Photo By Ana Henderson | U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground Commander Col. John Nelson and Mission Antiterrorism...... read more read more
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“See something, say something” has been a perennial message of the Army’s annual Antiterrorism Month, and since its inception 14 years ago Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) personnel have sought to raise awareness as creatively as possible.
One example of these efforts was the recent raising of the YPG-designated Antiterrorism Awareness Flag in front of the Range Operations Center building by Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) Antiterrorism Officer (ATO) Robert Barocio.
The purpose of the flag, which is adorned with a griffon-in-a-shield official logo of the Army’s antiterrorism efforts, is to remind members of the workforce about vulnerabilities that can be exploited and to help strengthen their situational awareness.
“Antiterrorism Awareness Month is basically a huge information campaign. Our mission is to gather information about what could harm us,” Barocio said. “It is important to know what a threat is and have the ability to recognize and detect it.”
Barocio explained that “simply put,” antiterrorism refers to measures used at home or in the workplace to reduce the risk to people and property from a terrorist attack. That also includes developing and implementing a preventative safety plan.
For example, people manage their risks at home all the time by locking their doors and windows, having antivirus programs installed on their computers, and not leaving their passwords lying around.
“These are all also the same steps for the installation. My approach to antiterrorism is the same on base as it is in the home,” Barocio said. “I take those same measures and expand them on a larger scale here for YPG.”
In addition to banners having been set up at all the entrances, YPG Commander Col. John Nelson, Yuma Test Center Commander Lt. Col. Shane Dering and Barocio handed out antiterrorism trinkets on the morning of Aug. 22 at each gate.
Although August has been designated as Army Antiterrorism Awareness Month, Barocio said that doesn’t mean that members of the workforce shouldn’t be paying attention each and every day of the year and reporting anything they consider unusual or suspicious.
He also added that YPG and ATEC’s antiterrorism measures owe their success in part to the partnership they have established and to the dedication, resilience and vigilance of the workforce.
“It is probably the pinnacle of antiterrorism from my standpoint,” Barocio said. “Since there are more than 2,000 employees here, they are our eyes and ears because they are more likely to see something and prevent an incident. They are vital to the effort.”
ATEC, on any given day, faces a wide array of potential threats that could affect its ability to test in the future, which is why Barocio say the work of antiterrorism he does alongside the Garrison Antiterrorism Officer never stops.
“It is about creating a team mindset and delivering this message together as one voice,” Barocio said. “We work daily to further the posture of the base and share information.”
As the ATO Officer responsible for force protection measures it is Barocio’s job to track and identify trends while working with state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify threats that threaten ATEC’s test mission; assess potential risks; develop mitigation measures and recommend any Course of Action changes to reduce vulnerability.
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2023 12:42 |
| Story ID: | 452382 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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