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Director's Message
Welcome to the Office of Classification
Andrew Weston-Dawkes, Director
Welcome to the Office of Classification. Since September
11, 2001, the Federal Government has focused its attention
on the task of ensuring that terrorists and others
who want to do harm to the United States cannot obtain
the information, technology, or materials that will
assist them to carry out their attacks. While it is
important to have adequate protection systems in place,
the first step to ensure our success in preventing
such attacks is identifying what must be protected
- and that is the mission of the Office of Classification.
The Office of Classification has a broad spectrum
of tools to identify such information, technology,
and materials - from highly classified information
concerning the technology and security of nuclear
weapons and material (i.e., Restricted Data (RD),
Formerly Restricted Data (FRD), National Security
Information (NSI)) to information that cannot be classified
but that someone could use to circumvent a facility's
security measures and disrupt the operation of DOE
facilities (i.e., Unclassified Controlled Nuclear
Information and Official Use Only information).
The Office of Classification has the unique responsibility
of identifying nuclear weapons-related information
that must be protected in order to prevent our adversaries
from developing weapons of mass destruction.
Classification is the foundation of nonproliferation.
Certain information produced by the Department must
be protected in order to ensure the interests of national
security are served. Preventing nuclear weapons-related
information from falling into the hands of adversaries
seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction is
our top priority. Our policy and technical guidance
activity develops and issues Government-wide and Department-wide
policies and technical guidance to ensure that classified
nuclear weapons-related information and other information
assets critical to the national security and to other
Governmental, commercial, or private interests are
identified for proper protection. This activity is
vital to national security and U.S. non-proliferation
efforts because information assets cannot be protected
until they are identified as requiring protection.
Furthermore, it is critical that we accurately identify
that information that is truly sensitive so that the
Department can focus its finite security assets with
maximum effectiveness - not wasting resources protecting
information of little or no value to a potential malefactor.
However . . . Government openness is the foundation
of democracy. Our information and document declassification
efforts promote the release of information needed
by an informed citizenry to understand and oversee
the actions of its Government. These declassification
activities ensure that information produced by the
Department in potentially classified subject areas
that is not itself sensitive can be released to the
public whenever possible. Our document declassification
review program provides for the review of historical
records scheduled for declassification; documents
requested under statute or Executive Order; documents
requested in response to litigation; and documents
requested by Congress and other groups. These reviews
are performed to serve both the public interest, by
declassifying information that can safely be released,
and to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
by ensuring that no appropriately classified or controlled
information is inadvertently released, under the requirements
of the Atomic Energy Act, Executive Order 12958, and
Public Law 105 261.
Balancing national security with openness.
As guardians of Government information, we must continuously
distinguish between information that must be protected
for national security reasons and information that
must be made available to the public to promote understanding
of and confidence in our Government. Our office is
committed to maintaining this necessary balance; we
do not view these as opposing requirements, but rather
as two complementary parts that form a complete and
critical function. Our staff of dedicated professionals
works to ensure that the Department's information
assets are publicly released to the maximum extent
possible consistent at all times with our paramount
concern for the security of our Nation.
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