About Lady Rough Rider Enlisted Spouses

Hello everyone,

My name is Angela Lockamy, I am married to CSM Harry Lockamy. I am the spouse of an enlisted Soldier, just like you.
I would like to formally announce that on March 31st 2008, myself and several other core volunteers from all four companies of the 27th BSB organized the Lady Rough Rider Enlisted Spouses Group.

The Lady Rough Riders is not a replacement of your command sponsored Family Readiness Groups. Family Readiness Groups are DOD sponsored, they are the OFFICIAL and ONLY way you get accurate information regarding your Soldiers Bn and company information.

The Lady Rough Rider Enlisted spouses group was established as a secondary form of support for you during the deployment. Through your participation in the group we will offer weekly social gathering's, shopping trips, family friendly activities and lot's more. We also have our own website. Within this website we have a message board. On that message board you can read what other members are talking about and planning during the deployment. If you have a question about Army life, ASK!. Get the feedback from spouses that are just like you. If you have an idea POST IT! If you want to make changes, offer your suggestion!

We also have a calendar that allows us to post LRR events and functions that we are planning. We post local events as well as lot's of other exciting stuff.

Please spread the word about our group to your fellow enlisted spouses. Let them know that the ultimate goal is not only to survive but THRIVE during this deployment. Together we can show support, teach, mentor and be a friend to our fellow spouses.

The Enlisted Spouses Group is an additional form of support for our spouses and ultimately OUR SOLDIERS. When a Soldiers Family is set up for success through Family Readiness Groups and other support systems, that allows the Soldier to stay focused and on task while he or she is forward deployed.

We will abide by OPSEC rules and guidelines at all times. Please read the OPSEC regulations posted below. At any time if you break these rules, you will be removed from the group immediately.

Sincerely,

Angela Lockamy

238 8911, please feel free to call me with your questions or concerns.


OPSEC (OPERATIONS SECURITY)
A Guide For Family and Friends

What Is OPSEC?

Operations Security, or OPSEC, is keeping potential adversaries from discovering our critical information. As the name suggests, it protects our operations planned, in progress, and those completed. Success depends on secrecy and surprise, so the military can accomplish the mission faster and with less risk. Our adversaries want our information, and they dont concentrate on only Soldiers to get it. They want you, the Family member.

Protecting Critical Information

Even though information may not be secret, it can be what we call critical information.Critical information deals with specific facts about military intentions, capabilities, operations or activities. If an adversary knew this detailed information, our mission accomplishment and personnel safety could be jeopardized. It must be protected to ensure an adversary doesnt gain a significant advantage. By being a member of the military family, you will often know some bits of critical information. Do not discuss them outside of your immediate family and especially not over the telephone.

Examples Of Critical Information

Detailed information about the mission of assigned units.
Details on locations and times of unit deployments.
Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, deployment information).
References to trends in unit morale or personnel problems.
Details concerning security procedures.

Puzzle Pieces

These bits of information may seem insignificant. However, to a trained adversary, they are small pieces of a puzzle that highlight what were doing and planning. Remember, the elements of security and surprise are vital to the accomplishment of our goals and our collective personnel protection.

Where and how you discuss this information is just as important as with whom you discuss it. Adversary agents tasked with collecting information frequently visit some of the same stores, clubs, recreational areas, or places of worship as you do.
Determined individuals can easily collect data from cordless and cell phones, and even baby monitors, using inexpensive receivers available from local electronics stores.
If anyone, especially a foreign national, persistently seeks information, notify your military sponsor immediately. He or she will notify the unit OPSEC program manager.

What Can You Do?

There are many countries and organizations that would like to harm Americans and degrade our influence in the world. Its possible, and not unprecedented, for spouses and Family members of U.S. military personnel to be targeted for intelligence collection. This is true in the United States and especially true overseas! What can you do?

Be Alert

Foreign governments and organizations collect significant amounts of useful information by using spies. A foreign agent may use a variety of approaches to befriend someone and get sensitive information. This sensitive information can be critical to the success of a terrorist or spy, and consequently deadly to Americans.

Be Careful

There may be times when your spouse cannot talk about the specifics of his or her job. Its very important to conceal and protect certain information such as flight schedules, ship movements, temporary duty (TDY) locations, and installation activities, for example. Something as simple as a phone discussion about where your spouse is deploying, or going TDY, can be very useful to our enemies.

OPSEC IS A FAMILY AFFAIR - DISCUSS OPSEC WITH YOUR FAMILY

All Family Members Are Part Of The Armys OPSEC Team. They Need To Protect Information To Ensure The Safety Of All Our Soldiers, Civilians, And Army Families.

You Are A Vital Player In Our Success!

As a Family member of our military community, you are a vital player in our success, and we couldnt do our job without your support. You may not know it, but you also play a crucial role in ensuring your loved ones safety. You can protect your Family and friends by protecting what you know of the militarys day-to-day operations. Thats OPSEC.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide. Our goal is to provide you with a greater understanding of the Armys security concerns. The information in this guide is not intended to frighten you or make you suspicious that everyone you meet is a secret agent or terrorist. But stay alert, if a stranger shows excessive interest in the affairs of your Family members, military or not, notify the authorities.