In October 2010 President Obama signed a law intended to decrease over-classification and promote information sharing across the federal government and with state, local, tribal and private sector entities.
The act stemmed from conclusions by the 9/11 Commission that over-classification and inadequate information sharing contributed to the government’s failure to prevent the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Federal inspectors general are required to evaluate policies and procedures that may contribute to persistent misclassification and the Defense Department IG in an Oct 3, 2012, memo said it launched a project to address efforts by the Pentagon to decrease over-classification and promote information sharing and transparency. But, old habits are hard to kick, and the IG could not resist putting out the memo with the low-level “For Official Use Only” stamp.
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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