List of security clearances

and BTW...
remember a personnel security clearance is different from the classification of an item, operation, etc.

hence the plethora of No Foreign (NOFORN), means & methods, etc, etc...

Is there really a Super Secret?

Honestly, I can't tell you for sure that there is. My Grandfather told me that he worked on some Naval thing, and some people he knew had a clearance called "Super Secret". But this would've been...uhm..at least 50-55 years ago, so maybe it's changed since then?

Originally posted by question_reality
theres another that was missed...PSD, presidential security detail. its mostly just a background check saying you wont go nuts standing next to the president and kill him. or at least theres nothing in your history or evals that says you have the likelyhood of doing so. It may be technically classified as something else, but when i applied for mine, thats what it was called.

That is not a clearance, like say a TS. *Edit - Looks like we already covered that.


[edit on 23-1-2005 by Ground Rat]

I just came across this UK/US Security Classification Equivalency list as used by the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UK - USA Classification Equivalency Table

UK Classification = USA Classification
UK In-Confidence OUO or Private
U U
Non-Atomic Classifications:
UK Restricted Confidential NSI
UK Confidential Confidential NSI
UK Secret/Top Secret Secret/Top Secret NSI
Atomic Classifications:
UK Confidential Atomic Confidential RD/FRD
UK Secret Atomic Secret RD/FRD
UK Top Secret Atomic Top Secret RD/FRD
UK Secret Conifer Secret RD/FRD
UK Secret Atomic Artificer Secret RD/FRD
UK Secret Atomic Conifer Artificer Secret RD/FRD
UK Secret Atomic Principal Secret RD/FRD Sigma 1 & 2 or CNWDI
UK Secret Atomic Principal Artificer Secret RD/FRD Sigma 1 & 2 or CNWDI
UK Top Secret Atomic Top Secret RD/FRD
UK Top Secret Atomic Artificer Top Secret RD/FRD
UK Top Secret Atomic Conifer Artificer Top Secret RD/FRD
UK Top Secret Atomic Principal Top Secret RD/FRD Sigma 1 & 2 or CNWDI
UK Top Secret Atomic Principal Artificer Top Secret RD/FRD Sigma 1 & 2 CNWDI

CA CRD
SA (Atomic) SRD
SA-TSA Secret Top Secret RD
CTSA (Cosmic Top Secret Atomal) DOE Q (SRD) or DoD TS/CNWDI
UTAH DEFINITION is UK Confidential
UCSG Use Control Subgroup
THEOREM Info & Hardware is Secret Atomic Code Word definition is UK Confidential



Definitions
UK Top Secret - Information and material the unauthorized disclosure of which would cause EXCEPTIONALLY GRAVE DAMAGE to the nation (UK).

UK Secret - Information and material the unauthorized disclosure of which would cause SERIOUS DAMAGE to the interests of the nation (UK).

UK Confidential - Information and material the unauthorized disclosure of which would be PREJUDICIAL to the interests of the nation (UK).

UK Restricted - Information and material the unauthorized disclosure of which would be UNDESIRABLE in the interests of the nation (UK)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Supplementary Categories of Classified Information
Atomic

Atomic information is information classified Confidential or above, which reveals either directly or indirectly information about:
The design and fabrication of nuclear warhead.
Certain features of the design and fabrication of inertial confinement fusion, including laser fusion systems.
The costs and production rate of stockpile or nuclear warheads.
Certain features concerning the production, handling and stockpile of fissile, fusionable and special materials used in nuclear weapons.
Certain features of the design of naval nuclear propulsion plants.
The production rate of naval nuclear propulsion plants.
Certain other topics and categories of nuclear information as defined in the joint US/UK Nuclear Weapons Classification Guide and in other guides issued by the Ministry of Defense and the Tripartite Declassification Guide and Classification Working Party guides issued by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Atomic Conifer
Atomic Conifer is UK Secret or UK Top Secret information concerning details (quantities) of fissile, fusionable or special materials and certain general information on design of warheads.

