OPSEC Project Proposal Summary
My capstone proposal is to establish an information technology operation security plan for the department of defense within the country. This plan is aimed at securing all the vital information by the use of new information technology programs so as not to be easily accessed by the adversary.
After this identification, OPSEC proposal will determine whether the information could be useful to the adversaries after its interpretation. These steps will be taken to enable the execution of specific measures that can effectively counter the intended exploitation of the friendly information by the adversaries. This could be either by reduction or elimination of the exploitation. OPSEC project will comprise of several steps that are vital in examining, planning, preparing executing and sustenance of the state of operations after the execution phase. In carrying out an OPSEC analysis, people who are charged with the decision making process will be equipped with the information that shall guide them on weighing the amount of risks that they may have, the will of accepting in some certain specific circumstances in the course of their operations.
The OPSEC project can also be referred to as information risk management. The entire project would involve identification, analysis and control of critical information, which indicates friendly action attendance to techniques, tactics and procedures (TTPs) operations, capabilities, and many more activities. This proposal shall present a report on the OPSEC challenges to the sector of information technology (IT). It seeks to present threats, vulnerabilities and propose countermeasures that can be employed by the involved parties (Joneets, 1991).
Since the Department of Defence is tasked with protecting all the activities and missions, then the project would be appropriate for its smooth operations. With the adoption of the project it would be easier to keenly monitor and account for security of information and protection of the forces. Personnel from the department of defence would be able to nurture and keep all information as a secret lest it is accessed by potential adversaries. This could be used against the government through evil plans and attacks, hence the strictness in keeping the information inaccessible to unauthorized individuals (Todd, 2001).
The OPSEC program will develop counter measures strategies in dealing with the adversaries by denying them any access to the vital information concerning the functions and missions of the department of defence. This will be supported by the commanders who will come up and implement the programs in order to realize the needy gritty details of the program and ensure it reaches the highest echelons. For instance, by making sure the program has the common features and establish it as a command emphasis item including all the effectiveness as an evaluation objective for operations, activities and exercises. Another responsibility bestowed to the program is to weigh the risks involved in any mission against the protection costs and choose on which measures related to the program are to be applied.
Being a command responsibility program, all the head agencies and commanders have to be involved in the organizations plan by coming up with necessary measures that will ensure secrecy in any stage of an exercise, test or operation. In this case, when the head of an organization has a title of a civilian grade GM-14 or a lieutenant then the organization achieves the status of higher echelon or battalion. Approval of the essential elements of friendly information (EEFI) by circulating the list to all other subordinates as far as security classification allows is another of the OPSEC program ( Joneets, 1992).
When being applied the operations security would adopt a systematic approach in operation from the perspective of an adversary. This mode of operation was developed and experimented during the Vietnam War and was highly successful. Mostly it would be used during the training of combats where it would be consistent with joint policy and doctrines in CJCS INST 3213.01 comprising an element of control warfare and command.
The operations security project would contribute directly to the ability of Army in employing tactics superior to those of an adversary during the whole process of an operation. The adversaries cannot create and develop systems or mechanisms of fighting the military effectively without possessing critical information concerning the army. As a result, their intentions and activities will be limited hence easily managed by the forces.
By withholding crucial information, the superiority of the combat team would be increased. It would involve all aspects like equipping, deploying, employing, raising and managing the army. Any army organization is in possession of vital information that enables it execute its functions in defending the government. Therefore, there is a dire need for this information to be kept properly so that an adversary could not be able to access and perhaps use it to fight the government forces (Grance et al, 2004).
The OPSEC program could also be applied to the research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) activities, where the loss of sensitive information and technology is vulnerable. Losing critical information during the development process can result in the development of a counter measure by the adversary, even before the system is tried and fielded. Thus, the protection of the system includes the acquisition process which is vital in preserving the advantage of technological supremacy of the army. The programs survey and assessment would be used to determine the vulnerabilities of sensitive technology and information during the process of research, testing, development and evaluation stages.
Due to competition in the global economy, many businesses are seeking certification according to the set international standards organization’s ISO 9000 Program. The program stipulates stringent quality standards for any business to meet, and its inspections are very intrusive. This makes it difficult for the department of defence to protect some crucial information in this kind of environment.
The OPSEC project could also find its applications with other security disciplines. In that case, it would have to be co-ordinated properly to protect all the sensitive activities. Physical security, industrial security, information security are some of the disciplines related to the security operation. The information security will be majorly concerned with system security or transmission of information either through the electronic mail (e-mail) or the internet.
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