Perhaps you may recall your initial
impression upon entering an NSA facility.
Like most people, you probably noticed the
elaborate physical security safeguards--fences,
concrete barriers, Security Protective Officers,
identification badges, etc. While these
measures provide a substantial degree of
protection for the information housed within
our buildings, they represent only a portion
of the overall Agency security program.
In fact, vast amounts of information leave
our facilities daily in the minds of NSA
personnel, and this is where our greatest
vulnerability lies. Experience has indicated
that because of the vital information we
work with at NSA, Agency personnel may become
potential targets for hostile intelligence
efforts. Special safeguards are therefore
necessary to protect our personnel.
Accordingly, the Agency has an extensive
personnel security program which establishes
internal policies and guidelines governing
employee conduct and activities. These policies
cover a variety of topics, all of which
are designed to protect both you and the
sensitive information you will gain through
your work at NSA.
Association With Foreign Nationals
As a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community
and by virtue of your access to sensitive
information, you are a potential target
for hostile intelligence activities carried
out by or on behalf of citizens of foreign
countries. A policy concerning association
with foreign nationals has been established
by the Agency to minimize the likelihood
that its personnel might become subject
to undue influence or duress or targets
of hostile activities through foreign relationships.
As an NSA affiliate, you are prohibited
from initiating or maintaining associations
(regardless of the nature and degree) with
citizens or officials of communist-controlled,
or other countries which pose a significant
threat to the security of the United States
and its interests. A comprehensive list
of these designated countries is available
from your Staff Security Officer or the
Security Awareness Division. Any contact
with citizens of these countries, no matter
how brief or seemingly innocuous, must be
reported as soon as possible to your Staff
Security Officer (SSO). (Individuals designated
as Staff Security Officers are assigned
to every organization; a listing of Staff
Security Officers can be found at the back
of this handbook).
Additionally, close and continuing associations
with any non-U.S. citizens which are characterized
by ties of kinship, obligation, or affection
are prohibited. A waiver to this policy
may be granted only under the most exceptional
circumstances when there is a truly compelling
need for an individual's services or skills
and the security risk is negligible.
In particular, a waiver must be granted
in advance of a marriage to or cohabitation
with a foreign national in order to retain
one's access to NSA information. Accordingly,
any intent to cohabitate with or marry a
non-U.S. citizen must be reported immediately
to your Staff Security Officer. If a waiver
is granted, future reassignments both at
headquarters and overseas may be affected.
The marriage or intended marriage of an
immediate family member (parents, siblings,
children) to a foreign national must also
be reported through your SSO to the Clearance
Division (M55).
Casual social associations with foreign
nationals which arise from normal living
and working arrangements in the community
usually do not have to be reported. During
the course of these casual social associations,
you are encouraged to extend the usual social
amenities. Do not act mysteriously or draw
attention to yourself (and possibly to NSA)
by displaying an unusually wary attitude.
Naturally, your affiliation with the Agency
and the nature of your work should not be
discussed. Again, you should be careful
not to allow these associations to become
close and continuing to the extent that
they are characterized by ties of kinship,
obligation, or affection.
If at any time you feel that a "casual"
association is in any way suspicious, you
should report this to your Staff Security
Officer immediately. Whenever any doubt
exists as to whether or not a situation
should be reported or made a matter of record,
you should decided in favor of reporting
it. In this way, the situation can be evaluated
on its own merits, and you can be advised
as to your future course of action.
Correspondence With Foreign Nationals
NSA personnel are discouraged from initiating
correspondence with individuals who are
citizens of foreign countries. Correspondence
with citizens of communist-controlled or
other designated countries is prohibited.
Casual social correspondence, including
the "pen-pal" variety, with other
foreign acquaintances is acceptable and
need not be reported. If, however, this
correspondence should escalate in its frequency
or nature, you should report that through
your Staff Security Officer to the Clearance
Division (M55).
Embassy Visits
Since a significant percentage of all espionage
activity is known to be conducted through
foreign embassies, consulates, etc., Agency
policy discourages visits to embassies,
consulates or other official establishments
of a foreign government. Each case, however,
must be judged on the circumstances involved.
Therefore, if you plan to visit a foreign
embassy for any reason (even to obtain a
visa), you must consult with, and obtain
the prior approval of, your immediate supervisor
and the Security Awareness Division (M56).
Amateur Radio Activities
Amateur radio (ham radio) activities are
known to be exploited by hostile intelligence
services to identify individuals with access
to classified information; therefore, all
licensed operators are expected to be familiar
with NSA/CSS Regulation 100-1, "Operation
of Amateur Radio Stations" (23 October
1986). The specific limitations on contacts
with operators from communist and designated
countries are of particular importance.
If you are an amateur radio operator you
should advise the Security Awareness Division
(M56) of your amateur radio activities so
that detailed guidance may be furnished
to you.
Unofficial Foreign Travel
In order to further protect sensitive information
from possible compromise resulting from
terrorism, coercion, interrogation or capture
of Agency personnel by hostile nations and/or
terrorist groups, the Agency has established
certain policies and procedures concerning
unofficial foreign
travel.