Atomic Principal
Atomic Principal is UK Secret or UK Top Secret information the theory of operation and the internal design of a nuclear warhead and its unique components.(Equivalent to US Weapon Data Information.)

Atomic Artificer
Atomic Artificer is UK Secret or UK Top Secret information concerning hardness of Polaris/Trident systems.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration
of the US Department of Energy. Copyright © 2004 UC

badge.lanl.gov...


zero lift

www.dstl.gov.uk...

Format Standards for Scientific and Technical Reports Prepared for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence

Good find, GodAtum.

I managed to obtain a April 2000 DERA doc via the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, and the presentation compares very well with the information contained on this DERA/Dstl guidance.

Nice one.


zero lift

There's alot of errata and misunderstanding contained in this thread.
I started to compile it all but have run out of time!

You've done a pretty good job IMHO, but I just wanted to correct a couple of errors.

For starters:

- There are only three US classification levels: CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, TOP SECRET (NATO has an extra one, RESTRICTED, which is below CONFIDENTIAL)

You left out two classifications: UNCLASSIFIED (U) and FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO) - FOUO equates to UK RESTRICTED. While a person doesn't get cleared for U and FOUO, they are still valid classification levels and information will receive this classification if it doesn't warrant the protection of a TS, S or C marking.

- Some of these terms - Umbra, for example - are obsolete, and were never actual clearances anyway

That's incorrect. Let's set a few things straight here: TS, S, C, FOUO and U are classification levels - they alone are the basic building blocks of security clearances. Codewords (eg Umbra) reflect compartmented clearance / access, and you cannot possess access to a compartment / codeword without first possessing clearance to access a particular classification. Caveats typically can refer to a number of things including handling / dissemination instructions (eg NOFORN - No Foreign National releasibility), source/reliability indicators (FGI - Foreign Government Information) and so on. A clearance can incorporate both classification levels and codewords but not caveats - so you can be cleared TS as well as be cleared TS/SCI or S/SCI, but you're not "cleared" for, say, TS/SCI/FGI. If you're only cleared S/SCI and not TS/SCI, you are technically cleared to view SCI information but only SCI information classified up to SECRET. The SCI codeword UMBRA protects TS/SCI information, so an SCI clearance alone means nothing - you'd also require a TS clearance vice a Secret clearance, and a valid need-to-know to view information protected by the UMBRA codeword.

In other words, your "clearance" would incorporate a maximum classification level (say to TS) and any required compartmented access, but you wouldn't be "cleared" for a caveat per se - if a document was marked TS/SCI UK/US EYES ONLY, any UK or US citizen with an appropriate clearance for TS/SCI information, possessing a valid NTK, could view it. If it was marked with the NOFORN caveat instead of UK/US EYES ONLY, then it would only be releasable to US personnel with the appropriate clearance and NTK. The only "requirement" to have access to material with the caveats in the above instance is nationality.

Not to pick nits, but:

quote: COMSEC- Cryptological clearanace for working with codes

This isn't a clearance, it's an acronym for Communications Security (does relate to crypto, though...)

Re: COMSEC - yes, it's both a description and an access...my point (poorly made!) was that it's not a clearance. Clearance and access are two separate things. You can have a clearance but no access, but you can't have access without a clearance.

COMSEC is an actual clearance, in addition to being an acronym. You've hit the nail on the head regarding clearance and access, but clearance for the COMSEC compartment has to be granted for an individual to access cryptographic (codes, ciphers, keylists etc) material.

On the whole though, you did a pretty good job.

There are a few other posts I'd like to address as well:

The US has several levels of releasability to other nationals - the most common are NOFORN, Releasable to Canada/Great Britian, and Releasable to NATO. This in general only applies to Secret, Top Secret is almost never releasable to other countries.

That last sentence is way off base. TS material is shared with non-US nationals on a regular basis, so long as it hasn't been marked with a NOFORN or similarly restrictive caveat. This holds true for various compartmented information as well. A wealth of TS material is exchanged with the UK, Canada and Australia (to name a few) daily.


