DOE Releases Historical Records Declassification Guide
The Department of Energy has released a redacted version of its October 2005 Historical Records Declassification Guide, a document used by classification reviewers to determine which information may be publicly released under the declassification provisions of executive order 12958.
There are 15 categories of DOE national security information that are exempt from automatic declassification, the Guide explains, including information on naval nuclear propulsion, chemical and biological defense, space nuclear reactors, and much more.
The redacted Guide identifies topics within each one of those categories and indicates whether they are classified or unclassified.
Some of the material is of broader interest and significance. Appendix B, for example, provides a summary account of the history of nuclear weapons accidents, and explains that any further information beyond what is presented there must undergo classification review.
See “Historical Records Declassification Guide” (CG-HR-3), Department of Energy, October 2005 (redacted version).
China is NOT a nuclear “peer” of the United States, as some contend.
China’s total number of approximately 600 warheads constitutes only a small portion of the United States’ estimated stockpile of 3,700 warheads.
The Federation of American Scientists strongly supports the Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act of 2025.
The Federation of American Scientists strongly supports the Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act of 2025.
In an era of such massive sweeps upending federal programs, increased transparency is even more important to provide the public with the knowledge necessary to respond and hold the government accountable.