Community QuestionSeen on 5 CBTs

Operational Security (OPSEC) defines Critical Information as:

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Answer

Specific facts about friendly intentions, capabilities, and activities needed by adversaries to plan and act effectively against friendly mission accomplishment.

All 5 indexed CBT versions give this answer·Answer index rebuilt Sep 25, 2026

Why this answer

The deciding test is how an adversary could use a fact to interfere with the mission, not merely whether the fact concerns the organization. The definition also includes friendly limitations and vulnerabilities: knowing what a force cannot do can help an adversary plan just as knowing its capabilities can.

VERIFIED AGAINST THE OFFICIAL SOURCE

“Critical information consists of specific facts about friendly capabilities, activities, limitations (includes vulnerabilities), and intentions needed by adversaries for them to plan and act effectively so as to degrade friendly mission accomplishment.”

— AR 530-1, Operations Security (26 September 2014), para 3-1b(2) ↗
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