OPSEC Journal - Third Edition, 1996

PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS

This is our third OPSEC Journal and it is the last one that Howard Ferrill will edit for the OPSEC Professionals Society. Over the years Howard has worked hard to bring us thought provoking articles on OPSEC, about OPSEC, and those issues that are impacted by OPSEC. I, along with the OPS Board of Directors will sorely miss Howard and his pioneering efforts in putting together this journal for the society. Lou Fuse has agreed to follow in Howardís footsteps and will edit the next OPSEC Journal. My thanks to Howard for his outstanding efforts through the years and a hearty welcome to Lou.

This year Howard has brought us a wide range of eclectic topics. The 1996 OPSEC Journal starts with the speech that John Magaw, the current Director of ATF, gave at the 1996 National OPSEC Conference. Mr. Magaw discusses OPSEC in the law enforcement realm and how ìmany of OPSECís principles apply to issues that confront any organization.î Iris Puentesí article is especially interesting for those of you starting out in OPSEC or setting up your first OPSEC program. Pat Pattakos gives us a lot of OPSEC food for thought in discussing proprietary information. Our current Vice President, John Quinn, provides us with an OPSEC perspective to the recent poison gas incident that took place in the Tokyo subway. Many large firms are now outsourcing their information technology resources. James Woods discusses how the OPSEC methodology plays a key role in meeting new challenges brought about by this outsourcing. I talked to Pat Keough after I read his article in another journal and asked him to submit it for publication. In his article in he talks about something we take for granted but as OPSEC and security professionals it can reach up and bite us - document destruction. Richard Horowitzís paper discusses the pros and cons of the role of intelligence in decision making from the time of the Bible and Sun Tzu to the present. Finally, David Cameron discusses information warfare and the ability to control information through what he calls a consciously applied, systematic, step by step, analytical, five step process also known as the OPSEC process.

I hope that these papers provide the foundation for future papers. We are always looking for new ideas or even old ideas that provoke thought and discussion. The OPSEC Society is a dynamic, growing group of people who look forward to your views as well as the views of those of you from outside the society. I think that Will Rogers put this all in perspective by saying: ìEven if you are on the right track, youíll get run over if you just sit there.î So I ask you, the readers, not to sit there but to provide us with your ideas and views for the next OPSEC Journal.

-- Stephen J. Glennan, OCP
President, OPS

Articles

Comments Presented by Director Magaw -- at the 1996 National Operations Security Conference
The Challenges of Implementing an OPSEC Program -- by Iris C. Puentes, OPSEC Manager, Phillips Laboratory
The Role of Management in Protecting Proprietary Information,-- by Arion N. (Pat) Pattakos, OCP, CPP, Director, Programs Integration Beta Analytics International, Inc.
Terrorism Come to Tokyo: The Aum Shinri Ky Incident -- by John F. Quinn
Safeguarding Our Proprietary Corporate Information -- by James B. Woods, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Hughes Electronics Corporation
Talking Trash -- by Patrick Keough, Document Destructors, Inc.
A Framework for Understanding Intelligence -- by Richard Horowitz
Information Control in the Information Age -- by David Cameron
OPS Code of Ethics

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