OPSEC officer’s abilities no secret Published July 5, 2006 By Mike Wallace 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Wright-Patterson’s operations security officer at the 88th Security Forces Squadron recently was honored with three awards. Teresa Anderson was named the Air Force operations security program manager of the year and runner-up in the individual achievement award category in the National Operational Security Awards Program. She also received the Air Force Civilian Achievement Medal for her operations security management work. Ms. Anderson said she learned of her selections after an operational security conference in May. In her job, she said she oversees operational security for 86 two-letter organizations on base. “I identify critical information, look at the threat, evaluate vulnerabilities, conduct risk assessments, and put countermeasures in place,” Ms. Anderson said. “I train, teach and dumpster dive to see what people are throwing away.” Her accomplishments included creating the first OPSEC foreign national vulnerability assessment policy and process handbook and training base people on it, designing and implementing an OPSEC event reporting handbook and process, and recommending that Wright-Patterson go to a 100-percent shredding policy for all sensitive material. An operational security expert, Ms. Anderson not only advises Wright-Patterson two-letter commanders, but also representatives from Hanscom AFB, Mass.; Brooks AFB, Texas; Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Eglin AFB, Fla.; Kirtland AFB, N.M.; Hill AFB, Utah; Tyndall AFB, Fla.; Edwards AFB, Calif., along with the Government Accounting Offices, the Pentagon and interagency OPSEC support staffs. A 23-year employee at Wright-Patterson, Ms. Anderson has worked in security since 1986 and in operational security since 1999. “I believe in this program,” she said, “and I believe it saves lives.”