure that the armored vehicle he drove was well maintained he may have survived. Look at your daily routines. Look at your families routines. Teach them to always be aware, and to make frequent, un-routine changes in how they do things. During the Cold War period, the confrontation between Soviet and US submarines was played out across the Seven Seas. Soviet strategic missile submarines were pursued by US hunter submarines, just as Soviet submarines hunted US ones. As Igor Kurdin, former captain of the К-241, К-84 and К-40 ballistic missile submarines told Russia Beyond, the main task of a nuclear-armed submarine on combat duty was to outrun its pursuers, since a vital strategic strike couldn’t be carried out if there was an enemy submarine on its trail. Winning in this cat-and-mouse game was complicated by the fact that each submarine had a “dead zone” or “baffles” — an area behind the vessel that sonar couldn’t “hear” due to the noise of the mechanisms and propellers. US hunters hid in this zone and followed Soviet strategic submarines unmarked. There was a special tactical maneuver to detect such submarines called “Verify absence of tracking,” Kurdin said. Still, the Americans invented their own name for it — “Crazy Ivan.” It essentially consisted of the submarine executing sharp and frequent course reversals in an underwater position, including 90 and even 180 degree turns, in order to detect objects in the “dead zone” using sonar. Even the cold war Russians knew that complacency kills. By changing their route abruptly, they could be on better guard and more effective in their job. Establish your own Crazy Ivan mindset. Change your course and other things that have become habit. Some may say this is paranoia. Not being complacent is not being paranoid. It is being prepared and careful. Remember that complacency can kill. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn