Special Access Programs
Special Access Programs (SAPs) are a category of highly classified programs in the United States that involve sensitive information and activities. These programs typically have stricter access controls and are subject to additional security measures beyond standard classified information.
What are Special Access Programs?
The Wikiepdia defines them as follows: "Special access programs (SAPs) in the U.S. Federal Government are security protocols that provide highly classified information with safeguards and access restrictions that exceed those for regular (collateral) classified information. SAPs can range from black projects to routine but especially-sensitive operations, such as COMSEC maintenance or presidential transportation support. In addition to collateral controls, a SAP may impose more stringent investigative or adjudicative requirements, specialized nondisclosure agreements, special terminology or markings, exclusion from standard contract investigations (carve-outs), and centralized billet systems."
Acqnotes has the following to say: "Special Access Programs (SAP) is a compartmentalized source of information that has limited access for selected Critical Program Information (CPI). SAPs are created by departments and agencies and has protocols and safeguards from unintended disclosure that exceed normal (collateral) classified information. A SAP may impose more stringent investigative or adjudicative requirements, specialized nondisclosure agreements, special terminology or markings, exclusion from standard contract investigations, and centralized billet systems. Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) control systems may be the most well-known intelligence SAPs."
Types and Categories of Special Access Programs
Special access programs are usually divided in two types:
- Acknowledged SAPs are SAPs whose existence is publicly disclosed, but the details of the program remain classified
- Unacknowledged are SAPs whose existence is not publicly disclosed and is made known only to authorized persons
Within the US Department of Defense (DoD), there are three categories of SAPs:
- Acquisition SAP: protect the "research, development, testing, modification, and evaluation or procurement" of new systems;
- Intelligence SAP: protect the "planning and execution of especially sensitive intelligence or CI units or operations";
- Operations and Support SAP: protect the "planning, execution, and support" of sensitive military activities.
SAP documents require special marking to indicate their status. The words SPECIAL ACCESS REQUIRED, followed by the program nickname or codeword, are placed in the document’s banner line.
Known types of Special Access Programs:
- Covert Action Programs involve clandestine activities carried out by intelligence agencies, such as the CIA. These programs focus on gathering intelligence, conducting operations, and influencing events while maintaining secrecy and deniability.
- Special Technical Operations (STO) involve advanced technologies and capabilities that are highly sensitive and require specialized expertise. These programs can include areas such as signals intelligence (SIGINT), cyber operations, or advanced weapon systems.
- Compartmented Access Programs are designed to restrict access to specific compartments within a program. Each compartment contains information on a particular aspect of the program and is accessible only to individuals with a specific need-to-know. This further limits access to highly sensitive information within a broader SAP.
- Special Mission Units (SMUs) are elite military units that conduct classified operations, often in support of special operations forces. These units are typically involved in counterterrorism, hostage rescue, intelligence gathering, and other high-risk missions.
See also: Secret Projects
Sources:
- Timothy Good, Earth: An alien enterprise (p. 338). Thistle Publishing. Kindle Edition.
- https://acqnotes.com/acqnote/careerfields/special-access-program
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_access_program