Information Security Oversight Office

The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) is responsible to the President of the United States for policy and oversight of the Government-wide security classification system and the National Industrial Security Program. Its authority derives from Executive Order 12958 "Classified National Security Information" and Executive Order 12829 "National Industrial Security Program", as amended.

The ISOO is a component of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and receives policy and program guidance from the National Security Council (NSC).

History

President Jimmy Carter established ISOO with the signing of Executive Order 12065, "National Security Information," on December 1, 1978. The ISOO replaced the Interagency Classification Review Committee (ICRC) which was created by Executive Order 11652, "Classification and Declassification of National Security Information and Material," issued by President Richard Nixon in 1972. The ICRC was composed of representatives from the Departments of Defense, Justice and State, the predecessor to the United States Department of Energy, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Central Intelligence Agency. John Eisenhower chaired the ICRC, which met monthly at the White House. When Mr. Eisenhower resigned in 1973, the administrative function of the ICRC was moved to the then National Archives and Records Service, a component of the General Services Administration, with the Archivist of the United States, James Rhodes, named as acting chairman. William L. Brown, an attorney with the Atomic Energy Commission, was appointed Executive Director in October of 1973 and served until December, 1975. The committee continued to meet monthly in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Former Congressman Michael Blouin from Iowa served as the first Director of ISOO. When Mr. Blouin stepped down in 1980, President Carter appointed Steven Garfinkel as ISOO's second Director. Mr. Garfinkel served as Director until his retirement in January of 2002. Then in May 2002, President Bush appointed J. William Leonard as Director. In January 2008 J. William Leonard retired after 34 years of service.William J. Bosanko was appointed Director on April 16th, 2008.

Functions

*Develops implementing directives and instructions.
*Maintains liaison with agency counterparts and conducts on-site reviews and special document reviews to monitor agency compliance.
*Develops and disseminates security education materials for Government and industry; monitors security education and training programs.
*Receives and takes action on complaints, appeals, and suggestions.
*Collects and analyzes relevant statistical data and, along with other information, reports them annually to the President. [http://www.archives.gov/isoo/reports/2006-annual-report.pdf 2006 Report to the President]
*Serves as spokesperson to Congress, the media, special interest groups, professional organizations, and the public.
*Conducts special studies on identified or potential problem areas and develops remedial approaches for program improvement.
*Recommends policy changes to the President through the NSC.
*Provides program and administrative support for the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) and the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP).
*Reviews requests for original classification authority from agencies.
*Chairs interagency meetings to discuss matters pertaining to both Executive orders.
*Reviews and approves agency implementing regulations and agency guides for systematic declassification reviews. [ [http://www.archives.gov/isoo/reports/2006-annual-report.pdf Information Security Oversight Office "Report to the President" 2006"] ]

Goals

*Promote and enhances the system that protects the national security information that safeguards the American Government and its people.
*Provides for an informed America public by ensuring that the minimum information necessary to the interest of national security is classified and that information is declassified as soon as it no longer requires protection.
*Promotes and enhances concepts that facilitate the sharing of information in the fulfillment of mission-critical functions related to national security.
*Provides expert advice and guidance pertinent to the principles of information security. [ [http://www.archives.gov/isoo/reports/2006-annual-report.pdf Information Security Oversight Office "Report to the President" 2006"] ]

Government openness and public access

ISOO strives to provide for an informed American public by ensuring that the minimum information necessary to the interest of national security is classified and that information is declassified as soon as it no longer requires protection. This is carefully balanced by the imperative to hold certain information in confidence in order to protect from harm our citizens, our democratic institutions, and our participation in the community of nations.

Staff

ISOO has two directorates and a staff of 18 people.

*The Directorate for Policy develops security classification policies for classifying, declassifying and safeguarding national security information generated in government and industry.

*The Directorate for Operations evaluates the effectiveness of the security classification programs established by government and industry to protect information vital to our national security interests.

*Currently William J. Bosanko serves as Director with Greg Pannoni as Associate Director for Operations. William A. Cira serves as Associate Director of Classification Management.

Non-compliance by the Vice President from 2003

In 2003, the Office of the Vice President of the United States, then Dick Cheney, stopped submitting reports to the ISOO on how it handles classified information. It had submitted reports in 2001 and 2002, but then argued that the Vice President, also being the President of the Senate, has both executive and legislative duties and therefore does not fall under the wording of an "entity within the executive branch" used in the EO. In 2004, the ISOO sent a team to the office of the vice-president to investigate, but the inspection was blocked by Cheney's staff. J. William Leonard, director of the ISOO, sent two letters to Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington, requesting compliance but did not receive a reply. Leonard then contacted Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in January 2007 requesting a legal ruling on the matter. Gonzales did not reply. In apparent response, Cheney's staff proposed amending the EO to abolish the ISOO and explicitly state that the order did not apply to the vice-president. This proposal was apparently rejected. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062201322.html?hpid=topnews Cheney Defiant on Classified Material"] by Peter Baker, "The Washington Post", June 22, 2007] The OVP's position, characterized by Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com as "an astounding legal proposition", [ [http://www.slate.com/id/2179934/ Legal Fictions: The Bush administration's dumbest legal arguments of the year] , "Slate.com", 27 December 2007] contributed to the decision by ISOO head J. William Leonard to retire at the end of 2007. [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/81883 Challenging Cheney] , "Time", 24 December 2007]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.archives.gov/isoo/ ISOO home page]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4735570.stm US 'reclassifying' public files]