Secret Classification levels?

What are the varying levels of classified/secret? And in what order? I only know of Classified, Highly Classified, Top Secret, (UMBRA?), and catergorical classification

The book this site is named after by Timothy Good (plus the follow up Beyond Top Secret) has all the MOD security levels in one of the chapters,I have both books somewere and will have a look

While researching the UKs past Chemical and Biological warfare programme, I have found many documents marked TOP SECRET GUARD.

It is a classification peculiar to the UK/US relationship. It means that nothing contained in the document is to be discussed with the US Government or their representatives. Even the existance of the document is to be kept secret.
It is not found on scientific reports, but is found on policy documents.

No doubt the US had a reciprical security classification concerning UK access to US documents. They had a classification NOFORN, but that was a broad sweeping "not to be shown to any foreign Governments or representatives" classification.


zero lift

full list of classifications

This might help

here is the list from another thread: List of security clearances


-Position of Public Trust
-Confidential
-DOE-L
-DOE-Q
-DOJ-NACI
-DOJ-Secret
-IRS-MBI
-NATO
-NATO-Secret
-Secret
-Top Secret
-Top Secret-SBI-TS/SBI
-Top Secret-CISP-TS/CISP
-Top Secret-ISSA-TS/ISSA
-Top Secret-SAP-TS/SAP
-Top Secret-SCI-CI polygraph-TS/SCI/CI Poly
-Top Secret-SCI-Full/Scope Lifestyle-TS/SCI Lifestyle Poly
-Top Secret-SCI-TS/SCI
-Top Secret-SSBI-TS/SSBI
-Yankee White
-Technology



Also a full list of clearances:
1C or 2C - Federal
3C or 4C - Federal
5C or 6C - Federal
ADP 1
ADP 2
CIA Lifestyle Polygraph
COMSEC
CONFIDENTIAL
Cosmic Top Secret - ATOMAL/CTSA
DEA Clearance
DISA
DISCO
DOD
DOD Lifestyle Polygraph
DOD Secret
DOD - Top Secret SSBI
DOE - Nuclear
DOE - C
DOE - L
DOE - Q
DOJ � NACI
DOJ - Sensitive
DOJ - Secret
DOJ - Top Secret
EBI - Extended Background Investigation
FAA Clearance
FBI
Foreign Government Information
Industrial Clearance
Inactive Clearance
Inactive Top Secret Crypto
Interim Secret
Interim Top Secret
Interim TS / SCI
IRS - MBI
ISSA / CISSP
MBI (IRS)
NAC
NASA
NATO
NATO Secret
NSA Lifestyle Polygraph
Position of Public Trust 1C
Position of Public Trust 2C
Position of Public Trust 3C
Position of Public Trust 4C
Position of Public Trust 5C
Position of Public Trust 6C
Polygraph - Counterintelligence
Polygraph - Full Scope / Lifestyle
SAR
S - Secret
Secret COMSEC
Secret SBI
SIDA - Secured Identification Defense Area
SAP - Special Access Programs
SBI - Special Background Investigation
SCI - Special Compartmented Intelligence
SSBI - Single Scope Background Inv.
Technology
TS - Top Secret
Top Secret-Crypto
Top Secret-Crypto SCI / TK / G / HCS-P
Top Secret-Final / Crypto / Polygraph
Top Secret-SCI / SBI
Top Secret-SCI / HSC
Top Secret-SCI / SI / TK
Top Secret-SCI / SI / TK / G / B
Top Secret-SCI / SI / TK / G / HCS
Top Secret-SCI / SIOP
Top Secret-SCI / SSBI
Top Secret-SBI-TS/SBI
Top Secret-CISP-TS/CISP
Top Secret-ISSA-TS/ISSA
Top Secret-SAP-TS/SAP
Top Secret-SCI-CI polygraph-TS/SCI/CI Poly
Top Secret-SCI-Full/Scope Lifestyle-TS/SCI Lifestyle Poly
Top Secret-SCI-TS/SCI
Top Secret-SSBI-TS/SSBI
Top Secret-SCI /SSBI / SI / TK
Top Secret-SCI / TK / G / HCS / CI Poly
Top Secret-SCI / TK / G / Lifestyle Poly
Top Secret-SCI / SSBI / CI Poly
Top Secret-SI / TK / B / +
Top Secret-SSBI / CI Poly
Top Secret-SSBI / SCI / TK / G / HCS
Top Secret-SSBI / Lifestyle Poly
Top Secret-SSBI / SCI
Top Secret-SSBI / SCI/ SI / TK / G
Top Secret-SSBI / SCI / SI / TK / G / B / HCS
Top Secret-SSBI / SCI / TK / HCS
Top Secret-SSBI / SCI-B
Top Secret-EBI
Top Secret-SCI - SI / TK / G / HCS / I / P
Top Secret-CISP - TS / CISP
Top Secret-ISSA - TS / ISSA
Top Secret-SAP - TS / SAP
Top Secret-SCI - CI Poly - TS / SCI / CI Poly
Top Secret-SCI - Full / Scope Lifestyle - TS / SCI Lifestyle
Top Secret-SCI - TS / SCI
Top Secret-SSBI - SCI / TK / B / HCS / CI - Poly
Top Secret-SSBI - TS / SSBI
US Citizen
US Customs
US Treasury Clearance
USPS
VR
Yankee Fire
Yankee White

