# OPSEC, Rumours and annoucements



## Mike Bobbitt (13 Mar 2006)

All,

Just a friendly reminder that we need to be very careful in how we handle potentially sensitive information here. Unfortunately, we are visited from time to time by those who would wish to do harm to our forces, as they seek out information that may be useful to them.

In the past, DND has shut down websites to ensure sensitive information remains out of sight, and we have a responsibility here as well.

What can you do? If you think information may be sensitive, don't post it. You can always ask someone in the know if posting that type of information will cause a problem. You can also ask publicly, so long as it is in general terms. (For example, asking "Is it appropriate to post the location of Canadian ships?" is OK, asking "Can I post that I saw HMCS Ottawa docked at Halifax last week?" means you've just done so.)

If you see information that you believe is sensitive, please use the "report to moderator" button. That will bring it to our immediate attention and we can quickly review the post and take the appropriate action.

As a reminder, here are a couple of pertinent excerpts from the Army.ca Terms and Conditions:



> Violate the applicable laws and principles relating to Operational Security, Communications Security and Personal Security as set out in the National Defence Act, the Security of Information Act and any other statute which, without limitation, deals with similar matters of information security.



and from the Conduct Guidelines:



> You will not post sensitive or non-public information.



Both of these are mandatory reading for all Army.ca users, but a reminder is often helpful. Thanks for your cooperation.


Mike


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## Michael OLeary (29 Nov 2006)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

With the recent deaths in Afghanistan it was necessary that the staff of army.ca take measures to mitigate the efforts of some to share casualty information before the official announcements by DND.  It was made clear on these means that no official announcement had been made, which was reflected by reports in reputable media sources, and reinforced that the same message was being passed on Army and Regimental nets.

Despite these measures, there remain some who feel that they should cross-post information from any outside source – whether that be personal contacts or media rumours – in order to be the first to post information on these boards.  That approach runs against the spirit of being supportive of the troops, and their families, at a time of great personal loss and grief.

In keeping with past practice, army.ca will do its best to respect the wishes of the families of the fallen.  In particular, this means that names of wounded or deceased members of the Canadian Forces will not be posted on these forums until after the official news release has been made by DND.

For those who watched recent developments in the media, they will note that errors were published – ranks, appointments – which shows how desperate some members of the media are to “scoop” their competitors without respect for families or facts.  I would urge you to think what the repercussions may have been if the errors, in this situation or another, had included names, perhaps leading other families to think their loved ones had been involved.  Such an error would be unforgivable, and so would any attempt to share such an unsubstantiated rumour. 

There are countless threads on army.ca where the media has been lambasted for their accuracy and ethics.  If we allow a similar lack of respect in such situations, then our stance is weakened every time our members use similar tactics.

If we wish to declare ourselves in control of the moral high ground, we actually have to occupy it.


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## Teddy Ruxpin (9 Dec 2006)

There are no OPSEC issues on either site mentioned, which are designed to provide information to those deploying or considering deploying.  The managed readiness plan is unclassified and units deploying are widely known (indeed, an out of date version of the plan was developed as a poster, but I digress).  Essentially, one should steer away from discussing the following:


Any immediate operational plans, including deployment plans, timings, prepositioning, convoy timings and structure, covert OP locations, and the usual "operational" stuff
Movement timings, including deployment timings (the CF will generally release dates, though), chalk lists, chalk timings, aircraft tail numbers - especially US aircraft
Details of some specific weapons systems - armour penetration by some rounds is a good example
Any SF capabilities - names, numbers, training, equipment, deployments, conduct of operations
Any issues surrounding force protection, including details of camp defences, search procedures, defence force structure, QRF readiness, etc.
States of readiness and notices to move - except in specific instances
Ammunition and POL holdings, particularly when expressed in days of supply.  This can include specific holding of supply items.
Intelligence and intelligence capabilities, unless assigned a differing classification by the originator
Rules of engagement, national caveats, etc.
Reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities and systems
Future operations that have not been announced by the Government of Canada and/or that are still in the planning stage.  People try and post this type of information here all the time.
Developing TTPs that have been assigned a classification by the originating party.  Counter-IED and IED defeat tactics are a good example of things that should never appear here.
Although unclassified, full unit ORBATs - including structures, weapons distribution and command and control - are not for public consumption
*Names and parent units of CF casualties before they have been publicly announced by Ottawa.*

*This is not all-inclusive* and there are many others, but the above list should be a good place to start - none of the above should appear on this site.  Generally, _real_ OPSEC breaches are jumped on right away here and the mods do a decent job of intervening.  Moreover, it is incumbent upon every serving member to hit the "report to moderator" button if they see suspect information being posted.


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## McG (13 Feb 2008)

> UNCLAS CANFORGEN 038/08 SJS 007 - OPERATIONAL SECURITY
> 
> REF: A-SJ-100-001, NATIONAL DEFENCE SECURITY INSTRUCTIONS (NDSI) -
> 30 SEP 98
> ...


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## McG (31 Jan 2009)

Just a reminder that spreading rumour can cause significant damages to the CF.  Be careful what you hear & choose to repeat.


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## George Wallace (28 Sep 2010)

Just a reminder to members of the site to read this topic starting from the first post and be conscious of what you post.  We are not out to make you paranoid in what you are doing, just to remind you that this site is a perfect site for friendly and not so friendly Intelligence agencies to collect Open Source Intelligence.  What you post here, may be used in some way, at some time, to benefit another government.  

Read this topic and reflect on what you are posting, or thinking of posting.

We also have other topics that may help those with no military experience at this time to perhaps better understand what OPSEC is about.  One such topic is Killing with Keyboards.  Guidance on Blogs and other Internet Communications is another valuable topic to read.

Think before you hit "Post".


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