In the early days of the Vietnam War, the U.S. lost an alarming number of pilots and aircrafts. To reverse that trend, a team was assigned to analyze U.S. military operations. The team, "Purple Dragon", discovered that crucial planning information was being disclosed through routine patterns of behavior. Countermeasures were quickly initiated.

Purple Dragon’s analytic process, called OPerations SECurity or OPSEC, was used by the military for the next 20 years. In 1988, President Regan formalized its use throughout the Government and created the Interagency OPSEC Support Staff (IOSS) to provide training and guidance to the national security community.

The IOSS provides tailored training, assists in program development, produces multimedia products and presents conferences for the defense, security, intelligence, research and development, acquisition and public safety communities. Its mission is to help Government organizations develop their own, self-sufficient OPSEC programs in order to protect U.S. programs and activities.