[ open on press conference discussing the Gulf War ]

Defense Secretary Richard Cheney: And so, to sum up, while this war is by no means over, it is certainly fair to say that we have inflicted heavy damage on the Iraqi war machine, and every day brings victory for the coalition that much colser. Now I’m going to hand the floor over to the Lieutenant Colonel Pierson, who will field your questions.

Lt. Col. William Pierson: Thank you Senator Cheney. I’m happy to take any questions you might have with the understanding that there are certain sensitive areas that I’m just not going to get into. Particularly, information that might be useful to the enemy. Yes?

Reporter #1: What date are we going to start the ground attack?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: Well, as I mentioned a moment ago, there are certain sensitive areas which we are just not going to go into, and that is certainly one of them. Yes?

Reporter #2: Sir, knowing what you know, where would you say our forces are most vulnerable to attack, and how could the Iraqis best exploit those weaknesses?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: Well, again, this falls into the area of information that might be useful to the enemy, and I just can’t divulge it right now.

Reporter #3: Sir! Which method of hiding SCUD missiles is working best for the Iraqis?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: Now, this again is a good example of information that could help the enemy, and I just can’t answer that.

Reporter #4: I have a two-part question. Are we planning an amphibious invasion of Kuwait, and if so, where exactly will that be?

Defense Secretary Richard Cheney: Excuse me. If I could interrupt here, I just want to underscore what Colonely Pierson said at the start of Q&A. There are two general categories of questions that we are simply not going to be able to address. On, those that would give our enemy advance warning of our actions, and two, those that would identify any points of weakness or vulnerabilities to the Iraqi forces. So let’s reopen the floor to questions.

Reporter #5: I understand that there are passwords that our troops use on the front lines. Could you give us some examples of those?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: No, that is something I really cannot comment on.

Reporter #6: Yeah! Are we planning an amphibious invasion of Kuwait? And if so, where?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: I believe that question was asked and if you recall, I already answered it, or said I could not answer.

Reporter #7: Sir, what woul dbe the one piece of information that would be most dangerous for the Iraqis to know?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: No can answer! I have time for two more questions. Yeah?

Reporter #8: Yes, Farud Hashami, Baghdad Times. Where are your troops, and can I go there and count them?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: Nope! Last question.

Reporter #9: Is there anything that you can tell us that would lower the morale of our fighting men?

Lt. Col. William Pierson: No. Really, the only thing we’re at liberty to say at this time is, “Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night!

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According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, eleven men and women, including four married couples, three with children, were arrested for crimes connected to, but (surprisingly) not including, espionage. These men and women worked for more than a decade to blend in to American society. Far from the gripping ‘James Bond’ image, they lived mundane lives in normal neighborhoods. In no case did their neighbors suspect that they were anything but what they said they were, but in fact their orders were clear: “You were sent to the USA for a long-term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc. – all these serve one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e, to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US and send intels [intelligence reports] to C [Center]”, according to the FBI affidavit describing intercepted messages.

The eleven alleged agents are being charged with money laundering and “acting as unregistered foreign agents”. At this time, they are not being charged with espionage, as they were never actually caught transmitting Classified information to Russia. Reportedly, most of the information that they had transmitted was open source intelligence available to anyone that can use Google. That, in itself, is but one example of how the face of espionage has changed over the last several decades. In addition to traditional espionage techniques (referred to colloquially as tradecraft), such as dead drops, invisible ink, coded transmissions and swapping bags at train stations, this case is interesting in that it integrates more contemporary methods as well. This group hid messages in computer images (a scheme called steganography) and used laptops with wireless cards to connect to private and unsecured wireless access points (such as those in residential areas or coffee shops) to send messages that would be tracked back to the location that they were when they sent the message, rather than their own homes.

As it was, it was determined that the alleged agents were not effective at their given task. However, Claire Lopez, Senior fellow at the center for Security Policy and former operations officer for the CIA, cautions that it may have only been a matter of time before they refined their technique, or simply got lucky, and that they may have been able to produce intelligence of value, if left in place long enough. “Their value is not just in acquiring classified information”, says Lopez, “There’s a lot that goes on that’s not simply stealing secrets and sending them back to Moscow.” This is a fact of which the OPSEC community has long since been aware.

The OPSEC community has also long since known that social networking is, in fact, a tool used by the adversary. This case brought that fact into stark focus, when it was revealed that one of the men, based in Seattle, was a frequent user of the professional social networking site LinkedIn. Another, Anna Chapman, became a sort of media sensation after the story broke, when she was found to have created several social networking accounts, posting everything from mundane statuses to risqué pictures of herself.

It’s possible (although we may never know for sure), that these alleged agents were “amateurs”, as some claim, and were not acting in an official capacity for the Russian Government. It’s possible, as has also been theorized, that they grew to love life in the United States, and purposely extended their mission in order to form genuine community roots. Their motivations are now a matter for the legal system. What should be noted by all security personnel is that each of these individuals lived in this country for over a decade without arousing the suspicions of their neighbors, friends and coworkers. There is an actual, real-life threat (as exemplified by this, the largest alleged spy ring ever broken by the FBI), and proper safeguards must be maintained in order to mitigate it.

One can only assume that as technologies increase, and prices for them decrease, the threats will only become more sophisticated and much more difficult to detect. These particular individuals were detected by the FBI- not by neighbors, not by coworkers- before they had done any demonstrable harm. The question that one is left to ask themselves is, “If they were in my workplace today, would I know what to look for?”

