MAY 2, 2025 – In today’s digitally connected world, it’s more important than ever before to safeguard information in your personal and professional environments – especially from those who seek that information to exploit it for their own means. At Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and across the Department of the Navy (DON), the Operations Security (OPSEC) Program instills upon the workforce the necessity to protect our Nation’s Critical Information and Indicators (CII) from our adversaries. In May, we celebrate National OPSEC Awareness Month across our enterprise, rallying around this important initiative as we work together to protect our Navy’s vital assets.
“At NNSY, it’s important that we think about OPSEC as more than just training or a poster or bulletin you see hanging up on the walls across the shipyard,” said NNSY OPSEC Program Manager Terri McCoy. “We live in a time where information can be shared across the world in mere moments – thanks to an abundance of information meshed with technology like cell phones or social media making information readily available to all. Even unclassified details that may seem insignificant to most are pieces of a puzzle, and when placed together can form a picture for our adversaries of operations conducted inside our gates. Our program highlights best practices on a variety of topics in order for our workforce to best safeguard our information, encouraging routinely applying OPSEC into our daily activities to enhance our effectiveness in protecting ourselves and the work we do for our Nation’s fleet.”
OPSEC is defined as a process used to protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. Originally developed by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war, the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Ulysses Sharp, launched Purple Dragon teams to conduct self-assessments monitoring daily operations throughout the fleet. Through those actions, the Purple Dragon teams discovered that small, seemingly insignificant details of operations, once gathered and combined, would give the adversaries valuable sensitive information that could be detrimental if used against them. Since the early days, the program has continued to evolve with the world, aiming to ensure our Nation is able to make the best choices in order to have the necessary safeguards in place to protect all information from falling into the wrong hands.
At NNSY, the OPSEC Program spans across the shipyard with OPSEC Coordinators assisting their shops and codes to follow routine processes and procedures in order to protect information, including utilizing a continuous cycle of a six-phase process: identify critical information; analyze threat; analyze vulnerabilities; access risk; apply countermeasures; and periodic assessment. Together, the workforce is expected to identify CII that could be valuable to our adversaries, determine the overall threat and what vulnerabilities could garner access to that information, place countermeasures in order to safeguard that information, and routinely access those practices to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect information and prevent anything from falling into the wrong hands. In addition to these daily actions, each department or code is required to provide all employees with key items to be placed either in their workspaces or on their person, including the CI Cue Card, Telephonic Threat Complaint Form, DoD Form 2056 Phone Labels, OPSEC Pocket Cards as well as access to the NNSY Critical Information and Indicators List (CIIL) that lists essential facts, elements and components of the program.
As shipyard teams work hard around the clock to practice OPSEC in their workspaces, an assessment is conducted every quarter to determined which code or department excelled the most in regards to OPSEC that particular quarter. Those recognized are presented the official NNSY OPSEC flag and the Purple Dragon trophy by the OPSEC Program Manager and Shipyard Commander, Capt. Jip Mosman, for their achievements, as well as a pennant and certificates of achievements for their OPSEC Coordinators who led the charge. Overall, NNSY’s OPSEC Program has seen much success as the team rallies together in order to take control of CII and its protection.
“OPSEC is more than just a checklist – it’s a mindset,” said McCoy. “Regardless of the medium where the information resides: print, electronic data on the internet, agency databases, electronic mail, and, in some cases, on personal electronic devices – OPSEC awareness for the individual employee of NNSY means being aware of the information accessed daily and understanding the most mundane information may be golden in the hand of adversaries. From a simple social media post to unguarded conversations in public places, small oversights can lead to significant vulnerabilities. As we take the time to celebrate National OPSEC Awareness Month in May, it’s important to be reminded to stay vigilant about what we share and how we share it, reinforcing the idea that security is everyone’s responsibility.”
Ultimately, OPSEC is about being aware and recognizing that even the most seemingly harmless information can tie into a larger, potentially dangerous picture should it fall into the hands of our adversaries. In celebration of National OPSEC Awareness Month, there will be a DoN OPSEC Virtual Symposium held May 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. via Teams as well as First Annual OPSEC Awareness Symposium May 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Naval Station Norfolk’s C-9 Theater, giving insight on the latest information regarding OPSEC for our Navy workforce. To learn about the DoN OPSEC Program and National OPSEC Awareness Month activities, visit https://www.navifor.usff.navy.mil/opsec/. To learn more about the Purple Dragon, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/news/379440/opsec-history-purple-dragon.
Story by Kristi R Britt
Norfolk Naval Shipyard