>Tracy,
>
>>> That piece of paper is in effect for the rest of your life. It is
>>> amazing what the government determines is a national security interest...
>
>Can you give us any examples of the above? ;-)

Neil;

Having been in the Air Force Security Service I can give some examples. You have knowledge of specific defensive or offensive abilities that if divulged could be detrimental to the security of our nation.

More specifically, by category, this could include such things as:

1. How many ICBM’s we have and where they are located.
2. Speed of specific aircraft.
3. War plan scenarios.

The reason I did not reenlist was I could not go home at night and relax with the knowledge I possessed. Some of the scenarios we used in 1967 have been carried out recently. I am sure of what will happen as we explored many different ways to be destroyed and to destroy the world.

My father was a Marine in World War II. He was in many major battles such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. On his discharge it states, “Due to the nature of assignment no information can be released”. This is still in effect.

Sometimes the military and civilian security agencies place too much emphasis on things that we might consider insignificant. The security agencies have an attitude, “Better safe than sorry”.

What did I learn about security? It exists to a degree and is not absolute. If someone wishes to violate security they will. I am just waiting for something nasty to happen and will not be surprised.

Our defense posture until recent years was based upon deterrence. When the USSR broke up our security strategy changed. Instead of having an all out strike against Moscow and other selected targets should we have been attacked, we now have a different situation. We could be attacked by any country or individual in the world or from within our own population. Retaliation is meaningless and only a form of revenge at this juncture.

By the way sometimes the media knew more than the military. That would get the top brass very upset! :)

Tom