Securing Military Sensitive Items: Importance and Consequences

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Sensitive Items, they are used in the military on a daily basis, some of them are things you wouldn't even think about others hold great importance. The Sensitive Items almost every soldier has would be among the following:Your Common Access Card or more commonly known as the CAC and your Identification Tags/ Dog Tags though the list stretches on for an infinite number of things that could one day be considered your Sensitive Items These items are items that if fallen into the hands of the enemy could cause trouble for american soldiers Though you may think that Sensitive Items are tiny and useless it also could be the difference of a tank working or not.

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This essay will help run you through not only how to properly secure. Sensitive Items, but also in what happens to you if you don't secure it You should never leave your sensitive Items laying out either. To properly understand. How to secure Sensitive Items one must first understand what a sensitive item truly is A Sensitive Item is an item that the army deems as an essential to complete your task.

So for example a 91E Allied Trade specialist may have on his hand receipt a welder or a welders toolbox.

Though the items all have a name the army uses a system to identify the item it is called its NSN The NSN is what the army uses to put the Item on order. The Army does not joke about over Sensitive Items.

Sensitive Items is by far one of the most important things to keep track of in any environment Sensitive Items are a necessity to be kept track of as when you are in the field if someone loses a Night Vision Goggle every single person stops what they are doing to help try and find it The field is cancelled until it is found no matter if it is a holiday a start of leave the army will screw over everyone for one mans incompetence.

