Guide to marking documents

The national security of the United States depends on many things. including the security of its information. Throughout our history. the national interest has required that certain information be maintained in confidence in order to protect our citizens, our democratic nstitutions. and our participation within the community of nations. This innovation is called national Security Information and is classified to afford its protection. This guide provides guidance on identifying and marking classified information. The guidance is based on Executive Order 12958, Classified National Security Information: and Director of Central Intelligence Direetives (DCIDs). It is intended for use by NIMA original and derivative classifiers and administrative personnel who prepare the final producL Classification markings serve several purposes. They alert holders to the presence of classified information and identify the exact information or portion that needs prntection. Markings give the reason for the initial classification decision and provide guidance for downgrading and declassification. They also warn the holders of any special access, controls. or safeguarding requirements. While we cannot anticipate every marking situation this guide provides the basic ground rules that apply to all classified information, regardless of the media used. This guide contains no classified information. The security classification markings declassification instructions, and warning notices are for illustration purposes only.