All Agency personnel (civilian employees,
military assignees, and contractors) who
are planning unofficial foreign travel must
have that travel approved by submitting
a proposed itinerary to the Security Awareness
Division (M56) at least 30 working days
prior to their planned departure from the
United States.
Your itinerary should be submitted on Form
K2579 (Unofficial Foreign Travel Request).
This form provides space for noting the
countries to be visited, mode of travel,
and dates of departure and return. Your
immediate supervisor must sign this form
to indicate whether or not your proposed
travel poses a
risk to the sensitive information, activities,
or projects of which you may have knowledge
due to your current assignment.
After your supervisor's assessment is made,
this form should be forwarded to the Security
Awareness Director (M56). Your itinerary
will then be reviewed in light of the existing
situation in the country or countries to
be visited, and a decision for approval
or disapproval will be based on this assessment.
The purpose of this policy is to limit the
risk of travel to areas of the world where
a threat may exist to you and to your knowledge
of classified Agency activities.
In this context, travel to communist-controlled
and other hazardous activity areas is prohibited.
A listing of these hazardous activity areas
is prohibited. A listing of these hazardous
activity areas can be found in Annex A of
NSA/CSS Regulation No. 30-31, "Security
Requirements for Foreign Travel" (12
June 1987). From time to time, travel may
also be prohibited to certain areas where
the threat from hostile intelligence services,
terrorism, criminal activity or insurgency
poses an unacceptable risk to Agency employees
and to the sensitive information they possess.
Advance travel deposits made without prior
agency approval of the proposed travel may
result in financial losses by the employee
should the travel be disapproved, so it
is important to obtain approval prior to
committing yourself financially. Questions
regarding which areas of the world currently
pose a threat should be directed to the
Security Awareness Division (M56).
Unofficial foreign travel to Canada, the
Bahamas, Bermuda, and Mexico does not require
prior approval, however, this travel must
still be reported using Form K2579. Travel
to these areas may be reported after the
fact.
While you do not have to report your foreign
travel once you have ended your affiliation
with the Agency, you should be aware that
the risk incurred in travelling to certain
areas, from a personal safety and/or counterintelligence
standpoint, remains high. The requirement
to protect the classified information to
which you have had access is a lifetime
obligation.
Membership In Organizations
Within the United States there are numerous
organizations with memberships ranging from
a few to tens of thousands. While you may
certainly participate in the activities
of any reputable organization, membership
in any international club or professional
organization/activity with foreign members
should be
reported through your Staff Security Officer
to the Clearance Division (M55). In most
cases there are no security concerns or
threats to our employees or affiliates.
However, the Office of Security needs the
opportunity to research the organization
and to assess any possible risk to you and
the information to
which you have access.
In addition to exercising prudence in your
choice of organizational affiliations, you
should endeavor to avoid participation in
public activities of a conspicuously controversial
nature because such activities could focus
undesirable attention upon you and the Agency.
NSA employees may, however, participate
in bona fide public affairs such as local
politics, so long as such activities do
not violate the provisions of the statutes
and regulations which govern the political
activities of all federal employees. Additional
information may be obtained from your Personnel
Representative.
Changes In Marital Status/Cohabitation/Names
All personnel, either employed by or assigned
to NSA, must advise the Office of Security
of any changes in their marital status (either
marriage or divorce), cohabitation arrangements,
or legal name changes. Such changes should
be reported by completing NSA Form G1982
(Report of Marriage/Marital Status Change/Name
Change), and following the instructions
printed on the form.
Use And Abuse Of Drugs
It is the policy of the National Security
Agency to prevent and eliminate the improper
use of drugs by Agency employees and other
personnel associated with the Agency. The
term "drugs" includes all controlled
drugs or substances identified and listed
in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970,
as amended, which includes but is not limited
to: narcotics, depressants, stimulants,
cocaine, hallucinogens ad cannabis (marijuana,
hashish, and hashish oil). The use of illegal
drugs or the abuse of prescription drugs
by persons employed by, assigned or detailed
to the Agency may adversely affect the national
security; may have a serious damaging effect
on the safety and the safety of others;
and may lead to criminal prosecution. Such
use of drugs either within or outside Agency
controlled facilities is prohibited.
Physical Security Policies
The physical security program at NSA provides
protection for classified material and operations
and ensures that only persons authorized
access to the Agency's spaces and classified
material are permitted such access. This
program is concerned not only with the Agency's
physical plant and facilities, but also
with the internal and external procedures
for safeguarding the Agency's classified
material and activities. Therefore, physical
security safeguards include Security Protective
Officers, fences, concrete barriers, access
control points, identification badges, safes,
and the compartmentalization of physical
spaces. While any one of these safeguards
represents only a delay factor against attempts
to gain unauthorized access to NSA spaces
and material, the total combination of all
these safeguards represents a formidable
barrier against physical penetration of
NSA. Working together with personnel security
policies, they provide "security in
depth."
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