The Army also will shut down an entire base if a firearm goesmissing when this happens if you were off base at the time you are not allowed back on base, and if you were on base even a civilian you are not allowed off base. These are just for one small object but that isn't even the craziest one out of all the things that happen at a military base for a missing Sensitive Item The Craziest thing I heard was a staff sergeant was telling a group of us about how aviation units have accountability of every tool, because if a single tool is missing every pane or aircraft is grounded and they do not leave till its found They will because if i don't anybody not let any plane fly if it is still missing as it could cause hazard if the tool is in the engine or something like that A common thing that happens with unsecured Sensitive Items is that that they are essential to your workplace, as for example me im a welder so without my welder I cannot weld anything that needs to be welded That is why I must make sure it is always locked up, because if I were to leave out the welder i would have to take responsibility if any part down to the tip of the welder is missing I also would then have to replace any part that I lost when I need it According to Army Regulation 735-5 we must have exercise reasonable and prudent actions to properly care for, and ensure proper custody, safekeeping, and disposition of the property are provided (AR 735-5) Which to me means that we must make sure our equipment is always managed and taken care of, it also means to me that one must make sure that their Property remains their property by remaining to keep proper security of it Army Regulation 735-5 also states are incurred for separate reasons an Accountability and each type of responsibility carry specific duties Financial liability can be assessed against any person who fails, through negligence or misconduct, to perform those duties and where such failure is the proximate cause of a loss to the Government (see para 13"29c(Army Regulation 735-5) this in my eyes is the government stating that not only does the loss of fall on the responsibility of the person signed for it It can also fall on the unit or the persons superiors This is a big deal when speaking of tools and sensitive items As it proves to be a hassle for the whole unit in the time of someone losing something of importance the leaders above him feel the wrath It also says that people will have to pay for damages or losses of the Sensitive Items Accountability for property carried on a property book will be transferred to a successor per AR 710"2 A joint inventory will be conducted for any property not hand receipted by the PBO The inventory will be conducted within the time frame prescribed in AR 710"2(AR 735-5) This states then when you transfer your equipment will be signed off to another person and all things will be taken accountability before they leave so therefore you must keep track of all your tools as when you leave you must have full accountability. One should never ever under any circumstances leave out any Sensitive Items. . Nonexpendable property requires formal accountability throughout the life of the item. Nonexpendable items will be accounted for at the using unit level using property book procedures in accordance with AR 710"2. Above the user level, accountability will be maintained using stock record accounting procedures in accordance with AR 710"2, as applicable. Other publications that include policy and procedures on accounting for property are AR 700"138, AR 710"1, and AR 725"50.(AR 735-5). The Accountability for Items goes far beyond personal though it all is equally to blame when it disappears from a unit.. If you lose Sensitive Items the government has multiple ways to take back what is owed to them. They will find a way to do so as well. . Voluntary payment limitations. The following persons may pay the actual loss to the Government in cash, check, or payroll deduction, except when a DD Form 200 or an AR 15"6 investigation is mandatory: (1) All Service members and civilian employees of the Active Army or USAR, or members and employees of the ARNG may admit financial liability and offer cash, check, or payroll deduction payment in an amount not to exceed the person's monthly basic pay. This also applies to the payment of an individual's share of collective liability when more than one person has been assessed with financial liability. (AR 735-5) the Government will take pay by either taking it straight from your paycheck for a set amount of time or they will make you go out and buy the Sensitive Items that were lost broken stolen, ect. The Items have different rules for replacement based on whether or not the person in question has enough money to pay it as for example if the part is worth a lot they will make the payments low so the person in question is able to pay it off. The payment can also just be a flat out buy the same tool so for example if you lost a 10 mm socket you would have to go out to a hardware store and buy your own 10 mm socket and bring it in and put it in the toolbox. The Sensitive Items need to be returned to their rightful spot when finished to avoid having to pay. The sensitive items can be secured themselves in a multitude of ways but the most common way is depending on the size and shape along with whether or not it is in a case or the value of what it is. Most of the time for smaller objects they are carefully taken accountability for then put into a secured cage or locker then locked with a lock. For things like army tool boxes you have to simply lock them with a lock and make sure it is completely locked by tugging down on it to ensure it stays locked. For larger objects you have rooms that lock to secure them properly. Stuff like welding equipment the gasses have to be chained up and separated by the gases type as well as making sure they have proper caps and have no leaks. Acetylene can not be within 50 feet of the oxygen when properly secured. If they are closer it is technically is a safety violation. To secure weaponry and sensitive items in the field environment you must firstly always ensure you have all of it on you even if you feel like you will only be gone a minute. You also should never entrust your Sensitive Items in someone else. The Other main thing in the field is making sure you need to always have yours not someone else's because if you at the end of the field have someone else's weapon you will be stuck waiting to turn in your weapon until the other person switches back. Military and civilian employees admit liability and offer cash payment or agree to payroll deduction to settle the charge of financial liability. (2) Contractor admits liability and offers cash payment. (3) If a military member, the charge does not exceed monthly basic pay, or if a civilian, does not exceed 1/12th an annual salary. Contractors admitting liability will pay for the entire loss or damage, no matter the amount. (AR 735-5) this states that at a certain point the loss no longer falls on the soldier but it will sometimes fall on the unit itself. During these cases the lost or damage must be more significant than the soldier can pay as in a 1/12 of his annual salaries per month. In which he/she must fill out a form to get what is fair to them. This also states that the soldier is reliable for his tools and sensitive items for if he is able to pay he will. The main thing is that liability in the end ends up at a unit level which is passed down from leader down to his subordinate all the way down to the soldier level. This being said the soldiers must pay back their leader who then passes it up the chain all the way to unit level for liability. This is why it is so important to keep track of your stuff and not lose it.In conclusion the Sensitive Items are essential to the military function they are things that can cause great harm to the unit but harm to the whole nation as some of them would give access to military bases and other installations. It can cause the government tons of money if a single thing goes missing and it can also make it hard to budget as they have to take out money of what its supposed to go to order the parts and Sensitive Items that they have to replace. Another thing that people have to watch out for is if they lose it they could get stuck having to pay the price back even after they have refound the part as it is still ordered. The Government has multiple ways of making a person m=pay some more severe and some less punishing. For instance, if a soldier loses his Night Vision Goggles he has to keep the whole unit out until they are found. They also are a huge issue as during that time the enemy has advantage as that soldier loses his superiority during the night resulting in a better chance in the enemy succeeding in a night attack. This being said it also could be the same for a weapon, because a soldier without his weapon is not a soldier. The other major thing are things like leaving tools out it will bite you and your paycheck fairly well. It's almost a sure thing that any tool left out will be taken before you see it again. NAnother thing is the army will make you do is take a said amount per paycheck for an amount of time. This is by far one of the most important things in the army and I believe I have learned a great deal about the importance of Sensitive Items during this time. I have learned about a lot of the punishment that can happen when you fail to do simple tasks as locking a tool box and realize it is a lot greater of a deal then it is put out to be. I will strive to be on top of it for here on out as I realize the importance