Which statement reflects the purpose of OPSEC?

• A. To protect sensitive but unclassified information to ensure the success of a mission, operation, or activity
• B. To manage encryption keys only
• C. To classify materials based on risk
• D. To audit security compliance across units

Answer: (A)

OPSEC focuses on preventing adversaries from gaining enough information to disrupt or derail operations by safeguarding details that aren’t classified but could still reveal a plan or intent. The idea is to protect sensitive but unclassified information so that a mission, operation, or activity can succeed. This includes things like movement timing, intentions, or vulnerabilities that, if exposed, could be exploited.

That’s why the best statement is that OPSEC aims to protect sensitive but unclassified information to ensure the success of a mission, operation, or activity. It isn’t solely about encryption keys, which is a narrower aspect of security, nor about classifying materials by risk or auditing compliance across units, which fall more under information handling or governance rather than the core purpose of OPSEC itself.