Review of Special Access Program Request

This Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) info memo, dated November 13, 2009, addresses a request from Senator Harry Reid to establish a restricted Special Access Program (SAP) for the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Application Program, also known as the Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification Program (AAITP). The memo serves as a formal response to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence regarding the feasibility and justification for such a classification. The DIA concluded that there was no adequate justification to establish a restricted SAP at that time. The document explains that all program documents produced during fiscal year 2009 were unclassified because the contractor had not yet established a secure facility and personnel were still undergoing vetting. While the DIA acknowledged that some future technical reports might eventually require classification, they argued that the current program deliverables did not warrant the invocation of alternative or compensatory control measures (ACCM) or a restricted SAP. The memo further details that classifying the program by derivative means was deemed impractical, and classifying it by original means was considered inadvisable, as the reports were not produced by or under the control of the U.S. government. The DIA also noted that it was prohibited from classifying basic scientific research unless it clearly related to national security, a requirement they determined had not been met. Finally, the memo addresses Senator Reid's concerns regarding 'highly sensitive, unconventional aerospace-related findings,' stating that these references likely pertained to future phases of the program and highlighted security and counterintelligence concerns rather than current classified material. The document concludes by noting that draft copies of technical reports from the first year were being forwarded to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence for review.