Information security is everyone’s responsibility

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --   With the operational readiness exercise looming in Misawa's near future, the ability to deploy and survive at Base X will not be the only inspectable item.

Behind every operation is a large amount of sensitive information, which in the wrong hands could jeopardize the entire mission.

"We are all responsible for following Air Force guidance concerning information security, operational security and communications security," said Senior Master Sgt. John Cronin, 35th Fighter Wing exercise and evaluation inspector. "During this exercise the wing commander will have approximately 100 sets of eyes focusing on our adherence to those guidelines."

Since INFOSEC will be a focus during the upcoming exercise, Airmen will be required to understand why information needs to be protected and how to protect it.

"Information protection is important because information is another battlefront," said James Edge, 35th FW Information Protection chief. "You can't do anything in the modern world without information. The protection, safeguarding, handling and disposition of information is vital to our national security and how we are able to perform our mission at the wing."

Depending on its classification, sensitive material can be protected in a variety of ways. With a few basic steps, service members can protect sensitive information.

"If unclassified information is asked for by a person that does not need to see it, do not give it to them. Safeguarding could be something as simple as turning a document over on a desk when someone comes in that does not need it," said Mr. Edge a Native of Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Information, even unclassified, can be pieced together, showing a potential vulnerability, Mr. Edge added.

If information is rated confidential or higher, then it must be physically secured by people with the appropriate clearance, or it needs to be secured in a General Services Administration approved security container. If an open storage area or a vault is going to be used to store material it must be approved by the wing's INFOSEC Office and meet Defense Department specifications, said Mr. Edge.

Other useful hints for securing information include removing common access cards from computers when leaving the room, and ensuring safes, open storage areas and vaults are locked before leaving.

"In this day and age it's not just inspectors that are looking to make sure guidelines are being followed or not, the enemy is looking as well," said James Fogerty35th FW Anti-terrorism Office chief. "If open source information is combined with sensitive information, you just gave terrorists an extra insight on what we are doing. We want to make sure that their job remains difficult."