List of security clearances, page 7

There's alot of errata and misunderstanding contained in this thread.
I started to compile it all but have run out of time!

You've done a pretty good job IMHO, but I just wanted to correct a couple of errors.

For starters:

- There are only three US classification levels: CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, TOP SECRET (NATO has an extra one, RESTRICTED, which is below CONFIDENTIAL)

You left out two classifications: UNCLASSIFIED (U) and FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO) - FOUO equates to UK RESTRICTED. While a person doesn't get cleared for U and FOUO, they are still valid classification levels and information will receive this classification if it doesn't warrant the protection of a TS, S or C marking.

- Some of these terms - Umbra, for example - are obsolete, and were never actual clearances anyway

That's incorrect. Let's set a few things straight here: TS, S, C, FOUO and U are classification levels - they alone are the basic building blocks of security clearances. Codewords (eg Umbra) reflect compartmented clearance / access, and you cannot possess access to a compartment / codeword without first possessing clearance to access a particular classification. Caveats typically can refer to a number of things including handling / dissemination instructions (eg NOFORN - No Foreign National releasibility), source/reliability indicators (FGI - Foreign Government Information) and so on. A clearance can incorporate both classification levels and codewords but not caveats - so you can be cleared TS as well as be cleared TS/SCI or S/SCI, but you're not "cleared" for, say, TS/SCI/FGI. If you're only cleared S/SCI and not TS/SCI, you are technically cleared to view SCI information but only SCI information classified up to SECRET. The SCI codeword UMBRA protects TS/SCI information, so an SCI clearance alone means nothing - you'd also require a TS clearance vice a Secret clearance, and a valid need-to-know to view information protected by the UMBRA codeword.

In other words, your "clearance" would incorporate a maximum classification level (say to TS) and any required compartmented access, but you wouldn't be "cleared" for a caveat per se - if a document was marked TS/SCI UK/US EYES ONLY, any UK or US citizen with an appropriate clearance for TS/SCI information, possessing a valid NTK, could view it. If it was marked with the NOFORN caveat instead of UK/US EYES ONLY, then it would only be releasable to US personnel with the appropriate clearance and NTK. The only "requirement" to have access to material with the caveats in the above instance is nationality.

Not to pick nits, but:

quote: COMSEC- Cryptological clearanace for working with codes

This isn't a clearance, it's an acronym for Communications Security (does relate to crypto, though...)

Re: COMSEC - yes, it's both a description and an access...my point (poorly made!) was that it's not a clearance. Clearance and access are two separate things. You can have a clearance but no access, but you can't have access without a clearance.

COMSEC is an actual clearance, in addition to being an acronym. You've hit the nail on the head regarding clearance and access, but clearance for the COMSEC compartment has to be granted for an individual to access cryptographic (codes, ciphers, keylists etc) material.

On the whole though, you did a pretty good job.

There are a few other posts I'd like to address as well:

The US has several levels of releasability to other nationals - the most common are NOFORN, Releasable to Canada/Great Britian, and Releasable to NATO. This in general only applies to Secret, Top Secret is almost never releasable to other countries.

That last sentence is way off base. TS material is shared with non-US nationals on a regular basis, so long as it hasn't been marked with a NOFORN or similarly restrictive caveat. This holds true for various compartmented information as well. A wealth of TS material is exchanged with the UK, Canada and Australia (to name a few) daily.

Someone addressed US/NATO classifications & codewords before, I think...here are a few codewords and their classification level assignments:

Cosmic Top Secret Bohemia
Top Secret Atomal
Secret Avicula
Secret Balk
Secret Savate

In regards to your 'What about Rhyolite Clearance' I am writing to inform you that such clearance does not exist, nor has it ever. This idea was conjured up by Phil Schneider with Al Bielek. Whilst Phil DID work for the US government, Al Bielek has been debunked as a sad individual who was in it with Preston Nichols to make a bit of money. Preston is a known Peadophile and Al is nothing more than a compulsive lier.

Are you saying that a "Rhyolite clearance" never existed, or that "Rhyolite" as a whole didn't exist? If the latter then you're definately wrong - it was the project name for the first generation of space surveillance satellites. Whether the security compartment for the program was called "Rhyolite" or something else I don't know.

You forgot ULTRA, MAGICK, and ULTRA-MAGICK...

ULTRA and MAGIC are now-defunct SIGINT codewords from WWII. ULTRA was assigned to the successful exploitation of traffic encoded by the German Enigma, whereas MAGIC referred to success against Japanese codes such as PURPLE, RED, TSU and others.

As Starchild mentioned before, there are a lot of disestablished codewords and compartments...it would take a very long time to compile a list of such.

Yes I understand it better, but not fully. What does SCI, TK, G, HCS-P, and other such letter actualy stand for. They must be an abriviation for some word.

SCI has already been covered - some of the others mentioned are:

TK = Talent Keyhole
B = Byeman
G = Gamma
HCS-P = Humint Control System - Product

Starchild's list is good but by no means is it an all-encompassing list for "set" clearances.

Anyway I think that's enough out of me for now...I hope this clears up a few things.