There are leaks and there are leaks – how easy should it be to find a leaker?
The recent leaks of Top Secret and other documents have generated a massive debate in the US and other press outlets as to the potential damage caused by this classified material getting into the public domain and who could have leaked it and why.
Many of the comments are speculative and not looking at the actual classifications on the documents and what this mean. As these will point clear to a relatively small cohort of people who should have access to them.
The most highly classified document has the header and footer below:
So, what do these terms and abbreviations mean in reality?
Top Secret: – information that id compromised could cause Exceptionally Grave Damage to national security or international relations.
HCS-P – HUMINT Control System – Product – Contains information derived from sensitive Human Intelligence sources (spies)
SI-G – COMINT (Gamma) – This is communications intelligence derives from intercepting different communications and the Gamma is an extra compartment suggesting more sensitive collection means.
TK – Talent Keyhole – Satellite or U2 spy plane derived Signals Intelligence, Communications Intelligence Measurement and Signature Intelligence or Imagery Intelligence – this is another limited compartment restricting who can access the information. For example, if you are Top Secret cleared it doesn’t give you automatic right to TK material or SI-G material.
FGI – Foreign Government Information – it says what it means, information and intelligence has been obtained via foreign government, usually through bilateral or multilateral arrangements. This makes any leak extra sensitive as it is someone else’s intelligence, entrusted to you to look after.
RSEN – Risk Sensitive – again what it says on the tin – some of the information or intelligence is especially sensitive.
ORCON – Originator Controlled – this means that further release of the information can only be authorised by the originator.
NOFORN – Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals
FISA – Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act derived – data authorised for collection using the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which can data held in US based servers but belonging to non-US personnel or entities.
Secret – one step below Top Secret – information that could cause serious damage to national security.
REL – means releasable and here FIN means to Finland, UKR means Ukraine, FVEY means the Five Eyes Community (UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) and NATO means releasable to NATO countries and NATO HQs.
In the US it has been quoted that there are 1.25 million people with Top Secret Clearance but that doesn’t mean they have access to these documents. Documents at all classifications are released on a need-to-know basis only as well. So only smaller number with a need for Ukraine related information and not just Top-Secret Clearance but also authorised for TK, Gamma, HCS and FISA access – with each caveat the pool of who can get access gets smaller.
In addition, the documents shown online were printed. Where Top Secret and above documents can be printed again is very carefully controlled and what is missing are the copy numbers that should be on the documents. Top Secret Material is very carefully controlled, so printer records can be checked and those who authorised the printing questioned.
Finally, to have a camera and or phone capability in a location where Top Secret Documents are available, shows a huge laps in basic security. These locations can be identified by auditing the few locations where these documents could be.
The bottom line, any leaker will be caught, that is if it is wanted that they are caught.
by Philip Ingram MBE our Defence and Security Correspondent
The New York Times reported last Saturday that the US Defence Department ran the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program at the cost of about $22 million between 2007 and 2012 however, they missed a vital link to HMS Queen Elizabeth!
The Grey Hare Media team being an intrepid group of investigative journalists and security specialists have now identified that the research they completed has been used to inform the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) command centre. NORAD is a United States and Canada bi-national organisation charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.
So, what has this got to do with the UK’s new £3.1Bn aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth affectionately known as “Big Lizzy”? Extensive reporting on Tuesday highlighted that “Big Lizzy” had sprung a leak and before that there was extensive criticism in some mainstream press outlets that “Big Lizzy” was an aircraft carrier with no aircraft. Questions abounded over the motivation for the Royal Navy to accept her into the fleet with no planes and clearly leaky faults.
Not to be ones who accept any story at face value, the Grey Hare covert investigation team went to work and discovered that the Royal Navy have been running a deliberate campaign of false news to cover up the preparation for a top-secret mission that “Big Lizzy” has been covertly rehearsing for under the guise of sea trials.
The Grey Hare surveillance team capture rehearsals for Big Lizzy’s top secret mission
This top-secret mission has seen “Big Lizzy” working closely with NORAD in preparation for a special monitoring mission that is due to commence on Sunday. Given the global threat and the unusual events reported by the USAF in 2007 that triggered the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program the mission is there to protect the delivery of joy and happiness across the globe. That joy and happiness, particularly aimed at the world’s children is provided by a special agent who goes by the code word “Santa.”
Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth. According to observations from the International Space Station and NORAD he travels east to west.
He makes 822.6 visits per second allowing him 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house….. phew….. so the chances of children seeing him are very remote….
This means that Santa’s sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. This makes Rudolf a very special type of reindeer as a conventional reindeer can run at a maximum of about 15 miles per hour. But Santa has calculated that if he can reduce his present load, and get a few minutes reindeer rest then he can deliver his joy and happiness more efficiently and with much less environmental impact.
James Abernethy who has worked with NORAD in the past told the Grey Hare Media team “Those guys at NORAD don’t miss anything and have the ability to monitor any and all unusual flying objects which make them ideal for Santa tracking. Of course, Santa is well aware of this and over the years has increasingly relied on NORAD to give him over watch and inform people of his whereabouts. He is particularly pleased that the Royal Navy can now provide a much-needed refuelling and restocking ability to enable him to fly lighter, faster and greener.”
Santa was unavailable for comment, his office siting busy last-minute preparations. The Royal Navy haven’t provided any comment. Of course we at Grey Hare Media will talk to anyone, so if you want to chat click here: https://greyharemedia.com/contact-us/
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