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Old 19th Mar 2022, 00:38
  #17 (permalink)  
tartare
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: A better place.
Posts: 2,319
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Your link's not working Sue.
Satco - I think your Polish Patriot example is a bit of a reach if that's what you're referring to?
If I remember correctly - right next to the perimeter fence on a major airbase in clear view of a road... if they didn't want that disclosed or were relying on the general public to remember that loose lips sink ships... then they're very naive.
We live in an age when organisations like Bellingcat do an extraordinary job of mining open source, geolocation you name it.
As you well know, Maxar and other satellite operators have resolution so good that the military use them to supplement their own IMINT.
And with respect - your Falklands example was over 40 years ago - hard to believe - but I remember it well.
It was pre Internet and pre widespread use of mobile phones; the information environment back then was profoundly different.
Seen in that context, Whitehall was quite right to be outraged about the disclosure of the fuzing failures, as was H Jones who threatened to sue the BBC Governors for revealing the Goose Green objective.
Guess we'll just have to disagree.
My view is that anyone who complains about OSINT compromising operational security these days needs to get real.
And I regret to say - I think that includes VSOs who from time to time complain about retired military pundits theorising on strategy and tactics.
The media just ignore the complainers... having worked for the despised BBC I can vouch for the editorial reaction if you tried to argue that open source information shouldn't be shared or that retired VSOs shouldn't be asked, "what might happen next?"
Now - sharing genuinely classified information - execrable and fully worth the 30 years in the slammer.
But material that's already there in plain light of day?
Sorry folks - I think once it's been seen and it becomes digital it's open season, on the plate and garnished.
And any operational planner should factor that into their decision making - it's just the reality we live in.



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