NATIONAL SECURITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85B01152R000801130027-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 5, 2007
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: August 3, 1983
• Content Type: REGULATION

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SYSTEM II
90809
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
NATIONAL-SFCURITV DECISION
DIRECTIVE NUMBER 97
(UNCLASSIFIED VERSION)
August 3, 1983
The nation's domestic and international telecommunications
resources, including commercial, private, and government-owned
services and facilities, are essential elements in support of U.S.
national security policy and strategy. A survivable telecommunica-
tions infrastructure able to support national security leadership is
a crucial element of U.S. deterrence. National security leadership
requirements are those embodied in the President's responsibilities
as Commander in Chief, Head of State, and Chief Executive; those
requirements include, but are not limited to, the ability for:
? gathering intelligence and conducting diplomacy;
? ensuring continuity of command and control of military
forces; and
? providing for continuity of government and essential
functions thereof.
It must be manifestly apparent to a potential enemy that the U.S.
ability to maintain continuity of command and control of all
military forces, and conduct other essential national leadership
functions cannot be eliminated by a nuclear attack. If deterrence
fails, the national telecommunications infrastructure must possess
the functional characteristics of connectivity, redundancy, inter-
operability, restorability, and hardness necessary to provide a
range of telecommunications services to support these essential
national leadership requirements. Planning and resource allocation
must occur to provide for facilities and systems able to assure
essential telecommunications in a stressed environment. Proper
implementation of this policy will also improve the nation's overall
emergency preparedness posture.
OBJECTIVES: To fulfill these requirements, the nation's telecom-
munications capabilities should be developed or improved, and
implementing procedures established, to provide for:
? support for the vital functions of worldwide intelligence
collection and diplomacy;
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? a reliable and enduring threat assessment capability;
? assured connectivity between the National Command
Authority and military forces;
? support of military mobilization as directed by the
President; and
? continuity of government during and after crisis
situations and recovery of critical national functions
following crisis situations.
PRINCIPLES: In support of these objectives, the following policy
principles are established:
? A survivable and enduring national telecommunications
capability is required. It should be composed of
government, commercial, and private facilities, systems,
and networks, and include the specific automated
information processing resources which are embedded in, or
support, the component telecommunications facilities and
systems and their associated data bases.
? Many national security leadership telecommunications
requirements depend upon dedicated government systems.
There will also be continued reliance upon government,
commercial, or private telecommunications resources for
critical government-wide telecommunications during crisis
situations.
? Telecommunications to support national security leadership
requirements are essential and have priority in the
initiation, operation, and restoration of services and
facilities during periods of international tension, threat
of war, wartime, and following the cessation of hostili-
ties.
? An enduring and survivable control mechanism, to include
minimum orderwire communications, must be established and
operated to direct and manage the initiation, coordination,
restoration, and reconstitution of telecommunications
services and facilities required in support of national
security leadership requirements.
? Functionally similar government telecommunications networks
and facilities should be designed to provide the ability
to rapidly and automatically interchange traffic in
support of national security leadership requirements.
e Future government and commercial facilities should take
into account the requirement to locate outside of likely
nuclear target areas to the extent financially and
technically feasible.
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? Commercial satellite telecommunications resources should
be enhanced to support the objectives of this directive.
? The objectives of this directive shall be applied to
telecommunications facilities and services serving the
U.S. abroad.
Telecommunications enhancements undertaken pursuant to
this directive shall provide realistic improvement to the
telecommunications capability that currently exists.
IMPLEMENTATION: A Steering Group consisting of the Director, Office
of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Executive Agent of the
National Communications System (NCS), the Associate Director of the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for National Security and
International Affairs, and chaired by the Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs, or his representative, is established.
This Steering Group shall:
? oversee this directive and ensure its implementation. It
shall provide guidance to the Manager, NCS concerning all
activities consistent with this directive;
? approve initiatives to be undertaken to enhance national
security telecommunications capabilities pursuant to this
directive;
? address, in consultation with relevant operating agencies,
the delegation of funding and implementation responsi-
bilities for approved telecommunications enhancement
initiatives consistent with this directive;
? on a continual basis, review the status of the NCS,
including authorities and membership criteria, and
recommend to the President changes in existing NCS
authorities or membership essential to support the
objectives of this directive;
? approve the establishment of working groups necessary to
assist in the implementation of this directive;
? monitor the ongoing activities of the National Security
Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), and ensure
that the objectives and principles of this directive are
addressed. In this respect, it shall provide guidance to
the Chairman of the NSTAC through the Designated Federal
Official;
? confer, when appropriate, with the Emergency Mobilization
Preparedness Board (EMPB) and the Director, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, concerning issues of mutual.
interest; and
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o with Presidential approval, amend or revise the objectives
and/or principles contained herein as national security
needs require.
The Manager, NCS, shall:
? consult with and take direction from the Steering Group
regarding the implementation of this directive;
? ensure the development, in conjunction with NCS operating
agencies, of plans to fulfill the principles and
objectives stated in this directive, including an overall
telecommunications architecture and timetable;
? function as the overall coordinator, in consultation with
the designated implementing agency, for each initiative
approved by the Steering Group pursuant to this directive;
? ensure that all relevant activities in support of this
policy directive are fully coordinated with the Executive
Agent and all NCS principals;
? develop, for review by the Steering Group, overall budget
profiles regarding approved initiatives and related
activities;
? develop plans, in consultation with the NSTAC, for an
effective mechanism to manage and control the initiation,
coordination, restoration, and reconstitution of existing
commercial telecommunications services and facilities to
support national security telecommunications leadership
requirements;
o consult with the FCC, as appropriate, concerning this
directive; and
? prepare annually, or as otherwise directed, a written
report to the Steering Group on the progress of approved
initiatives, including an assessment of the resources that
will be required to attain the objectives of this directive.
The National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee shall:
provide to the President and the Executive Agent, NCS,
information and advice from the perspective of the
telecommunications industry with respect to the implemen-
tation of this policy directive and periodically report to
the President, through the Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs, and the Secretary of Defense in
his capacity as Executive Agent for the NCS, and
serve as a forum, when appropriate, for joint industry and
government planning to support this directive.
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All Departments and Agencies shall:
? incorporate the provisions of this policy directive when
modifying their current telecommunications facilities,
systems, or networks or planning new ones;
? as deemed necessary or as required, provide information
and assistance to, and consult with, the Steering Group in
support of this directive;
? make necessary and appropriate information available,
through the Executive Agent, NCS, to commercial carriers,
or other appropriate private sector telecommunications
operators and providers to facilitate their planning of
backbone facilities and control centers, where possible,
outside of likely nuclear target areas;
? make necessary and appropriate information available to
the Office of the Manager, NCS, regarding all agency
telecommunications initiatives in support of the
objectives of this directive;
? consistent with the provisions of Executive Order 12046,
and in coordination with the Executive Agent, NCS, consult
with the FCC on implementing the provisions of this policy
directive;
? as deemed appropriate and necessary to support national
security leadership requirements, and in consultation with
the Steering Group, apply the objectives and principles of
this directive to telecommunications services and
facilities serving U.S. facilities abroad; and
? submit progress reports annually, or as otherwise requested,
to the Steering Group, in coordination with the Manager,
NCS, regarding agency actions on approved initiatives and
other activities in support of this directive.
This directive is not intended to interfere with the special
operational or security requirements of any agency during normal or
during wartime situations.
Telecommunications functions not associated with national security
leadership requirements are excluded from the scope of this
directive.
Nothing in this directive amends or contravenes Presidential
Directive/NSC-24.
Presidential Directive/NSC-53 is hereby superseded and canceled.
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