ELI5: What are Government / Military Classifications?
The government sorts secrets into levels: Top Secret is like a diary you’d guard with your life, Secret is your locker combination, Confidential is your home address, and Unclassified is stuff anyone can know.
Definition
US government and military data classification uses a four-tier system established by Executive Order 13526: Top Secret (disclosure could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security), Secret (serious damage), Confidential (damage), and Unclassified (no damage from disclosure). A fifth designation, Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), covers sensitive information that does not meet the formal classification threshold but still requires protection.
Key Details
- Top Secret is the highest level; access requires a formal security clearance investigation and need-to-know
- Compartmented information (SCI — Sensitive Compartmented Information) is a subset of Top Secret with additional access controls
- Declassification authority rests with the originating agency or the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP)
- CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) is governed by NIST SP 800-171 for federal contractors
- Exam tip: contrast government classification (Top Secret → Confidential) with commercial classification (Confidential → Public); the terminology overlaps but the systems are distinct
Connections
- Parent: data-classification — government classifications are a formal, legally defined system
- See also: commercial-private-sector-classifications
- See also: classification-criteria