Someone addressed US/NATO classifications & codewords before, I think...here are a few codewords and their classification level assignments:

Cosmic Top Secret Bohemia
Top Secret Atomal
Secret Avicula
Secret Balk
Secret Savate

In regards to your 'What about Rhyolite Clearance' I am writing to inform you that such clearance does not exist, nor has it ever. This idea was conjured up by Phil Schneider with Al Bielek. Whilst Phil DID work for the US government, Al Bielek has been debunked as a sad individual who was in it with Preston Nichols to make a bit of money. Preston is a known Peadophile and Al is nothing more than a compulsive lier.

Are you saying that a "Rhyolite clearance" never existed, or that "Rhyolite" as a whole didn't exist? If the latter then you're definately wrong - it was the project name for the first generation of space surveillance satellites. Whether the security compartment for the program was called "Rhyolite" or something else I don't know.

You forgot ULTRA, MAGICK, and ULTRA-MAGICK...

ULTRA and MAGIC are now-defunct SIGINT codewords from WWII. ULTRA was assigned to the successful exploitation of traffic encoded by the German Enigma, whereas MAGIC referred to success against Japanese codes such as PURPLE, RED, TSU and others.

As Starchild mentioned before, there are a lot of disestablished codewords and compartments...it would take a very long time to compile a list of such.

Yes I understand it better, but not fully. What does SCI, TK, G, HCS-P, and other such letter actualy stand for. They must be an abriviation for some word.

SCI has already been covered - some of the others mentioned are:

TK = Talent Keyhole
B = Byeman
G = Gamma
HCS-P = Humint Control System - Product

Starchild's list is good but by no means is it an all-encompassing list for "set" clearances.

Anyway I think that's enough out of me for now...I hope this clears up a few things.

Originally posted by ilovepizza
What computer program would be so secret that only 3 people can access it in the world? I know you were just using it as an example but would something really be that secret that only 3 people could access it?

It's believable due to the Compartments that the government is broken up in to, however, what if those three individuals were killed. Either on purpose, or by accident, such as a car crash involving all three in the same vehicle. The stakes are too high.

Here's a classification that's new to me. SECRET UK EYES B

I've been researching the UK BW programme for a long time and this is the first BW document I've found with this security classification.

Has anyone else heard of UK EYES B?




Sorry about the picture size, it won't reduce for some reason.


zero lift

UK EYES B means that the information is releasable only to the following personnel:

1. UK citizens, and

2. Foreign integrees (exchange personnel) possessing a valid need-to-know in order to fulfill the duties of the position that they are filling.


As opposed to UK EYES A, which is releasable to UK citizens only - period. These two caveats are also referred to as UK EYES "ALPHA" and "BRAVO".

Thanks Anon, that explanation makes perfect sense when compared with the contents of the document.

The doc discusses a possible collaboration with the US re the mid-1970s development of a BW detection system. Amongst those likely to see the discussion paper would have been US exchange staff seconded to MRE Porton Down.


zero lift

I know of one US Army clearance not mentioned here yet as I have seen. I was rated ENTNAC on my first clearance at Fort Knox Ky in 1975. Then when I mentioned this clearance to some people at Fort Lewis Washington in 1979 they all took 5 steps back. I have been granted a Q clearance in college as a Engineering student graduate since 1975. I know some of you ex military people on this thread know exactly what a ENTNAC clearance is.

Get The NAC

Originally posted by Scroll_Lock
I know some of you ex military people on this thread know exactly what a ENTNAC clearance is.

I got one as part of my background check for a SECRET level clearance when I enlisted. Everyone in my program was subject to an ENTNAC check.

Among other things, I had to write down all my parking tickets. *ahem*

Your "Q" clearance is a much bigger deal.

