Let’s talk about OPSEC for a few minutes… What exactly do we need to be so concerned about? Who should and shouldn’t know about what we have stored or prepared? Why should we go to so much trouble keeping everything quiet after all the work it takes to get these preps setup in the first place? Let’s discuss it and see what kind of conclusions we can come up with…

 

   O P S E C or “operational security” is a term that I believe originated with the military and or other related agencies. This term is used to describe the act of keeping ones mouth shut about details that might compromise the mission or even the safety of the unit. Sounds pretty straight forward but in practice it’s a little more difficult to do. Additionally, we the preppers, might be able to control our tongues but there are often others sharing our home that may take this issue a lot less seriously then we do.

 

   It should go without saying WHY this is so important but for the sake of the new comers and or the less diligent among us, we’ll go back and do a little remedial exploration. I believe that we should make OPSEC a welcome addition to our lives as a whole, not just when it comes to our prep stockpiles. Ideally, it should be our goal to get to the point that unless any particular detail directly involves someone outside the family, they don’t need to know about it. The old, “You’re on a need to know basis” when it comes to our family’s security plans, should be our ultimate goal!

 

   Unfortunately this is often very difficult, even for us, the primary preppers in the family… We are all too often emotionally charged up around this subject and it’s so much fun to share our progress with our prepping cohorts. It’s one thing to do the old “show and brag” session with a known fellow prepper but sometimes we might let a little too much slip about our stockpiles when discussing with a friend or neighbor that has yet to be converted… Subjects like the current state of affairs will usually set me off on some tirade of what everyone NEEDS to do to be prepared for the SHTF… See how easy it is to have a breach of OPSEC.

 

   Serious soul searching must be done on this subject. OPSEC or should I say the lack of OPSEC could be a critical link to our future success or failure. Our success in keeping ourselves and our families alive will depend on how many others know what we have and or where to find it? Think this over for a minute, wouldn’t it be easier to just shut up rather than have to put up later? Put up might literally mean putting up those wayward in-laws that had nothing but contempt for your “survivalism” only the day before disaster struck but now think you’re the best thing since sliced bread as long as the bread holds out?

 

   Putting up might also mean, stepping up to the plate and actually following through on your threats to “vacate your yard or you’ll be forced to shoot”. I don’t know for sure but I bet actually pulling the trigger is easier said then done when the target is the neighbor that you let see your stash during a moment of OPSEC weakness. I’m not trying to be a downer but a little foresight on our part could go a long way avoiding future problems.

 

   I know what you’re thinking, if we don’t lead by example how will all of our less enlightened friends and families see the error of their failing to prep ways? Yes, yes, we do need to do our part and attempt a measure of encouragement especially when the people in question are possibly even those that we might end up with when the SHTF. I’m saying some of this partly tongue in cheek but these seemingly simple equations must be taken into consideration! The only way others will know what we have, will be if we’re foolish enough to tell them or not take the proper precautions to avoid an unwanted discovery…

 

   This OPSEC training or retraining has to start with us but shouldn’t be limited to us by a long way! Spouses are probably among the worst offenders! You might think that I’m about to scold the ladies for their stereotyped gossiping ways but I’ve heard from female readers that complain about the ribbing that their husbands give them in front of friends and family surrounding their obsession with stockpiling. These breaches in OPSEC, even if they are relatively good natured, can pose a big security threat!

 

   Those kids share “family secrets” almost as readily as they do a can of coke during the cold and flue season. Creative ways need to be implemented to counter this potential source of OPSEC leaks. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not have all the answers, especially when it comes to the kids… Any one ever tried to hide a bag of Christmas presents from the rug rats, that isn’t easy but thinking along those lines will possibly set you off in the right direction. I personally didn’t have too much trouble in this arena, my daughter wasn’t all that interested one way or the other… as far as I know anyway??

 

   Small homes and unsupportive spouses can cause all sorts of issues but this is a fight worth having! Come up with some sort of agreement or failing that possibly look to an off site secure location for storage of the longer term emergency supplies. I don’t subscribe to the school of thought about keeping things from your spouse but then again I also chose my partner carefully and don’t deal with the all to common issues that I hear about!

 

   I’m bringing this subject up because it has come to my attention lately how many folks just don’t think about this stuff. We preppers are probably far more cautious then most people but I still catch myself talking to freely. This usually happens when I jump to conclusions about someone… Just because we might see eye to eye on politics or even firearms that this person will also agree with me on how important prepping is? Wrong, on more than one occasion I’ve been met with the old – “I have my guns and ammo, I can use those to get anything else I need!” Sad, but true!

 

   I’m confident, now that I’ve planted the seed, you’ll start to notice the ways your situation could be improved upon! No need to go over board but take account of the ways you’re dropping the ball and then work on fixing them… None of us will be perfect but the more ground we take the better off we’ll be in the long run! I’m sure that the general public’s view of preppers isn’t going to improve any time soon and keep in mind that the less folks that know what you have stored up the fewer fingers that might be pointing you out to any government “do gooder” agents in the uncertain years to come?

 

   On a related topic but kind of as a side note… I recently saw an advertisement from the IRS that explained how a person that turns in a tax cheat can receive a portion of the recovered tax revenues… This concept of government encouraging the American people to turn each other in as potential law breakers and for a cut of any government profit is a dangerous road to start down… As if we doomers didn’t already have enough to be concerned with! I’m sure that we’ll be looking into this subject on a more thorough basis in an upcoming post but I wanted to bring this to your attention today, at least you can be aware of the additional potential a lack of OPSEC could mean…

 

 

Food for thought!

 

 

Prepper

  

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