ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. –For this month’s CUOPS article I will be talking to you about situational awareness throughout our command and your daily activities. I will also show you how you can help the CUOPS Protection Cell and CECOM to combat terrorism by simply observing and reporting anything unusual.
When it comes to antiterrorism, awareness is the logic that tells us we can prevent a terrorist attack. As a community, we possess the means of our own protection. The CUOPS Protection Cell analyzes events, the policies and guidance set by the Army Antiterrorism Branch and recommends actions to deter or prevent terrorist attacks. Our CECOM community represents the most formidable obstacle against an attack. Based on Army analysis of past terrorist actions, we know a terrorist’s success depends upon careful reconnaissance before execution of an attack. By developing a sense of awareness of what to look for, we can prevent potential terrorist attacks.
There are two parts to what I like to call the Individual Protection Formula that offer the best protection for our CECOM community. The first is to protect ourselves by executing precautions when the situation dictates. By taking simple actions to become a Hard Target versus a Soft Target, prospective terrorists will have more difficulty targeting our community. This includes easy actions, like protecting personal information and frequently changing routines (e.g., routes to school/work, varying eating establishments) and can go a long way in protecting against terrorist attacks. Army policy dictates that all Soldiers and government civilians will be trained in effective actions to reduce one’s profile as a Soft Target. This annual course is called Level I Antiterrorism Awareness Training and it is the first fundamental training in preventing terrorist attacks.
The second part of this formula is discovering terrorists before they strike our community. History has taught us terrorists do very little without first investigating their target. We can discover them in time or deter their actions if we know what to look for. What might you expect from a terrorist planning an attack? Sometimes the terrorist may take notes while apparently studying restricted areas, take pictures of our gates or access points, loiter in odd places throughout or nearby an installation, or ask unusual questions about people or security procedures relative to CECOM or an installation. Awareness and reporting of unusual activity, or a combination of suspicious actions, will benefit and protect us against potential terrorist attacks.
By including Antiterrorism Individual Protective Measures in our daily routine, we defend our community. By aggressively observing our surroundings, we stay on the offensive in our plan to prevent terrorist attacks to our community. If you “See Something, Say Something.” For more information visit, https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something.
Until next month I leave you with this thought: Does your family know how to protect themselves from potential terrorist’s attacks?
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