Some Nuclear Weapons-Related Info to be Declassified

Certain types of classified information pertaining to nuclear weapons are going to be downgraded or declassified, the Department of State indicated in a newly disclosed report.

“Over the past fiscal year, the Department [of State] has been actively working with the Departments of Energy and of Defense to identify information that had previously been classified under the Atomic Energy Act or various national security executive orders,” wrote Sheryl Walter, the director of State’s Office of Information Programs and Services, in a February 10, 2012 letter to the Information Security Oversight Office.

“Several categories of this information, including topics concerning nuclear weapons, weapons testing, improvised nuclear devices, and international cooperation relating to nuclear forensics, will be downgraded, classified for shorter durations, or declassified,” Ms. Walter wrote.  No schedule for declassification was mentioned.  The letter was released last week under the Freedom of Information Act.