In the A to Z Challenge O is for OPM & OPSEC
OPM
Oh my OPM. I think it may have been the first acronym I learned. OPM: Office of Personnel Management. I would guess the majority of military families have gotten one of those oh so famous letter from OPM informing you that your personal information was compromised during one the hacks. We joke that the letter is a lot like a holiday card from a close friend, it comes every year and lets us know what is going on with them.
Don’t get me wrong OPM does other things as well, like managing day-to-day activities for the federal government. For example, they are the one that make the call on snow days!
OPSEC
Have you ever heard the saying, “loose lips, sink ships”? It is based on the concept of OPSEC.
OPSEC aka operational security. is essentially the practice of keeping important and critical information secure so that it may not get into the wrong hands. Good OPSEC practices can’t be stressed enough. It helps keep both the military members, and family safe. Most people practice good OPSEC without even knowing it. It is the same concept of leaving a light on when you are away or stopping your mail so that you don’t draw attention to your empty house.
A great example of good OPSEC in a military family is not sharing the exact location of where your spouse is deployed to, or talking about the day they are coming home before it happens.
Other ways to practice good OPSEC includes
- Not flashing your military ID around, especially in large, overly populated, public spaces
- Surprising family and friends when you spouse comes home, rather than announcing on Facebook that they are on their way home (plus dates change all the time)
- If you know a DV (distinguished visitor) is coming to your base, keeping that information on the down low
- Not putting decals on your vehicle that show your spouse is deployed or away
- Don’t tell everyone you meet that your spouse is about to deploy, and where they are going
- When someone asks you about your spouses job, you stick with the basics, and don’t go into too much detail
- Don’t go around telling everyone your spouse is deployed, and will be gone for the next #months
- Not discussing exercises that might be going on at the base
- Being aware of your surroundings