EXTRACT FROM LANG REG 380-67
3-2. ENTRANCE NATIONAL AGENCY CHECK (ENTNAC).

a. DEFINITION: An ENTNAC is a personnel security investigation conducted in the same manner as a NAC, except that a technical fingerprint search of the FBI files is not conducted. The period covered includes the last five years for items 4-Residences, and 6-Employment, and all other items without regard to time.

b. PURPOSE: An ENTNAC is conducted on each enlisted member of the Armed Forces at the time of initial entry into the service. An ENTNAC may serve as the investigative basis for granting an enlisted service member (SM) a final SECRET clearance.

c. COMPLETED FORMS REQUIRED:

(1) SF 86 - 1 signed original, EPSQ generated

(2) DD 2280 - 2 originals

3-3. NATIONAL AGENCY CHECK (NAC).

a. DEFINITION: A NAC is a personnel security investigation consisting of a records review of certain national agencies including a technical fingerprint search of FBI files. The period covered includes the last five years for items 4-Residences, and 6-Employment, and all other items without regard to time.

b. PURPOSE: A NAC is required for certain DoD personnel prior to appointment/ retention in positions of trust and responsibility. A NAC may serve as the investigative basis for a final SECRET security clearance.

The document excerpted above is not classified.

I am glad some one on this list is payind attention. btw majic your are quite correct the Q clearance is a very big deal. Also there is more to add to the Q clearance bisides just a Q. I won't bore anybody with the mudane to go beyound this except to say one has to be involved with energy development and more to do with this Q clearance which I do have the Training and experience to go with it. Also does anyone know what Triple Sec means. Well they recently raised this to Quadra Sec and it has to do data that is enclosed in faraday cage and not transmitted outside of the faraday cage by any means..

Staying Clear

Originally posted by Scroll_Lock
Well they recently raised this to Quadra Sec and it has to do data that is enclosed in faraday cage and not transmitted outside of the faraday cage by any means..

My rule of thumb for how "serious" a clearance is: if it doesn't involve people with badges talking to everyone you've ever met; phone, Internet and certain other forms of monitoring; multiple polygraphs administered by guys with Ph.D.s and about two years of waiting and wondering, it ain't diddly.

Bear in mind that monitoring of people with sensitive clearances doesn't necessarily end once the clearance is granted.

In fact, well, never mind.

Now that you metion it Majic you are quite right once again. However I hate it when Naval Intelligence shows up interupting my class addressing me as professor and wanting to know if so and so would be OK for some Classified Naval Position. Just about on every occassion I end up asking them to find if so and so can swim. Have a good day

So what would this fall under?

SCI (DCID 1/14 eligible)

Also, SCI stands for sensitive compartmented information, not special.

Originally posted by conflation

Originally posted by winker
Missed this one! (Rhyolite Security Clearance!) Keyword Search

I'm not sure that there is such a thing as a Rhyolite Security clearance. However, there was some discussion of the Rhyolite program in the book "The Falcon and the Snowman." Essentially, they were satellites for spying. The US sort of cooperated with the Aussie government on this so that they could use the Alice Springs location, but it turned out that the US still witheld some information from the Aussies.

The actual clearance level is Top Secret/SCI. Rhyolite is the Access code. Rhyolite still exists today. It it the NSA's general Code Word for SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) Sattelites. There are two Major cover porjects for Spy Sattelites: Rhyolite (SIGINT), and Keyhole (Image Intelligence).

Tim

Originally posted by StarChild
The clearance itself does not reveal any specific information, only the fact that the person has that level of clearance. I could tell you right now that I have a Top Secret-SSBI / SCI / SI / TK / G / B / HCS Clearance, however, you have no idea what I do for a living, right?

Mr. M

If you told me you had that, I'd laugh at you. SCI will have at least a single scope.

Originally posted by StarChild
As far as what the abbreviations stand for, I can tell you a few.

SSBI = Single Scope Background Investigation
SCI = Special Compartmented Information
CI = Compartmented Information
SBI = Special Background Investigation

Mr. M

You didn't mention TK = Talent Keyhole, access to "imagry". I also didn't read whether or not you mentioned that even the CLEARANCE NAME is classified (in the case of TK). However TK was declassified a while ago; once a codename is declass, it can no longer be used. There are instances where particular people who are SCI are read into one SCIF as a generality, and have full access to everything contained there-in, not needing to be read into everything. This is the case with TK, which is officially no longer used.