At the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “The original classification of information is rarely necessary,” according to an October 2010 ODNI Instruction. But that’s because most relevant information is already classified. There is not much need for new classification activity.
Several recent ODNI Instructions that govern the administration of the classification and declassification programs within the Office were released this week under the Freedom of Information Act (all pdf):
“Classification of ODNI Information,” ODNI Instruction 80.12, October 25, 2010.
“Original Classification Authority Delegation,” ODNI Instruction 80.16, October 21, 2010.
“ODNI Director, Information Management,” ODNI Instruction 10.20, May 18, 2009.
“Particular care should be exercised to avoid both over and under classifying ODNI information,” the Instructions say.
With summer 2025 in the rearview mirror, we’re taking a look back to see how federal actions impacted heat preparedness and response on the ground, what’s still changing, and what the road ahead looks like for heat resilience.
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.