Quote:
Originally Posted by swansont
SCI = sensitive compartmented information
The facility to view/discuss such information is a SCIF
|
That's right. To help explain further...
The
classification of information tells you what effect unauthorised disclosure may have. In general, most information (signals, documents, etc) has a classification ranging from UNCLAS / FOUO to TS.
Some information, however, may be particularly sensitive. It might have to do with satellite surveillance, SIGINT, HUMINT, or nuclear weapons technology, etc. Because of the sensitivity of that information, it is not to be widely distributed or available. It's availablity is limited to those people who have a "need to know'.
To limit its availability, a codeword or caveat is associated with it. Let's take the fictional example given by the author Tom Clancy in his book CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN.
The US has a highly placed spy within the government of the USSR. The overall programme (excuse my adherance to Australian spelling) has the codeword of CARDINAL.
If you are briefed into the CARDINAL programme (known as a Special Access programme - SAP), you understand that the information comes from a highly placed source within the USSR government. No other details are given - just a "highly placed source".
Although you have a TS clearance, you might only be cleared up to CONFIDENTIAL level of CARDINAL material.
How is this done?
Each classification is given a specific codeword / caveat (otherwise known as Special Compartmentalised Information - SCI).
Some information might be classified CONFIDENTIAL - BISHOP. This tells you that it is from the CARDINAL programme, but has been 'sanitised' to a degree which means if it is released without proper authorisation, the damage is limited (most likely that the source will not be compromised). So you know the information comes from a high level source, and is probably reliable.
Higher level information, perhaps called SECRET - VICAR, reveals more about where the information came from. That information might tell you that it had to have been overheard from a Defence Council meeting - though you don't know if that was from a listening device or a person at the meeting, etc. The use of a CARDINAL programme codeword tells you that it was
probably from a person at that meeting.
Even higher information might be classified TOP SECRET - POPE. This information might have only been available from discussions within the Politburo, and so reveals more about how it was obtained. Unauthorised disclosure of this information might seriously endanger the "highly placed source", so it is protected to a far greater degree. It identifiies who might have released that information.
So you might have a TS clearance, and have been indoctrinated into the CARDINAL programme but only limited to the CONFIDENTIAL - BISHOP level. Your TS clearance does NOT mean you see TS-POPE material because you are not indoctrinated for it. It means that anyoneone with a TS clearance, likewise, does not see it. This ensures that you only see what you need to see to do your job effectively.