Wing provides telecommunications policy reminder

  • Published
  • By 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The next time you think about e-mailing your MyPay password or some other password from a ".mil" to a ".com" or vice versa, remember that what you are sending is subject to monitoring.

The Air Force employs telecommunications systems such as telephones, cellular phones, radios, facsimile machines, pagers, Blackberries, computers (including networked systems, stand-alone computers, servers, portable computers, laptops, routers, etc.), and other wired or wireless electronic devices. Air Force Instruction 10-712, Telecommunications Monitoring and Assessment Program (TMAP), explains the rules and policies of telecommunications monitoring and it pertains to such devices.

As a reminder, Internet-based capabilities such as blogs, websites, social networking sites, etc., are subject to monitoring.

The AFI states that, "all Defense Department telecommunications systems and information systems are subject to monitoring for authorized purposes..." The policy is in place to protect the government and its members from adversaries who can easily monitor these systems and gather further information regarding military capabilities, limitations, intentions and activities.

According to the Air Force Reserve Command Operations Security Program Manager, AFRC units have had many instances with its military and civilian members e-mailing business related information such as username/password information from a .mil email to a g-mail or other personal email accounts. The emails are not signed or encrypted, therefore creating a serious violation. These types of occurrences are not only taking place at AFRC bases, but across the Air Force.

The Air Force monitors computers and telephones 24/7, as part of the Telecommunications Monitoring Assessment Program (TMAP), in accordance with AFI 10-712. TMAP provides commanders with an assessment as to the type and amount of information being transmitted on all Air Force telecommunications systems which are at risk to adversary collection and exploitation. If a violation is detected, a report is generated by the 68th Network Warfare Squadron (NWS), Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and sent to the major command OPSEC program manager for action.

Once a violation occurs, the applicable email account will be disabled until refresher training has been accomplished to reduce the risk of the adversary gaining access to critical information.

All 445th Airlift Wing personnel must remember that all USB devices will not be connected to any government computer. Devices include; thumb drives, phones, watches, cameras, or any device that can be attached via a USB connection for use or even for charging. This guidance is not new but every month the wing has numerous violators to the current directives and their actions jeopardize the security of the wing's network. Offenders will lose their computer privileges for an extended period and will also be subject to adverse administrative actions, said Tech. Sgt. Jermane Coleman, 445th Communications Element chief of information systems.

Information about user responsibilities can be found in Air Force Manual 33-152, User Responsibilities and Guidance for Information Systems. Wing users should call Cornell Billingsley, 257-7496, or Tech. Sgt. Jermane Coleman, 257-1672, option 3, before using any USB devices.