Friday, June 13, 2014

OPSEC

Operations Security.  Not tipping your hand to the adversary.

Before Clinton's Kosovo war started up, Whitehouse staff burned the midnight oil.  The Reporters knew something was up because the closest Pizza joint was making big 3AM deliveries to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  It'd be like the Germans noticing that Ike's Lucky Strikes supplier was laying in extra cartons in early June, like he was gonna be under extra stress.  Or like noticing that condom sales in East England where Patton FUSAG fake army was supposed to be prepping for a Calais landing, while condom sales were UP in West England across from Normandy.

OPSEC applies to you too.

It's one reason I prefer Conceal Carry over Open Carry.   Even assuming Open Carry was socially acceptable everywhere.

NRA Sticker on the Durango is bad OPSEC.  That might be a good truck to break into and check if I am not around.  And I am often not around

A sign in my picture window saying the house is "protected by .357" is bad OPSEC.  Perhaps a deterrent when I am home, but I am often not home.

Burglar DOES break in and sees gun cleaning gear in the basement, shot up targets hanging on the wall, a .50 shell casing from that one time I shot a Ma Deuce, American Rifleman magazines on the coffee table, Cheaper than Dirt catalog on the back of the terlet.... Bad OPSEC.  A burglar will check extra careful for hidey holes and what behind that 'junk' in the basement.  Maybe a gun safe...

More OPSEC:  eschew the shoot-me-first vest.  Unless you are a 1980s photographer by trade.  Or a Han Solo cosplayer.  You don't want someone to 'make' your holster outline under your suit that you are wearing on a too-warm day, either.  Do what you can about that, but there are limits.  I like to tool around Ocean City Maryland's boardwalk in the summer wearing my Speedo trunks, tank top T, and flip flops.  If I was allowed to carry their I'd have some concealment problems to solve in my usual outfit.

7 comments:

azmountaintroll said...

Re: shoot-me-first vest

I keep hearing about this, but has it ever happened? Has anyone during a robbery gone wrong or "ragequit the world" spree ever shot someone wearing a concealment vest? If so, I don't recall hearing about it.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

I've never heard of a person actually being targeted by the shoot me first vest. But I bet a lot of pistol toters have been 'made' because of such a vest. Or high quantities of 'tactical' gear. Like a rigger's belt on fat ugly guy like me. Who do I think I'm fooling?

Tam said...

I'm more worried about concealing my gun from mouthbreathing goobers who want to start a conversation in the checkout lane about their favorite caliber or brand of JHP.

It was an occupational hazard for fifteen years and I don't have to put up with it no mo'.

I just call 'em "shoot me vests" because it's a funny phrase and because it gets internet gun nerds all harrumph-y.

Tam said...

(Seriously, unless you've been trapped behind a gun shop counter, forced to listen to one of those guys go on and on and on and on and on, you don't know horror.)

Jon said...

How about
1) Never post pictures of all of your weaponry on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, your blog...?

Arthur said...

"...flip flops"

Honestly in your whole post this is the only thing that gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Why the hell would you want to put something on your feet that only impedes motion?

Angus McThag said...

I heard the "shoot me first vest" was coined by professional security people who wore them a lot around people who were in suits.

My mania for wanting OC has a lot more to do with being comfortable in 96˚+ high humidity weather than anything else.

To Tam, Willard whom I often mention on my blog is a terror to gun shops everywhere.