Top Secret UMBRA is an Army Security Agency (ASA) communications intercept classification used in the 1970's in conjunction with the NSA (who they worked for). Did the Chinese ever try to shoot down an SR-71? TS UMBRA. "In God We Trust, All Others We Monitor."

I appologize if this question was answered in another more recent thread.
Has anybody considered a simple truth of intelligence secrecy ratings...
someONE has to assigned data a classification rating, so wouldn't that ONE
have the ultimate/unlimited or no rating level??

Originally posted by RedDogJT
I appologize if this question was answered in another more recent thread.
Has anybody considered a simple truth of intelligence secrecy ratings...
someONE has to assigned data a classification rating, so wouldn't that ONE
have the ultimate/unlimited or no rating level??

Nope, thats not at all how the classifications work.

And with that above list, it really isnt a list of classification "levels" as in from bottom to top, top to bottom kind of thing. Many of those listed above ARE in fact real, but many of them are roughly equivalent to each other, such as many of the various DOE clearance / classifications. And one plain old Top Secret clearance is not necessarily the same as another plan old Top Secret clearance - two people with an identical level of clearance will not necessarily be able to access the exact same information because that access often depends on having a need to know in your position which requires the clearance.

I must maintain a DOD-issued TS with an active SSBI for my employment. What does this mean? I get to look at what is needed for my job, it means nothing special at all (unless you get a kick out of knowing that they are having to re-investigate you every 5 years).

reply to post by flyswatter


is the reason for classification pretty much,,,, stuff with business and not wanting plans and patents and ideas getting out,,,,, and stuff of national security passwords and stuff,.,..,.,,. other wise ,,,,,, why would the government keep any secrets from the public,, given the government in a democracy is the public?

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by flyswatter

 

is the reason for classification pretty much,,,, stuff with business and not wanting plans and patents and ideas getting out,,,,, and stuff of national security passwords and stuff,.,..,.,,. other wise ,,,,,, why would the government keep any secrets from the public,, given the government in a democracy is the public?

Anything that has a classification level assigned to it has it for a reason, and the reason can be different for each and every one of those things. Seriously, would you want plans for a high-efficiency centrifuge to be open and available to the public, when that might be all that the next wacko needs to enrich the uranium that he has?

As far as WHY things are classified, a lot of it is common sense, like I demonstrated above. Beyond that, you're really pointing more towards a discussion of politics rather than classification levels.

reply to post by flyswatter


got it.,.,.,.,,. yea i get it,..,.,.,.,., im just a little bummed that so much of the publics tax money goes into creating crazier and crazier weapons of mass destruction,,,, then coming up with more productive and necessary innovations to spend the money on....

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by flyswatter

 

got it.,.,.,.,,. yea i get it,..,.,.,.,., im just a little bummed that so much of the publics tax money goes into creating crazier and crazier weapons of mass destruction,,,, then coming up with more productive and necessary innovations to spend the money on....

I understand, and I dont blame you at all for feeling that way. But do understand that throwing more and more money at something will not necessarily create it faster or fix it faster. Yes, we could throw our money out there in more effective ways, but there also does come a point where more money simply doesnt do the trick.

