?I have been tasked with writing this 1000 word essay on the importance of accountability of sensitive items within the military. The reason I have been assigned to do this task is due to my failure of being attentive that cause me to wash and utterly destroy my meal card on the night of 07MAR2014 at approximately 2350 hours. I had just came back from playing some playing billiards and having some drinks with some friends (no I did not drive).
After checking to see if any washing units were available, I then proceeded to my room in order to sort my articles of clothing.
While being preoccupied with thoughts of a blonde female type one each and a redhead female type one each I failed to thoroughly check and double check every pocket of the uniform I had worn that day. My preoccupation and oversight caused me to lose accountability of my meal card, which resulted in its washing/drying. Also possibly allowing it to fall into the hands of someone wishing to gain access to the dining facility and eat off the Army’s money. Also the lack of this type of diligence in the future could cause me to lose other types of sensitive items i. e.
identification card, nods, important documents, TA-50 etc. Which if lost could pose a greater threat to combat readiness and mission effectiveness. In losing accountability of my meal card, I have shown a general disregard for the Army Values of Duty and Respect, as well as violated several points of the Soldier’s Creed. In the Army Values, Duty is defined as a soldier’s ability and devotion to “fulfill your obligations” and resisting the temptations to take “shortcuts” that might undermine the final product. Sensitive items can include all of your protective gears, lists of things to do, or maps.
The Essay on Army Accountability
By not being accounted for I have let my unit down and failed in the missions that needed to be completed. I have not set a good examples for my Soldiers in my squad or fellow NCO’s. I did not lead by example. As a non commissioned officer I should have used better judgement. I can’t expect my chain of command to entrust Soldier’s to me if I cannot be accountiable for my actions. I truly ...
Securing these sensitive items comes down to maintaining operational security which in turn increases each individual soldiers overall readiness and also mission success. Exercising the habit of maintaining accountability and security of sensitive items of a soldier allows each team to operate at peak performance, especially when the threat of opposing adversaries accessing these sensitive items is lessened. The best method to keep a sensitive item secure is to always have it one your person. The problem with this is it’s not always possible.
Toting around everything of value would be a very tedious and inefficient process. That’s where secondary measures come in to play. When sensitive items are not on your person or out of your sight they should always be kept under lock and key. They should be left in a place where security is in place to guard those items. The level of security usually depends on how sensitive the item is. It all comes down to Operational Security which is everyone’s responsibility. Each individual soldier must play an active role in keeping sensitive items out of the enemies grasp.
An excerpt from Army Regulation 530-1 chapter 2, it says the following; “Operations security is everyone’s responsibility. Failure to properly implement OPSEC measures can result in serious injury or death to our personnel, damage to weapons systems, equipment and facilities, loss of sensitive technologies and mission failure. OPSEC is a continuous process and an inherent part of military culture and as such, must be fully integrated into the execution of all Army operations and supporting activities. ”
