Travel guidance and protection measures

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In: Announcements

By USAREUR G3 Antiterrorism Division

RESOURCES

INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION MEASURES

  • Travel in small groups and vary routes.
  • Carry a card with key phrases in the host nation language to assist you in asking for help.
  • Let your unit, coworker, family, and/or battle buddy know where you are going and when you expect to return.
  • Be inconspicuous. Do not wear clothing with US or DoD affiliation. Avoid talking loudly or drawing attention to yourself. Remove any DoD or US affiliated stickers from your vehicle.
  • Be aware of your surroundings and potential safe havens (i.e., police station, hospital).
  • Avoid spontaneous gatherings or demonstrations. If you encounter one, calmly leave the area.
  • Know emergency numbers and other important numbers (i.e. nearest US Consulate). Whenever possible, carry a cell phone with pre-programmed emergency numbers.
  • Monitor available media, including news and government websites, and social networking sites (such as USAREUR AT’s Stay Safe) for information while traveling.
  • Use extra caution in risky areas such as hotel lobbies, nightclubs, and other public places where bombs may be placed. Be aware of egress points in the event of an attack.
  • Register your trip with State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts and messages.

TRAVEL PLANNING

1) Identify the threat & requirements.

The DoD Foreign Clearance Guide provides country specific travel requirements for DoD personnel. State Department travel alerts/warnings, OSAC country crime and safety reports, USAREUR quarterly travel message, foreign travel briefs and your local AT Officer can provide additional travel information.

2) Identify your assets.

What valuable items are you taking with you? This could be credit cards, passports, electronics, and family members. Once you take inventory of what you’re taking, identify what would be the impact if you lost it.

3) Identify vulnerabilities.

Vulnerabilities are weaknesses that make you susceptible to the threat. Some questions to ask yourself when looking at your potential vulnerabilities are: Will you be in areas frequented by Americans or other tourists? Will you be carrying highly pilferable items (i.e., smartphone, large amounts of money, credit cards)?

4) Risk assessment.

Determine your risk based upon the threat, vulnerabilities, and criticality of your assets. Do the benefits outweigh the risk? Are

there personal measures you can use to reduce your risk?

5) Make a travel plan.

Identify countermeasures to reduce your risk. The individual protective measures section of this pamphlet provides a few suggestions. Documenting the AT plan may be as simple as making a wallet size card that includes key POCs and individual AT measures.

Click here to download the brochure.