Department of Defense Directive 5205.2 - Operations Security Program

April 7, 2006

• Reissues previous version dated Nov. 29, 1999 to update policy and responsibilities governing the Operations Security (OPSEC) Program effective March 6, 2006.
• Incorporates the requirements of National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) No. 298 - National Operations Security Program dated Jan. 22, 1988.
• Designates the director, National Security Agency as the federal executive agent for interagency OPSEC training.
• Underscores the importance of OPSEC and how it is integrated as a core military capability within Information Operations (IO) that must be followed in daily military operations.

Applicability and Scope

• The directive applies to the following DoD components:
  • Office of the secretary of defense.
  • Military departments.
  • Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  • Combatant commands.
  • Office of the inspector general.
  • Defense agencies.
  • DoD field activities
  • All other DoD organizational entities.
• Requires that OPSEC planning and analysis is performed by commanders, supervisors or decision makers charged with the ultimate responsibility for mission accomplishment, that is, those most familiar with the operational aspects of a particular activity including the supporting intelligence, counterintelligence and security countermeasures.
• Applies to all activities that prepare, sustain or employ U.S. Armed Forces during war, crisis or peace.
  • These activities include those involving research, development, test and evaluation.
  • DoD contracting.
  • Treaty verification.
  • Nonproliferation protocols.
  • International agreements.
  • Force protection.
  • Release of information to the public.
• Requires the heads of the DoD components designate OPSEC program managers or coordinators in all commands and agencies and establish and maintain an OPSEC program that promotes an understanding of OPSEC among all personnel.
• Ensures that OPSEC training and education is established and available to the IO career force personnel commensurate with their responsibilities.

Policy

• National security-related missions and functions shall be protected by an OPSEC program.
• OPSEC protection afforded to DoD acquisition programs, defense activities or military operations shall be balanced with the potential loss to mission effectiveness and their cost.
• The essential secrecy of information critical to adversaries in their planning, preparing and conducting military and other operations against the U.S. shall be maintained.
• Adversary intelligence collection threats include the exploitation of publicly available information obtained through open networks and information on web sites.
• These and other detectable unclassified activities are used to derive indicators of U.S. intentions, capabilities, operations and activities.
• A necessary condition for maintaining essential secrecy is protection of classified, as well as unclassified critical information.
• This protection ensures that, beyond the application of traditional security measures, the DoD maintains a heightened awareness of potential threats.
• The OPSEC analytic process is based on the identification and mitigation of these indicators of U.S. intentions, capabilities, operations and activities.
• OPSEC measures shall be employed to deny indicators to adversaries that reveal critical information about DoD missions and functions.
• As an operations activity, OPSEC will be considered during the entire life cycle of military operations or activities.
• OPSEC capabilities shall be developed and employed in concert with other military and core IO capabilities to provide a fully integrated war fighting capability.

Source: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).