Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2023 Wash100 inductee, has issued a memorandum directing DOD component agencies to immediately assess their compliance with the department’s procedures and standards for protecting classified national security information.
Component agencies should report their findings to the office of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security no later than May 2, according to the memo signed by Austin on Monday.
The directive states that agencies should adhere to several standards, including accountability, safeguarding, storage and destruction, transmission and transportation, security education and training, reporting of security incidents involving classified information and cybersecurity protocols.
Austin noted that he directed USD(I&S) to oversee a 45-day review of the department’s security policies, programs and procedures in coordination with the chief information officer and director of administration and management.
The secretary said DA&M will advance initial measures to implement the directive and the CIO will release additional guidance for DOD.
“These actions and measures may include, but will not be limited to: restriction or deletion of distribution lists on classified computer networks, allowing limited physical and electronic access to certain intelligence products, granting printing privileges on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System by exception, requiring proper information handling procedures including encryption of emails, and increasing inspections when people enter and exit Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities,” the memo reads.
