“It’s CLASSIFIED” is a familiar phrase that gets dropped frequently in our favorite films and TV shows. But for all that popular use, “classification” is a concept that remains only vaguely defined in the public imagination.
Beneath the superficial surface vibes of those two words lies a bewilderingly complex system of rules and requirements, accumulated over many decades, meant to secure and safeguard America’s most vital secrets. It’s also a system that a little less than a year ago, I found myself responsible for overseeing.
One of my goals since taking the reins here at ISOO, has been to make the classification system for national security information easier to understand by those not steeped in its history and lore, even as there is wide recognition within and without government of the need for modernization and reform.
Because “It’s Classified” isn’t just a concept that resides in fiction.
It is, I believe, a pillar of our public institutions — providing the essential infrastructure to protect all that we must in the interest of our national security, and to ensure the regular release of once-protected information in the interest of access and accountability.
Both of these dynamics, the safeguarding and the sharing — are essential functions for securing our democracy and each must be served well by the underlying system that governs our most sensitive information.
I’m grateful for any chance that I get to bring these topics to light (or perhaps to bring light to these topics) in conversation with others and I want to thank Lindy Kyzer for the opportunity to do so at the recent ClearanceJobs Connect event.
It was a pleasure to participate.
MDT