Security Executive Blog

The unofficial ITAR has been updated. The three affected parts are: Part 120, Part 123 and Part 126. Some of the changes include paragraphs that were formerly categorized as "reserved". The changes equal 20 additional pages to a 5 x 6 book publication of the ITAR. That's pretty significant. In fact Part 126.16 is such a paragraph formerly marked as "reserved" and now is filled with 5500 words of text. Let's take a look at the exemption to the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty between the United States and Australia. This paragraph defines transfer, export, retransfer, reexport, Australian Community, United States Community and other relevant terms. It also explains which exports qualify for licensing exemptions. Though the information addresses transfer of export controlled items between the US and Australia, this article is written to  provide a rule of thumb in handling all cases of export controlled information, articles and services. Paragrap...

Interview with Jennifer Maki, Counsel Government Group at FLUOR In August 2009, President Obama directed a broad-based interagency review of the U.S. export control system, with the goal of strengthening national security and competitiveness of key U.S. manufacturing and technology sectors. As a resu lt, the Administration launched the Export Control Reform Initiative (ECR Initiative), which will fundamentally reform the U.S. export control system.  Understanding requirements and implementing best practices for export compliance is essential for avoiding International Traffic in Arms Regulations ( ITAR ) violations. marcus evans spoke to Jennifer before the upcoming 3rd Annual Advanced ITAR Compliance Conference . In her presentation, Ms. Maki will discuss global agreements and advancements surrounding technical assessment agreements (TAA). She will also explain the impact of the ECR initiative on TAAs and the implications for the international trade industry. Je...

As a security manager in a National Industrial Security Program organization, you’ll get a lot of interesting questions. You should be prepared to answer them with confidence and ease. Many you’ll have to look up because they will probably come from outer field. However, there are some very popular questions asked many times over. Here are some of those questions: Where does classified information come from? The US Government created a system to classified and protect sensitive information In the National Industrial Security Program, classified information is marked CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET and TOP SECRET. TOP SECRET has more restrictions than SECRET and SECRET has more than CONFIDENTIAL. So, who determines the classification levels? Executive order 12958, As Amended provides instruction for appointment of trained government Original Classification Authorities (OCA). The OCAs evaluate programs and associated information, equipment, services and etc to determine whether or not they are c...

So, which companies will win the Cogswell Award this year? FSOs who take the time to develop a world class program designed to protect classified information are very deserving of the award. Here are four proven steps to help you demonstrate that your organization is going “above and beyond” NISPOM requirements: 1. Set security goals that everyone understands. These goals help create the organization-wide security culture that everyone can live with. 2.   Conduct institutional training that support these goals. Ensure the training encourages your employees to report any and all security violations, suspicious contacts, and foreign travel, which will further enhance those efforts. 3. Goals should be tracked and institutional training and expectations should be conducted   in preparation for the annual security inspection. Do this by implementing a daily security management process, which includes physical security, visitor control, and security education throughout the ye...

Prior to travel, a cleared employee should have a good understanding of their responsibilities to protect national security. A Defensive Security Briefing is for those who travel overseas and may be vulnerable to foreign entity recruiting methods. They should be constructed to make the cleared traveler aware of their responsibilities to protect employees, product, customers and those with which they do business. Topics of the defense security briefing should include threat recognition, how to assess and how to respond when approached for recruitment Prior to travel, the employee should notify their security office of all foreign travel plans. This includes plans for Canada, Mexico and Caribbean Countries. The security department can then construct a plan for the specific area after researching the area to be travelled. The state department has a great website can fill security and the traveler in on all necessary travel documentation and what to expect while abroad. Traveling e...

A buzz is sweeping the security community since May as folks are notified of the new CUI program. The President has published a Memorandum with the subject, Designation and sharing of Controlled Unclassified Information. This memorandum implements a program designed to encourage the speedy sharing of information to those authorized and to better protect the information, privacy and legal rights of Americans. The Controlled Unclassified Information program is designed to promote proper safeguarding and dissemination of unclassified information. Many readers may be familiar with the program CUI has replaced. Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) information had enjoyed protection to a certain level but was not conducive to the necessary information sharing. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) provides procedures for a more appropriate Information Sharing Environment. Controlled Unclassified Information is a designation of unclassified information that does not meet the r...