OPSEC (Operations Security) – Paranoia or Just Common Sense?

Operations Security (OPSEC) is probably one of the most debated topics in the preparedness community. The main area of debate with OPSEC is about whether or not it is a good idea to be open about your preps and trying to talk to people outside of this community about preparedness.

Despite what other people might tell you, there is no “right” answer here. For some people OPSEC is a big deal, and maybe for a good reason, for others it’s not. Only you can decide what you’re comfortable sharing with others when it comes to prepping.

In today’s post I’m going to be sharing some of my thoughts about OPSEC and some of the realities about the importance of OPSEC in both normal life and in disaster scenarios.

The debate over OPSEC

The debate over OPSEC focuses mainly on whether or not it is a good idea to talk to people outside your home about preparedness. On one hand you have the side that is very concerned about talking to “outsiders” about preparedness because they are worried about becoming a “target” after a major disaster scenario.

On the other end of the spectrum there are people that feel OPSEC is nothing more than paranoia and that we’re doing a disservice to the preparedness community by NOT talking to anyone we possibly can about prepping.

First and foremost, like most issues that are hotly debated, there is no right and wrong answer because everyone’s situation is different.

Here’s my take on OPSEC:

OPSEC is a real concern, but my main OPSEC concerns are a lot more based in reality than SHTF fears. Most of the concerns people have with OPSEC and how they will become “targets” when the SHTF are in my opinion, are a little over the top. I suppose it is possible that in the extremely unlikely event of a widespread, SHTF, end of the world disaster that someone, somewhere couldpotentially remember your off-hand comment about stockpiling food, however the chances of this are so remotely low that it really doesn’t bother me personally.

That being said, there’s nothing wrong with being a little overly-protective of your preps if that makes you more comfortable. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to never speak to anyone about preparedness period. In most long-lasting disasters in the past, having a group was a key component to survival, while being alone was extremely dangerous.

Although I talk about preparedness with anyone that will listen, I would never tell anyone outside my immediate family specifically how much food, water or other supplies I have on hand. There’s simply no reason to, and it’s better to be safe than sorry if there’s no benefit of sharing that information.

Personally, I think building networks of like-minded people is far more important than the extremely remote chance that someone could connect the dots about my food supplies if the world ends in disaster. The connections I’ve been blessed to make with like-minded people, both online and off was well worth the risk. In short, I’m ok with talking about prepping if there’s a chance I could make a new friend that feels the same way I do.

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