Be they in high or low places you need friends if you want to do this thing we call OPSEC.  I guarantee you that your workload will go up and your success will go down without your own OPSEC professionals network.  People out there are doing some great and innovative things that you need to know about.  None of us should work in a vacuum.  Communicate with other OPSEC managers.  Join OSPA or the OPS.  You need to make a conscious effort to meet new people.  Go to the National OPSEC Conference or an OPSEC Forum.  Get out from behind your desk and get to a threat seminar.  When you get out to an event like a conference or formalized training you will meet people.  You can’t help it.  I make, at least, five good contacts at every event I attend.  That’s five more people I can call or email when I’ve got a question.  Five more people who I can share ideas with.  Five more people I can “benchmark” off of.

     Since our program here at the National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office won the Organizational Achievement Award at the National Conference last month I get two or three calls or emails a week from people asking for assistance/help/guidance for some area of their program.  Trust me when I tell you there is no way this program would be where it is today without the help and valued assistance from people I now call friend (starting with Wayne Morris who built the program I was fortunate enough to inherit).  As for the calls for assistance, I do everything I can for these people.  When you’ve been as blessed as I have then you understand that you must give back to the community in any way you can.  Plus I feel I need to honor folks like Tom Ariosto, Wayne Morris, Lynne Clark, Dan Wilkinson, Joan Hellon, Scott Milliman,  Bill Feidl and Pat Sipes who have helped and guided me so much over the years.  I just hope that some day you are as fortunate as me to have such a fine OPSEC support network to reach out and touch when you’re in need.

     And when, not if but when, you attend one of these events don’t be afraid to walk up to someone and say “Hi, I’m Joe from Colorado Springs.  How are you today?”  You can start with me.  I’ll be your first contact (if it is me though and I just finished a 90-minute speech, please just follow me to the smoking area and chat me up there instead of keeping me away from the post-speech nicotine fix I need so bad).  Whatever you do, just get the hell out there and talk to someone new and get that network working.

Keep the Faith!

Revelator