Vietnam In 1966, United States
Admiral Ulysses Sharp established a multidisciplinary security team to investigate the failure of certain combat operations during the
Vietnam War. This operation was dubbed Operation Purple Dragon, and included personnel from the
National Security Agency and the
Department of Defense. When the operation concluded, the Purple Dragon team codified their recommendations. They called the process "Operations Security" in order to distinguish the process from existing processes and ensure continued inter-agency support.
NSDD 298 In 1988, President
Ronald Reagan signed National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 298. This document established the National Operations Security Program and named the Director of the National Security Agency as the executive agent for inter-agency OPSEC support. This document also established the Interagency OPSEC Support Staff (IOSS). == Private-sector application ==