By Peter Jackson, Manager Counter Intelligence and Security Operations (CISO)
Just as you, as a private citizen, protect your personal assets from damage or theft, and guard your private information from disclosure to people, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) does the same for its assets and information.
The NZDF strives to protect its assets from theft, damage or destruction, and its information from loss, corruption or unauthorised disclosure.
Recent losses of sensitive information by other government departments serve as a timely reminder for NZDF staff to ensure that our military assets and information are effectively protected.
Why does this concern me?
The answer is this; everyone in the NZDF is responsible for security. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Rating, a F/S, a LTGEN or a civilian employee, we all have a very important part to play in security.
What assets/information are you talking about?
We’re talking about assets that the NZDF depends upon to operate as directed by the NZ Government. The NZDF possesses certain assets and information that are critical to NZDF’s core business. Some of these are provided by other countries who allow the NZDF to have them as long as we are able to protect them from loss, theft or compromise. Should we be found wanting, security-wise, we place at risk future equipment acquisitions and information sharing which could have a profound effect on NZDF’s operational capabilities in the years to come.
Broadly speaking these include: personnel; arms, ammunition and explosives; mission critical equipments; classified and sensitive information and material; information and communication technologies; and NZDF’s reputation.
But who would target these things and why?
Despite New Zealand’s remote geographical location, the threat to NZDF assets and information is real and comes from a variety of sources. They include:
- Foreign intelligence services who, on behalf of their countries, seek to gain sensitive military and other information or material.
- Terrorists who seek to further an extremist political or ideological cause.
- Issue motivated groups who seek to further a radical cause and embarrass the government.
- Criminal elements who seek to use or on-sell stolen military property for personal gain.
- Disaffected individuals who seek to exact revenge on NZDF for real or perceived grievances.
- Certain elements of the media some of whom are known to have used deception in their pursuit of the next ‘big scoop’.
What can I do to help?
The best thing you can do is:
- Stay vigilant and report suspicious activity no matter how insignificant it might seem.
- Fix practices dangerous to security. If you can’t fix it personally, report it so it can be fixed.
- Think about the security implications of what you are doing. You may be able to prevent a security breach before it happens simply by employing common sense.
Who should I tell?
Every unit is required to have a Unit Security Officer (USO) whose role is to monitor the security of a unit on behalf of the unit commander. The unit 2IC/XO is normally the USO but the role is sometimes delegated to another officer or non-commissioned officer depending on circumstances. If you need to discuss any security concerns you might have, talk with your USO.
Security Awareness Campaign
To raise the profile of security within the Defence Force, the Defence Security Division (DSyD) plans to, among other initiatives, implement an ad campaign aimed at improving security awareness among NZDF personnel at all levels.
Watch this Space!
Finally, just remember this...
The greatest threat to security is the belief that there is no threat.