Month focuses on anti-terrorism

FORT SILL, Okla. (Aug. 25, 2016) -- August is Antiterrorism Awareness Month across the Army. While many people associate terrorism with bombings and shootings, to Soldiers, terrorists are those who seek to stop or hinder the Army mission.

Within the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, some Soldiers have jobs and positions that require them to think about antiterrorism in a variety of ways and on a more frequent basis.

Spc. Brian Baham, an information technology specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery, is well-versed in the many possible threats to the Army mission. As part of his job, he emphasizes cyber security and information assurance as a means to mitigate the potential for an act of terrorism from occurring.

Hardening the network and preventing spillage are two ways in which he contributes to that prevention. Spillage occurs when classified information crosses into a medium in which that information is not authorized (e.g., secret information sent over Nonclassified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPR) to someone who may or may not be authorized to view it). Through training, he and other Soldiers in his field are taught what to do in instances of spillage.

Baham said he considers hacking into a secure military computer an act of terrorism. The Army makes hacking difficult by using secured networks called Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPR) and NIPR. Baham said having separate secured networks is important for the military environment because it provides separate methods to send and store information.

"Enemies could sabotage our mission, give our secrets to others, or use it for themselves to plan an attack," he said.

Baham said successful antiterrorism begins with knowing your surroundings and your job well enough to see vulnerabilities.

"Since 9/11, the signal world is always changing and developing new devices, policies and rules for computers that will allow us to do our job more securely, and for us to be able to detect any form of terrorism," Baham said.

As the technological battle against terrorism is fought, some Soldiers take a more visible and tangible approach against the possible threats.

Spc. Benjamin Dominguez, HHB, 75th FAB, is serving as a gate guard and contributes to the fight against terrorism almost every day.

When people come through the Fort Sill gates, Dominguez checks their ID cards and performs detailed inspections on vehicles. The threat levels at the gates range from Alpha, the lowest, to Delta, the highest level of security. The security levels on Fort Sill are subject to change based on local or national events and, depending on the security threat level, Dominguez may be tasked with more security measures.

During his training to become a gate guard he was taught a variety of antiterrorism practices, along with a menu of responses to use in the event there is an issue while on duty. He puts his training to use on a daily basis, and while most of his inspections and ID checks are simple and uneventful, he said he is always aware of the possible threat.

"The worse I've gotten is people sneaking other people into their cars," Dominguez said.

While it is usually young Soldiers who forget their IDs, the same practice could be used by terrorists attempting to infiltrate the installation, which makes it imperative to have an uncompromising level of discipline.

Another HHB, 75th Soldier said his job also forces him to be hyperaware of vulnerabilities terrorists could exploit. Intelligence analyst Pfc. Durk Wiglesworth is well versed in the history of terrorism and said it's his job to know what the bad guys are up to.

"Being an intelligence analyst, my job is to collect data on the threat and use our data to analyze their next move," Wiglesworth said. "We have to know where [the enemy] is, what they're capable of, and what their next move is."

For these Soldiers, antiterrorism practices don't just stop when they're out of uniform. Operations security (OPSEC) is something they practice both on- and off-duty.

When he is traveling, Baham said he doesn't use camouflage or Army Combat Uniform print backpacks because they readily identify him as a Soldier. He also avoids sharing details about himself with strangers such as where he works or who he works for.

Dominguez said he shreds documents with his personal information on them after use.

Social media is another area to protect, and Wiglesworth said he avoids posting his whereabouts on those websites and always makes sure he doesn't leave his common access card lying around. These small measures are just a few steps Soldiers can take to avoid becoming a target for terrorists.

"Don't be complacent," said Wiglesworth, "and always practice good physical and personal security."