Wednesday, July 25, 2018
What is it?
iWATCH Army is a modern version of neighborhood watch focused on the threat of terrorist activity. Established in April 2010, iWATCH Army is modeled after the Los Angeles Police Department’s iWATCH program. iWATCH Army encourages and empowers the Army community to identify and report suspicious behavior potentially associated with terrorist activity.
The passive element of iWATCH Army is individual situational awareness of their surroundings. The active element of iWATCH Army involves individuals taking action to report suspicious behavior or activities to military police or local law enforcement for investigation.
What has the Army done / is doing?
The Department of the Army, Army Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG), Antiterrorism Division developed and maintains the iWATCH Army media campaign and awareness products to educate the Army community. Products developed include posters, brochures, training materials, and public service announcements (PSA). The Antiterrorism Division also worked with Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) to have iWATCH Army training, and antiterrorism awareness training, added as requirements for appropriate Army contracts. Recently, in February 2018, a new iWATCH Army PSA was released and is available through the resources provided below.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned?
Vigilance is a key component to counter the persistent terrorist threat. To preserve readiness the Army will continue to practice threat awareness and reporting throughout the year. Quarterly antiterrorism awareness themes and an annual antiterrorism awareness month (August) demonstrate the Army’s commitment to prevent terrorist activities. The Army needs the help from everyone in the force to prevent terrorism by expanding community awareness of the risks associated with terrorist activities.
Why is this important to the Army?
When aware of the possible indicators of terrorist activity and empowered to help protect the communities against terrorism, the entire Army-community acts as “sensors” and becomes an extension of our overall protection. The information reported by members of the Army community may reveal a piece of a puzzle that leads authorities to thwart a terrorist plot.
Protecting the force is a vital responsibility of the Army. Army’s professional law enforcement and security forces cannot protect the communities alone. Everyone in the community needs to be involved in this critical effort.
Resources:
Related video:
Related STAND-TO!:
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