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Office of Classification

Mission

The Office of Classification develops and interprets Government-wide and Department-wide policies, procedures and guidance, performs document reviews, and conducts training to ensure the accurate identification of information and documents that must be classified or controlled under statute or Executive order to protect the National Security, and controlled unclassified information to protect commercial and private interests and to provide for the effective operation of the Government.

Functions

  • Ensures a continuous review of classification policy and guidance for Restricted Data (RD) and Formerly Restricted Data (FRD) as required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and recommends for the approval of the Associate Under Secretary all actions involving the declassification of RD and FRD information.
  • Maintains liaison with and serves as the DOE contact with foreign governments on matters concerning the classification and declassification of information.  Directs the development of classification and declassification standards as required for international agreements for cooperation pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act, and directs the review and evaluation of foreign classification policies and procedures established under such agreements to ensure compliance.
  • Director Office of Classification serves as the DOE Restricted Data Management Official under 10 CFR § 1045.33.
  • Develops, issues, and interprets policies and procedures to implement DOE’s classification program under the Atomic Energy Act, 10 CFR part 1045, E.O. 13526, and 32 CFR part 2001.
  • Implements the DOE classification program.
  • Downgrades or upgrades the classification level of RD or FRD information with the concurrence of the Program Office with cognizance over the information.
  • Coordinates activities for which NNSA has cognizance over the information with the NNSA Chief of Defense Nuclear Security.
  • Coordinates the classification, transclassification, or declassification of any information with the Program Office with cognizance over the information.
  • Director, Office of Classification originally classifies as NSI any information under DOE’s cognizance, declassifies any NSI under DOE’s cognizance, and downgrades or upgrades the classification level of any NSI under DOE’s cognizance, with the concurrence of the Program Office with cognizance over the information.
  • Evaluates Headquarters and field element classification programs to ensure compliance with national and DOE policy.
  • Director Office of Classification approves and cancels all classification guidance, with the concurrence of the NNSA Classification Officer for information under NNSA’s cognizance.
  • Conducts fundamental classification guidance reviews in accordance with section 1.9 of E.O. 13526 and 32 CFR § 2001.91(c).
  • Performs the duties of the Classification Officer for DOE (not including NNSA) Headquarters elements.
  • Director Office of Classification makes the initial determination pertaining to the challenge of a classification determination concerning RD/FRD/TFNI or NSI.
  • Director Office of Classification serves as the Denying Official for any classified information contained in a document requested under statute or Executive order.
  • Classifies an unmarked document found to contain classified information after the public requests the document under statute or Executive order and coordinates the classification with the Senior Agency Official for such NSI determinations.
  • Manages and conducts the training of Program Classification Officers, Classification Officers, Headquarters Classification Representatives, Alternate Headquarters Classification Headquarters Representatives, Original Classifiers, Derivative Declassifiers, and Headquarters Derivative Classifiers.
  • Appoints DOE (not including NNSA) Federal and contractor Classification Officers as Derivative Classifiers.
  • Appoints DOE (not including NNSA) Program Classification Officers, Classification Officers, Headquarters Classification Representatives, Alternate Headquarters Representatives, Derivative Declassifiers, and Headquarters Derivative Classifiers and terminates any appointments or authorities granted to these classification officials, as appropriate.
  • Ensures that patent applications and reports of inventions or discoveries covered by section 151 of the Atomic Energy Act are reviewed to determine whether to impose a secrecy order under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951 or whether to control as RD.
  • Coordinates the search for and processing of documents requested under the mandatory declassification review provisions of 10 CFR part 1045 or section 3.5 of E.O. 13526.
  • Conducts all coordination required to declassify a document or material that contains foreign government information.
  • Conducts any interagency coordination required to declassify a document or material containing information under the cognizance of another Agency when the document or material relates to litigation or is requested under statute or Executive order.
  • Establishes a system for processing, tracking, and recording formal classification challenges and declassification proposals made by authorized holders of classified information.
  • Coordinates with the cognizant Classification Officer, Program Classification Officer, or Headquarters Classification Representative, as appropriate, and responds to formal challenges and declassification proposals received.
  • Consolidates classification program data and reports such data to the ISOO annually as required by 32 CFR § 2001.90.
  • Grants equivalencies and exemptions to this order for DOE (not including NNSA).
  • Administers the program to identify and protect UCNI, in coordination with the Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security for information under NNSA’s cognizance.
  • Determines whether specific Government information is UCNI under 10 CFR 1017.6, in coordination with the Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security for information under NNSA’s cognizance.
  • Approves and cancels UCNI guidance, in coordination with the Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security for information under NNSA’s cognizance.
  • Appoints the following as Reviewing Officials: employees in DOE Headquarters elements and their contractors; DOE field element Classification Officers; and any employees in a DOE or contractor organization with no Classification Officer.
  • Manages and directs the Office of Quality Management, the Office of Technical Guidance and the Office of Document Reviews.