REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- August marks the Army’s 14th annual observance of Antiterrorism Awareness Month, a concerted effort to refresh and educate Soldiers and civilians on potential threats and the importance of vigilance and reporting suspicious behavior.
U.S. Army Security Assistance Command’s G2 team is leading their organization’s ATAM initiative.
They kicked off August by setting up an information station full of antiterrorism handouts and booklets covering subjects, such as what constitutes suspicious behavior, contact information for reporting, types of threats, tips for physical and information security at home and in the workplace, safe social networking, and more.
All Army employees are required to complete a basic antiterrorism course online annually for their first three years of employment, then triennially, but it’s important, said USASAC Security Specialist Ralph Saorrono, for members to always have their training and awareness at the forefront of their minds.
Throughout the month, USASAC G2 representatives across all locations will be hosting interactive events to test and refresh members’ knowledge on security procedures.
“We’ll have antiterrorism knowledge-based games each week, and at the end of month, we plan to host a lunch and trivia event,” said Saorrono. “We want to educate and reiterate antiterrorism awareness and security policies and procedures but also make it engaging and entertaining.”
While antiterrorism awareness month is just that—a month, threats lurk 24/7.
“Complacency is the one thing we can’t afford,” said Saorrono. “Antiterrorism Awareness Month is a great time to remind people about what we can do to protect our organization, Army and country, but awareness should be year-round. If you see something, report it.”
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