Being safe online is important for anyone at any time. But if you’re part of a military family, it becomes that much more important (which is why we wrote a full resource guide on OPSEC for milspouses and military families).
But when it comes to deployments, that level of ‘more important’ gets even higher! While soldiers tend to get a lot of training for operation security (OPSEC), sometimes families and milspouses don’t get as much.
Today, we want to help with that! Here are six of the most important things that families need to remember to ensure they are practicing good digital safety and OPSEC while their service member is on deployment (or a training rotation).
1. Assume interest in your online activity increases during deployments.
Foreign adversaries and bad actors care about your online activity at all times because of your connection to the military. However, when it comes time for deployments, you can expect that if they’re aware of the deployment, their interest in your online activity will skyrocket.
Should this scare you? Of course not. The reason we share it, though, is to point out just how important it is to be smart. Don’t adopt the mindset that “it couldn’t happen to you” or “we’re just overreacting.”
The implications of OPSEC mistakes while soldiers are on deployment can be much more impactful (negatively) than while at home station.
2. Avoid sharing any timelines, countdowns, return dates, or travel plans.
While most people already know this, it is important enough to reiterate. Under no circumstances should you share any timelines, countdowns, return dates, or travel plans for your soldier.
Remember, this is something you can do indirectly as well. Posts like:
- Tagging yourself at a military base with a sad emoji or “This is going to be hard.”
- Posts saying things like “3 more months until I’m complete again” can easily be interpreted
- Sharing pictures your service member sent you from their travels or time overseas
If there are things you want to share, wait until they’re home to share them.
We understand it can be comforting to share the pain you’re going through on social media to get support, but it puts your soldier at risk.
3. Prepare your kids with safe responses for friends, teachers, and family.
If you have kids, make sure you prepare them to be digitally safe during the deployment. Remember that they’ll be getting asked questions and could be targeted for information as well.
Here are some tips:
- Help them come up with safe responses to the most common questions they’ll get.
- Explain why being safe during deployment is important.
- Let them know they can always come to you if they feel uncomfortable about something.
- Let them know it might be best to check with you before posting or sharing anything about the deployment.
4. Wait until post-deployment to share what your soldier is sharing with you.
If you’re able to communicate with your soldier, it’s possible they share details with you about what’s going on in country. More than likely, these details are things that shouldn’t be shared with anyone else (potentially even close family).
If there is something you want to share that they shared with you, we’d encourage you to do two things. One, wait until they’re back from deployment before posting. Two, once they’re back, ask them if it’s okay that you post what you wanted to.
It’s possible when they’re back that the information won’t affect their safety, but it could affect the safety of the next unit that took over.
Remember, safety is of the utmost importance during deployments, so there’s no reason to take any unnecessary risks that could jeopardize their safety or standing with the unit.
5. Verify requests through official channels before responding
There may be times where someone ‘from their unit’ reaches out to connect with you during the deployment. If you haven’t been through a deployment before, units come together like a family to support each other back home. This means you may start to hear from people you don’t know looking to support you (which is great)!
In these situations, be on guard if someone is not just offering support, but asking for information. Keep in mind that this can sometimes be camouflaged by casual conversation.
Should you just ignore everyone who calls? Absolutely not! All we’re saying is that you should verify who someone is before giving them information. Also, remember that anyone reaching out about the deployment should already have the same information you have. If they’re asking you for it, consider why that might be.
6. Be on guard for scams.
Lastly, be on the lookout for scams. One of the reasons for keeping deployment information secret is that it prevents scammers who target families with a deployed soldier from knowing about new potential targets.
Here are some tips:
- Always verify who someone is before sharing any information.
- Remember that people can spoof their phone number meaning it might show up that the right person is calling but it isn’t actually them. If in doubt, hang up and call them back, because you can control your outbound calls.
- If a company needs you to verify something with your service member and they are unavailable, don’t let someone pressure you into doing something quickly. Tell them to wait until you’re able to get verification. There are a lot of laws protecting deployed soldiers and their families, so any doom and gloom they are claiming is most likely not true.
- When in doubt, reach out to your unit for clarification. They will be able to help you know what is legitimate and what is potentially a scam.
Remember, deployment cycles are long, sometimes lasting over a year. These practices must be kept in the months leading up to the deployment, during, and after.
Healthy Framework Team
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