Story by Capt. Michael T. Lawhorn
Task Force Falcon PAO

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Among the smiling faces of the children and friendly conversation with the local populace, it’s very easy for soldiers to forget Kosovo is still a very dangerous place.

Fortunately for Multi-National Brigade (East) there are those whose mission it is to remind us the threat won’t always have a rifle, but can come from any direction.

"Americans are away from home and we’re a naturally outgoing, talkative group," says CW3 David K. James, operational control element, Task Force 101st Military Intelligence, "A lot of people…are engaging Americans in conversation, and I’m concerned that it’s not all done out of friendly curiosity."

Soldiers need to understand not only are there intelligence-gathering agencies native to this area, but many third-party agencies may use the fluid situation here in Kosovo to collect information on how the task force does business.

"A soldier needs to remember that operational security and the safety of their unit depends upon them not providing specific information about their mission," James said.

Soldiers still have the mission of interacting with the local population and reassuring them the task force is here to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone. Being on guard against giving out operational details of how the task force conducts business is everyone’s mission.

A soldier who tells a Serb or Albanian, "Don’t worry, our patrol will come this way every day this week around this same time" has committed an OPSEC violation, which may have an impact on their unit and their mission.

"If that happens, they should report it to their chain-of-command…that they told the locals they’d be coming through, and try to have the times for the patrols changed if possible," said Spc. Kevin D. Smith, operational control element member, TF 101st MI.

The threat to operational security doesn’t always come from people soldiers meet on patrol.

"Most people don’t hesitate to sit down around a table here in this dining facility and talk about their work," James added, while pointing out, "You don’t know all the people around you."

Computers and the Internet have also created new threats to the operational security of the MNB (East) mission.

"You can have soldiers collected upon without ever having met (the person doing the collecting)," James warned, "Somebody online can say they’re single and interested in the military, but you never know."

Every soldier needs to understand they have an obligation under Army regulation 381-12 to report any "close and continuous contact with a foreign national," James added, stating any such contact should be given to their security manager or his office.

Soldiers also need to realize the importance of guarding information not necessarily classified, but considered "For Official Use Only."

"Anything from a duty roster, a list of people’s names or (standard operating procedures) needs to be considered FOUO, and they need to safeguard it…where only military personnel have access to it." James reminds people the proper way to dispose of this type of material is in a "burn bag."

According to James, OPSEC here is well ahead of schedule thanks to lessons learned in Bosnia.

"I consider us, here at the two-and-a-half month mark, to be comparable to Bosnia at the eighteen-month mark, because we started from the very beginning to incorporate force protection measures into the way we do business.

Complacency remains a constant threat to Task Force Falcon personnel, and soldiers should constantly be looking for, and reporting, any unusual activity no matter where it happens.

"The complacency isn’t just out running patrols in your sector. It’s where you live, and that’s where force protection must start, and the first step in force protection is protecting yourself," James said.