Which of the following are known as the three laws of OPSEC? Each correct answer represents a part of the solution. Choose three.

The first law of OPSEC states that failure to actively protect critical and sensitive information concedes the advantage to the adversary, establishing protection as a non-negotiable operational imperative. This law defines the ultimate consequence of OPSEC failure and provides the overarching justification for the entire discipline.

The second law establishes that threat identification is a prerequisite for effective OPSEC - without knowing what the adversary seeks, defenders cannot properly prioritize or direct their protection efforts. Understanding the threat shapes every subsequent OPSEC decision and determines which information requires the most rigorous safeguards.

The third law requires a clear definition of what constitutes critical information, because without knowing what needs protection it is impossible to verify whether protection measures are actually being applied. This law drives the critical information identification process that is the foundation of any OPSEC program.

Awareness of security resources is a general network defense principle and is not one of the three formal laws of OPSEC, which focus on critical information identification, threat awareness, and active protection rather than resource inventory.