OPSEC/INFOSEC in Georgia

[patmc]

Found this on today's Early Bird, and posted below. The Russians seized several USMC vehicles waiting in port to ship after their training exercise. The vehicles contained commo and satellite equipment in them. We can all guess what systems were in there. Those vehicles are en route to Moscow for examination. If any of you remember the picture of the Strykers being off-loaded in Russia for "inspection" while travelling to Iraq on a Russian contracted aircraft, history repeats itself. Even if these vehicles and equipment were properly escorted by American personnel, there is probably little they could have done to stop the seizure, but we still need to do a better job securing our information and capabilities, and stop giving freebies to the comunazis. OPSEC Officer rant over.


Yahoo.com
August 21, 2008

No Assurances From Moscow On Return Of Humvees: Pentagon (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBlf37YFP8kD1s9p-exYTzXBdQMQ)


WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States has received no assurances from Russia that it will return US military vehicles seized in Georgia, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.

Russian forces seized "a handful" of Humvees, four-wheeled all-purpose military vehicles, in the Black Sea port of Poti, where they were awaiting shipment out of Georgia after an exercise, spokesman Bryan Whitman said......

[bourbon]

Russians seized U.S. equipment: Pentagon says no 'sensitive items' taken with Humvees (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/09/russians-pilfer-us-equipment/), by Bill Gertz. The Washington Times, September 9, 2008.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Russian troops broke open two large shipping containers in the Georgian port of Poti and "pilfered" the contents. Sensitive communications and electronics equipment used by U.S. forces during a joint U.S.-Georgia military exercise prior to the Aug. 8 incursion had already been shipped out of the port, he added.

[Stan]

In 97 I handled logistics for a 3000-man USMC landing force with 17 various types of vehicles. Shipped in with nothing and shipped out with even less.

Hell, even the SEABEE's removed their carpentry equipment before shipping out :rolleyes:

I have never seen a wheeled or tracked vehicle shipped with anything sensitive, unless that slug of diesel engine in the HUMVEE could remotely be considered sensitive (to dust and Russian fuel).


Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway told reporters Aug. 27 that... "None of those had anything like secret satellite communications; in fact, no radios at all," Gen. Conway said.

"They had radio mounts only ... that's traditionally how we ship."

Slightly off topic...I got a kick out of a Russian Pravda forum talking about the 1,700 plus weapons also being seized. While they may actually have a bunch of M16s and modified Remington 700s now, their crappy ammo will make the Remington perform like a muzzle loader :D

I can't even give away Russian small arms ammo here !