Classification and Access Markings
Every controlled document in the Department carries a banner in three parts.
<TIER> // <SAR CODEWORD> // <COMMAND CHANNEL>
Example: TOP SECRET // SAR-GREEN DOVE // DIRCOM-SC
Tiers
TOP SECRET · SECRET · CLASSIFIED · RESTRICTED · CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED · UNCLASSIFIED
Special Access Required codewords
Departmental SAR nicknames are drawn without exception from birds. All Departmental material additionally carries the HCS-P control system marking and, in almost every case, the NOFORN dissemination control.
| Codeword | Typical tier | Compartment |
|---|---|---|
SAR-WHITE DOVE |
Top Secret | Office of the Director-General. Founding instruments and directorate-level record. |
SAR-GREEN DOVE |
Top Secret | Class-A material. The Apple, Operation LAST LIGHT, The Beast. |
SAR-RED DOVE |
Secret | Class-B material. DISC internal security. |
SAR-WHITE LINNET |
Secret | DRA regulatory channel. |
SAR-PINK FINCH |
Secret | OTA analysis. Tone-0V. |
SAR-GREY DOVE |
Secret | Ecclesiastical liaison. The Holy See. |
Tier and compartment vary independently. A SAR-PINK FINCH document may be held at Top Secret where the material warrants it.
Command channels
| Channel | Body |
|---|---|
HICOM-ODG |
Office of the Director-General |
DIRCOM-SC |
Security Council |
DIRCOM |
Directorate Command |
STRATCOM |
Strategic Command |
STRATCOM-FSC |
U.S. Federal Special Court |
Dating a document by its banner
The SAR system was instituted in 1965 with the raising of the Special Projects Staff, and survived the 1983 spin-off unchanged.
Material dated before 1965 carries inherited Agency, NATO and Soviet markings: TOP SECRET / NOFORN, MK-NAOMI, EYES ONLY, GATEBLACK, СОВЕРШЕННО СЕКРЕТНО.
Soviet material never carries SAR. GRU Division P files under 043 / BLACK MIRROR.
A reader who learns the banner can date a page without reading it.