Air Mobility Command staff sergeant earns AF operational security award

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amber R. Kelly-Herard
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  Managing a command-wide operations security program was just one area that led to a staff sergeant here earning the 2011 Air Force Operations Security NCO of the Year.

Staff Sgt. Robert Perecko, is the information operations fused communication NCO in charge at the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center). He is also the OPSEC planner subject-matter expert responsible for OPSEC initiatives for 13 wings and eight air operations center divisions.

"His innate abilities as a leader and team member truly represent his outstanding qualifications for this well-deserved recognition," said Master Sgt. Rebecca Longfellow, Perecko's supervisor and the overall manager of the 618 AOC (TACC) OPSEC program. "He is directly responsible for the robust OPSEC training and education program within the 618th AOC (TACC). His humble expertise and superb communication skills facilitate protection of critical information, an invaluable contribution to the overall success of this organization."

As an OPSEC planner, Perecko is responsible for training members of the 618th AOC (TACC) and monitoring OPSEC discretion action.

"I think I was selected for this award because of the amount of people I trained," Perecko said. "I am one of the first people everybody sees when they in process. They get to put a face to the name that goes with OPSEC."

"I also improved big processes like OPSEC disclosures," he said. "The disclosures used to be sent out on the (Secret Internet Protocol Router Network). I took a survey and found out not everyone was getting the reports because not everyone has access to SIPRNET, or they don't access it all the time. I changed it so the reports now get sent out on the (Non-secure Internet Protocol Router Network) as unclassified, for official use only and encrypted so everyone who needs to see them, sees them in a timely manner."

Among many accomplishments, Perecko analyzed 337 critical information disclosures protecting Air Mobility Command operations, briefed threats and countermeasures to 121 students and authored the 618th AOC (TACC) OPSEC policy letter outlining eight directorate's responsibilities. He also tries to make people aware of the vulnerabilities, risks and threats of social media in a person's personal and professional life.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Perecko said about receiving the award. "Everyone's heard of OPSEC, but I have a real passion for it.

"I have a lot of good people around me who noticed the things I did," Perecko said. "We're a good team, so it's really (everyone's) award."