The source document states:
(S) The exercise will begin on 4 May and end on 25 May
(U) Elements of this unit will participate in the exercise
(U) Unit members participating will be Barkley and James
The Security Classification Guide (SCG) states:
(U) Which unit will participate in the exercise
(S) Exercise dates
(U) Participating members of the unit
The new document states:
(S) Barkley and James cannot attend training during the exercise. They must attend before 4 May or after 25 May.
Identify the concept used to determine the derivative classification of the new document.
(Select the best answer)
Contained in
Revealed by
Directed by
Classification by compilation
The correct answer and explanation is :
Correct Answer: Contained in
Explanation:
The concept of “Contained in” is used in derivative classification when the classification level of information in a new document is directly carried over from an authorized source document without any additional interpretation, inference, or combination with other information.
In this scenario:
- Source Document Analysis:
- The source document explicitly states that the exercise will begin on 4 May and end on 25 May, and this information is classified (S) (Secret) according to the Security Classification Guide (SCG).
- It also lists Barkley and James as participating members, but this information is (U) (Unclassified).
- New Document Analysis:
- The new document states:
“(S) Barkley and James cannot attend training during the exercise. They must attend before 4 May or after 25 May.” - This sentence reveals the same exercise dates as the source document but in a different context—mentioning training availability rather than participation.
- Since the exercise dates were already classified (S) in the original source, their classification remains (S) in the new document.
- Application of the Contained In Principle:
- The classification of the exercise dates was already determined in the original document.
- The new document does not infer or compile new classified information; it simply restates or reuses the same classified data in a different way.
- Because the classification level of the dates is directly contained in the original source, it remains Secret in the derivative document.
Thus, the correct answer is “Contained in,” as the classification was determined solely by carrying over the existing classification from the source document without additional inference or compilation.