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by flyswatter

 

is the reason for classification pretty much,,,, stuff with business and not wanting plans and patents and ideas getting out,,,,, and stuff of national security passwords and stuff,.,..,.,,. other wise ,,,,,, why would the government keep any secrets from the public,, given the government in a democracy is the public?

But the United States is not a democracy. It is a constitutional republic. The people, acting through their elected Representatives and Senators, could certainly try to legislatively repeal EO 13526 and declassify everything under the sun. But the Supreme Court would probably overturn the law and support the Order on a separation of powers basis.

As for the reasons for classification, they are in section 1.4 of EO 13526.

Nope after a while of throwing money at something to fix it, you run into the popular wall of not having anyone capable enough of fixing it, since they were all focused on making that money in the 1st place. get it? lol

Through the act of throwing money at people to fix things, you create people to find everlasting problems to ensure money keeps being thrown.

I.E. you never have finish products, just thousands of non-finished endeavors.

Originally posted by flyswatter

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by flyswatter

 

got it.,.,.,.,,. yea i get it,..,.,.,.,., im just a little bummed that so much of the publics tax money goes into creating crazier and crazier weapons of mass destruction,,,, then coming up with more productive and necessary innovations to spend the money on....

I understand, and I dont blame you at all for feeling that way. But do understand that throwing more and more money at something will not necessarily create it faster or fix it faster. Yes, we could throw our money out there in more effective ways, but there also does come a point where more money simply doesnt do the trick.

ok thats what im saying,..,.. more money towards military expeditions and innovative ways of destroying larger areas faster,,, more time and money towards that stuff,,,, rather then spending tax dollars on government industries to innovate productive and useful technology for the population.,.,, more money thrown at those kinds of things is all there is and have been in regards to human progression,.,., we have the benefit of having a large country with a lot of tax dollars,,, its already being wasted and deficiting,,,,, i guess what im saying is if we are willing to pool multiple billions of dollars a year making all of those weapons,,, we shouldnt,, and spend that money on government sponsored energy research/ next level civilian technology...

Originally posted by ImaFungi

Originally posted by flyswatter

Originally posted by ImaFungi
reply to post by flyswatter

 

got it.,.,.,.,,. yea i get it,..,.,.,.,., im just a little bummed that so much of the publics tax money goes into creating crazier and crazier weapons of mass destruction,,,, then coming up with more productive and necessary innovations to spend the money on....

I understand, and I dont blame you at all for feeling that way. But do understand that throwing more and more money at something will not necessarily create it faster or fix it faster. Yes, we could throw our money out there in more effective ways, but there also does come a point where more money simply doesnt do the trick.

ok thats what im saying,..,.. more money towards military expeditions and innovative ways of destroying larger areas faster,,, more time and money towards that stuff,,,, rather then spending tax dollars on government industries to innovate productive and useful technology for the population.,.,, more money thrown at those kinds of things is all there is and have been in regards to human progression,.,., we have the benefit of having a large country with a lot of tax dollars,,, its already being wasted and deficiting,,,,, i guess what im saying is if we are willing to pool multiple billions of dollars a year making all of those weapons,,, we shouldnt,, and spend that money on government sponsored energy research/ next level civilian technology...

I agree, we could appropriate our money in better ways. But that is a different discussion for a different time. Feel free to start a thread if you'd like to bring it up, I'm sure there will be a lot of takers on that discussion.

reply to post by chrisnolefan


Does anyone know what all the alphabet designations stand for next to each?

reply to post by flyswatter


theres not much to discuss and theres not much we could do....... its quite obvious the priorities of power and control structures do not have the general world populations best interest,..,.,,.,.,. I think the words modern, civil and intelligent are contradictory towards the action taken by contemporary government structures,,, thats a bout it,,,, things are not perfect,,, thats recognizable,,,, i recognize they could be,,,, so it hurts,,,, we could talk about what could and should be ad infinitum and not a thing would change, except perhaps our mood and level of frustration,

Your assurances that someONE does not set the level of security for specific intelligence data is not really and answer.
Actionable intelligence streams in from many sources, so it must be "classified" by reviewing it...
Is it done in a black box? Computer? roll of the dice? or someONE cleared to review all this data?
It is not called the Central Intelligence Agency for no good reason. Just asking an obvious question.