COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. \u2014 The Pentagon\u2019s top space policy official expects the military services to implement updated classification guidance meant to make it easier for the U.S. to communicate with allies and partners by the end of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told reporters that while reducing the classification levels of highly-secretive programs takes time, the process should be easier under the updated policy, which Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks signed out in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to be able to use your systems,\u201d Plumb said during an April 10 briefing at Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. \u201cAnd to be able to use your systems, they have to be able to at least talk to each other. . . . Otherwise you just have a bunch of stovepipes. So, I think there is a military necessity of doing this, which I think is going to drive implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Details on the policy changes are slim as it is itself classified. However, officials have said the rewrite is focused on eliminating out-of-date rules around what information can be shared about certain programs than it is on lifting the veil of highly secret efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Implementing the policy involves changing a security designation called the special access program which, along with the unclassified designation, is one of two labels the Space Force attaches to a program when it is first started. The SAP label restricts information sharing and makes it hard to integrate across platforms, among the military services and with international partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SAP policy is part of a larger effort in the Pentagon to reconsider long-held practices for how it shares information about classified programs. That could mean talking publicly about threats or new capabilities, or changing a program\u2019s classification level \u2014 without removing it altogether \u2014 so defense agencies can share information with allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The issue has presented a particular challenge in the space domain, where many programs are highly secretive. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, told reporters April 9 the constraints are keeping space officials from having crucial conversations with international allies and commercial partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday, we struggle to have all the conversations we want to have with our allies and partners,\u201d he said during a briefing at Space Symposium. \u201cThis new policy that Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks signed is enormously important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a speech at the conference and later with reporters, Whiting emphasized the need for the military\u2019s acquisition organizations to work quickly to implement the guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve updated a policy that was 20 years old, but now we\u2019ve got to go do the hard work,\u201d he said. \u201cwe believe it\u2019s part of our job to help and encourage those organizations that have to implement to make sure they\u2019re doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The classification policy rewrite, announced in January, is focused on eliminating out-of-date rules around what can be shared about certain programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":112121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":37,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"10":{"categories":["space"],"primary_category":"space"}}},"categories":[7,37],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3260],"class_list":["post-31776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-battlefield-tech","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"QT2AHZSPVFBB7IS7FSL55FKKEQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2024\/04\/11\/lower-military-secrecy-thresholds-coming-this-year-plumb-says\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n