Just returned from another trip talking with many Sailors and I’m happy to say 2006 is going really well.

While I was out and about I also chatted with an Army Soldier and he started to tell me about some of the “loose talk” he’d been hearing. It wasn’t anything earth shattering, but it was enough to make you go “hmmm.”

Warriors, loose lips can still sink ships. Unfortunately the world is still a place full of bad people who would love nothing more than to deep-six any one of our ships, submarines, or aircraft. And just as important, they would love to attack any of us, even our families. 

In this current state of global terror we’re fighting against, that’s a sad fact of life.

I’m not trying to get everyone paranoid and constantly looking over their shoulders, but we do need to remember a few things.

The first thing we all need to do is be alert to the threat and what we are saying. Liberty hangouts, grocery stores, just about anything near a military installation is a prime target for the folks trying to collect information and yes they are out there.

How many times have you started up sea stories amongst friends and talked about a few things that weren’t classified, but were sensitive? Do you know who’s at the next table listening to you? Do you really know the person you are talking to?

The same goes for home. How many times have you been talking about work over dinner? Do you mention a few things that you really shouldn’t have?

Sure, they don’t seem that important, but if other family members talk about them too, then the information can get to the wrong folks.

We have to be alert to what we are saying and where we are saying it. Secrets don’t always get out in big chunks. They are slowly gathered piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle. So watch what you’re saying and who you are saying it to. And be sure to talk with your families about this so they can be alert as well. This is very much a team effort.

But it’s not just our personal conversations we have to watch out for. There’s everyone’s newest best friends cell phones, e-mail, the Internet and those live chat programs.

Here’s a good question for you. Do you use those new wireless network gadgets at your home? You do know that wireless networking is just a radio transmitter, right? How secure do you think it is? Do you use a wireless keyboard? Another transmitter. 

Did you also know that someone with some fairly simple off-the-shelf technology could watch you surf the Web, type e-mails and monitor your online chats? 

Do you do some of your military work on your home computer? Does your spouse e-mail back and forth to you during deployment? 

How secure do you really think your cell phone is? A few of the computer guys told me once that someone with the right training and equipment could possibly “hack” into my cell phone, turn it on, and listen to everything going on around me.

Is that likely to happen to you? I really doubt it, but it just illustrates how easily information can be compromised, and how important these issues are for our Navy. 

As more and more people use wireless technology, the easier it will be to tap into what they are emailing or working on - without them even knowing it.

We’re talking some basic OPSEC common sense here folks. Don’t use e-mail or chat rooms to discuss TAD trips, flight schedules, exercises or other operational topics - even if they seem routine. And don’t try to “talk around” the subject either.

That’s gold for intelligence collectors. They help put together a much bigger picture about our operational plans or capabilities. That puts our shipmates in danger, and we cannot have that.

I realize none of us intentionally plan to compromise information. But let’s face it, as technology makes it easier for us to communicate back and forth, the easier it is for the bad guys to listen in. And that’s what we have to watch out for.

This all boils down to my final point about protecting critical information. What you know may not necessarily be secret or classified. But it does deal with your command’s activities, capabilities, or plans. And that little bit of info could put you and your command in danger.

The terrorists who hit the USS Cole had just enough information to attack the ship, cripple it, and kill 17 Sailors. We must deny them any information that would allow another such attack.

Let’s all think twice about the things we talk about and where we are saying them.  Sit down with your family and talk with them about operational security and remind them to be careful about what they say over the telephone and in public - they just can never be sure who is listening. 

With the above said, if someone approaches you and is asking for information, you should immediately contact your command.

With our Sailors deployed worldwide and all the operations the Navy is conducting, keeping our information close has never been more important. Loose lips could compromise safety and security!