Of Pens and Swords

The new catch-phrase here is OpSec. It means Operational Security. It’s defined as a person or a group of persons not giving out any information that may help the enemies of our country, more or less.

OpSec here is now being meant as ‘everything’ being classified. What do I mean? Take my friend for instance. His day off, and he wants to go take pictures of a few things, more or less still lifes of objects, such as a bench. He gets stopped by no less than 5 people in about an hours time saying that he’s not allowed to take pictures. Why? he asks. OpSec. Hmm, apply opsec to this picture of a dilapidated wooden bench.

Here’s the jist of what Operation OpSec is now it seems. No one is any longer allowed to take pictures. Of anything. Ever. If you take a picture of the Sun, the enemy may find out our secrets and devise a terrible weapon once the secrets are unleashed from an innocent picture. No pictures of the ground, for it may infuriate our enemy because we cover our sand with assorted sizes of gravel. None of benches either, because insurgents may realize that we’re only using wood for common objects and not high-tech carbon fibers that disperse radar signatures of the people waiting for the shuttle. No taking pictures of lights, for one may find out that we use them. No taking pictures of birds, because they may extrapolate the food they eat out of the garbage, then use that to find out what we eat, so as to possibly destroy the worlds supply of chickens. Do not take pictures of your friends, because they are classified, along with their surroundings, and their uniforms. Don’t buy camera’s at the PX, for that is a direct violation of OpSec. If you somehow get past Comrade OpSec monitor of camera’s at the PX, you still are not authorized to ever use that piece of equipment, until you, the individual, have become declassified.

Don’t talk to anybody, about anything, ever. You, the individual, are classified. All knowledge contained within your head is classified, no matter the source. Your entire being is classified, to include every sound emitted.

Do not stand anywhere for longer than 12 seconds. If you do, it will be assumed that you are taking notes on your surroundings and trying to sell them on EBay to bad guys around the world.

Do not use Wireless internet in any way, because insurgents may figure out how to fix 802.11x finding wardriving interceptor guidance packages on their home made rockets or mortars to take out your computer.

Do not refer to OpSec by it’s real word. It is a higher being within itself. Documetation refering to it’s actual being are to be held somewhere that is currently undisclosed.

This message is probably classified.