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They will be opening on-line registration as soon as possible, and we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop, so you can make sure to register. The site will be the same, www.iad.gov/events.

While tentative, the planned schedule is:

Tuesday, 7 September

1200-1700 Check-in Registration

1300-1630 OPSEC Fundamentals Workshop (Pre-registration required)

TBD OSCAR Working Group

TBD Training Committee Meeting

TBD DoD Program Meeting

TBD COCOM Program Meeting

TBD National OPSEC Awards Rehearsal

Wednesday, 8 September

0700-1700 Check-in Registration

0800-0930 Opening Ceremony, Administrative Remarks and General Session

0945-1115 Break-out sessions

1130-1245 National OPSEC Awards Ceremony and Luncheon

1300-1400 Break-out sessions

1415-1515 Break-out sessions

1530-1700 Specialized Program Meetings (DHS, USN/USMC, DLA, USCG, etc.)

Thursday, 9 September

0700-1700 Check-in Registration

0800-0900 General Session

0915-1015 Break-out sessions

1030-1130 Break-out sessions

1130-1230 Lunch ON YOUR OWN

1230-1400 Break-out sessions

1415-1515 Break-out sessions

1530-1630 Break-out sessions

1630-? OPS Social

Friday, 10 September

0800-0900 Break-out sessions

0915-1015 Break-out sessions

1030-1230 Break-out sessions

One a similar note, if you haven’t logged into the member’s section in a while, you may notice some exciting changes. Among the most recent and exciting is the addition of the JPR and Associates “Master’s Series”.

Licensed for use for all OSPA members, at no cost to the members themselves, the master series brings subject matter expertise in areas related to national security, anti-terrorism, new technologies, and more, and is also used by other agencies, to include the Naval War College, Wells Fargo, FEMA, TSA, NSTI, NORCOM, Air Force Space Command and more.

I hope you’ll find this resource as valuable as we, and the above entities, have!

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Literally, parts of the hotel is underwater, and multiple deaths are reported.

OSPA would like to thank both the IOSS and fellow attendees- IOSS who provided leadership and direction, and all of the NOC attendees who were present. It was warming to see the way the OPSEC community stood together, sharing food, space and resources during the evacuation and high school stay. OPSEC’ers are a funny bunch, but they will always watch out for eachother, when needed.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this disaster, and appreciate the kindness and hospitality shown by local authorities.

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I’m writing this blog entry on my iPhone from the gym of McGavock High School because the hotel and conference center has been evacuated due to heavy rain and flooding.

But, the show will go on, and we all plan on returning to the hotel as soon as we’re cleared to do so. In the mean time, I’m about to scarf down a peanut butter sandwich and drinking fountain water. Bon appatit!

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There was a man who had worked at a factory for twenty years. Every night when he left the plant, he would push a wheelbarrow full of straw to the guard at the gate.
The guard would look through the straw, and find nothing and pass the man through.
On the day of his retirement the man came to the guard as usual but without the wheelbarrow.
Having become friends over the years, the guard asked him, “Charlie, I’ve seen you walk out of here every night for twenty years. I know you’ve been stealing something. Now that you’re retired, tell me what it is. It’s driving me crazy.”
Charlie simply smiled and replied, “Okay, wheelbarrows!”

While wheelbarrow theft may not (or may, who are we to judge?) be your biggest concern, the message certainly is. Sometimes, the biggest threats are hiding in plain sight. Sometimes, what we assume is our biggest concern… is actually a distraction.

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For starters, Kevin obviously took a quick look at his operation (meaning his situation at home) from the perspective of an adversary- in this case, a burglar. Realizing that the deviation from an established profile (meaning signs of an occupied home) is itself an indicator (that something has changed, in this case, that the home is now unoccupied), Kevin implemented a countermeasure, which was to simulate a party.

For all appearances, the home was occupied.

Later, in a convenient plot device, Kevin overhears the burglars talking about their plans in very specific detail. Talking about their plan. Within earshot of those involved. Right before zero-hour.

Don’t you wish is was only the bad guys that do that?

YouTube - Home Alone Xmas.

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The rationale, as reflected in the order, is that: “The intent of senior Army leaders to leverage social media as a medium to allow soldiers to ‘tell the Army story’ and to facilitate the dissemination of strategic, unclassified information, the social media sites available from the Army homepage will be made accessible from all campus area network.”

Many of us OPSEC’ers may have mixed feelings about this. While it is an opportunity to leverage emerging technologies and foster technical development within the military, there always remains the possibility of an inadvertent release of information.

But, at the same time, the reality is that it’s not the technology that’s the problem, and it’s certainly not going away. The problem lies within the users, and a relatively small number at that. The problem, to put it in it’s most basic terms, is not “what” the technology allows, but “how” it is used.

So, once again, it comes down to training. And with this recent order, it will be especially critical for all of you “Army OPSEC’ers” out there. Training and awareness are the two greatest tools in an OPSEC professional’s arsenal, and it’s the focus and dedication of each one of you that will keep OPSEC effective and relevant to today’s threats.

While unsung, you’re the last line of defense between your critical information and an adversary that wants it.

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Since my last post, a lot has happened. The National OPSEC Conference was a lot of fun, and OSPA had a very siccessful presence. As a result, OSPA has started working with the UN, NATO, several Law Enforcement Agencies, and a few Neighborhood Watch groups. It’s great to see OPSEC spreading like it is!

Updated the home page- it was time for another change!

Anyways, thanks for reading; more soon!

Chris

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