THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) return to Latest News menu

Released: August 1, 2003

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) –  Have you ever started talking to a stranger while waiting in line? What did you talk about? Have you talked to your coworker or friend while eating lunch at work? 

If you’ve done any of these things, you may have put military lives in danger. You may have abetted a spy.

There are people listening to your conversations in stores, at restaurants, even when you are on a government computer or DSN line. What you say can put lives in danger and risk mission success.

Maybe you were just talking about the extra workload or grumbling about having to pack your bags again. These pieces of information can be critical to the mission and by you talking about them communication security has been breached.

Communication security is making sure what you want to say can be said. It’s vitally important for everyone to constantly think about what they are saying before he or she says it. 

It’s also important for military members to ensure their families understand the importance of communication security. Something as simple as mom or dad getting that late call, packing a bag or working unexpected long hours and their child talking about it could result in a communication security breach and result in mission failure.

Not only is thinking before speaking very important, but it’s also imperative for each person to know if they’re allowed to talk about the subject. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an exercise or real world -- it should be treated the same. If you wouldn’t talk about it in a real-world scenario then don’t talk about it in an exercise scenario. 

You may wonder why can’t you bend the communication security rule during an exercise. It’s simple. It’s because an exercise can become real world. Also, an exercise is a test to see how you would function in a real world situation.

Even if you aren’t discussing the whole picture, terrorists and spies can use bits of information from several people and build upon them. It doesn’t take long to build a scenario and make a plan to thwart the military’s mission. In fact, it can only take a couple of hours.

Communication security negligence happens in everyday situations. Examples include chatting in restaurants, bars, beauty salons, the Base Exchange, the grocery store, and through e-mail and telephone conversations. You may think that no one pays attention to what you’re saying, but they are and the result can be disastrous. 

The importance of communication security is as important as getting to the fight, completing the mission and coming home alive.

You don’t want to be a spy. You don’t want to be the person who causes the mission to fail. You don’t want to put yourself or your buddies in danger. 

Then remember communication security is one of the keys to successful Air Power.

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