toodling around the internet and I've seen some talk about security clearances/codewords/access....mostly on sites that deal with former 'employees' dealing with secretive operations and functions...
As some of you know or not, I used to have a pretty high clearance with my former work in the Army Special Intelligence Communications field.
I found this on wiki: and thought it was pretty close to the actual thing that I dealt with..
Of course a lot has changed in the world of Intel since I was in most of this is common knowledge but I thought it interesting.
Access
Eligibility for access to SCI is determined by a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) or periodic reinvestigation.[4] Because the same investigation is used to grant Top Secret security clearances, the two are often written together as TS/SCI. Eligibility alone does not confer access to any specific SCI material - it is simply a qualification. One must receive explicit permission to access an SCI control system or compartment. This process may include a polygraph or other approved investigative or adjudicative action.[5]
Once it is determined a person should have access to a SCI compartment, they sign a nondisclosure agreement, are "read in" or indoctrinated, and the fact of this access is recorded in a local access register or in a computer database. Upon termination from a particular compartment, the employee again signs the nondisclosure agreement.
Control systems[edit]
SCI is divided into control systems, which are further subdivided into compartments and sub-compartments. These systems and compartments are usually identified by a classified codeword. Several such codewords have been declassified. The following SCI control systems, with their abbreviations and compartments, are known:
Special Intelligence (SI)Special Intelligence (so in the CAPCO manual, but always SI in document markings) is the control system covering communications intelligence. Special Intelligence is a term for communications intercepts.[6] The previous title for this control system was COMINT, but this was deprecated in 2011.[7]SI has several compartments, of which the following are known or declassified: Very Restricted Knowledge (VRK)
Exceptionally Controlled Information (ECI), which was used to group compartments for highly sensitive information, but was deprecated as of 2011.[8]
GAMMA (G), which has subcompartments identified by four alphanumeric characters.[9]
Several now-retired codewords protected SI compartments based on their sensitivity, generally referred to as Top Secret Codeword (TSC) and Secret Codeword (SC).[10] These codewords were: UMBRA for the most sensitive material
SPOKE for less sensitive material
MORAY for the least sensitive SI that required codeword protection.[11]
These codewords were attached directly to the classification without reference to COMINT or SI, e.g. Top Secret UMBRA.STELLARWIND (STLW)This codeword was revealed on June 27, 2013, when The Guardian published a draft report from the NSA Inspector General about the electronic surveillance program STELLARWIND. This program was started by President George W. Bush shortly after the 9/11 attacks. For information about this program, a new security compartment was created which was given STELLARWIND as its permanent cover term on October 31, 2001.[12]ENDSEAL (EL)This control system was revealed in the 2013 Classification Manual. ENDSEAL information must always be classified as Special Intelligence (SI), so probably it is related to SIGINT or ELINT.[13]TALENT KEYHOLE (TK)TK covers space-based IMINT (Imagery intelligence), SIGINT (Signals intelligence), and MASINT (Measurement and signature intelligence) collection platforms; related processing and analysis techniques; and research, design, and operation of these platforms (but see Reserve below).[14] The original TALENT compartment was created in the mid-1950s for the U-2. In 1960, it was broadened to cover all national aerial reconnaissance and the KEYHOLE compartment was created for satellite intelligence.[15] TALENT KEYHOLE is now a top-level control system; KEYHOLE is no longer a distinct compartment. Known compartments include RUFF (IMINT satellites), ZARF (ELINT satellites), and CHESS (U-2).[16]HUMINT Control System (HCS)HCS is the HUMINT Control System. This system was simply designated "HUMINT" until confusion arose between collateral HUMINT and the control system. The current nomenclature was chosen to eliminate the ambiguity.[17]KLONDIKE (KDK)KLONDIKE protects sensitive geospatial intelligence.[18]RESERVE (RSV)RESERVE is the control system for National Reconnaissance Office compartments protecting new sources and methods during the research, development, and acquisition process.[19]BYEMAN (BYE)BYEMAN is a retired control system covering certain overhead collection systems, including CORONA and OXCART.[20] Most BYE content was transferred to TK. BYE Special Handling content was transferred to Reserve.
Markings[edit]
SCI control system markings are placed immediately after the classification level markings in a banner line or portion marking.[21] Sometimes, especially on older documents, they are stamped. The following banner line and portion marking describe a top secret document containing information from the notional SI-GAMMA 1234 subcompartment, the notional SI-MANSION compartment, and the notional TALENT KEYHOLE-LANTERN compartment:
TOP SECRET//SI-GAMMA 1234-MANSION/TALENT KEYHOLE-LANTERN//NOFORN
(TS//SI-G 1234-M/TK-L//NF)
Older documents were marked with HANDLE VIA xxxx CONTROL CHANNELS (or "HVxCC"), HANDLE VIA xxxx CHANNELS ONLY (or "HVxCO"), or HANDLE VIA xxxx CHANNELS JOINTLY (or "HVxCJ"), but this requirement was rescinded in 2006.[22] For example, COMINT documents were marked as HANDLE VIA COMINT CHANNELS ONLY. This marking led to the use of the caveat CCO (COMINT Channels Only) in portion markings,[23] but CCO is also obsolete.
In my work we used, on a daily basis words like UMBRA, SPOKE, MORAY, TALENT, KEYHOLE GAMMA, DELTA, COMINT, HUMINT, ELINT, TOP SECRET, CRYPTO, SIOP, ESI....
Now for the life of me I know there were more, but for some reason my memory fails me...old age I guess...
Thankyou sarge.