DIA Issues FOUO on Post Series

The Defense Intelligence Agency tried to get a head start on July 16 managing the reaction to the Washington Post "Top Secret America" series, which started running in the paper and on the Web on Monday.

In a For Official Use Only e-mail sent to all its contractors, the DIA warned them the series "is expected to show the relationships between the federal government and its contractors, describe the type of work the contractors perform, and may identify the locations of many government and contractor facilities." It also said any media inquiries should be directed to the DIA public affairs shop to forestall further disclosure of contract information.

I can't understand why this e-mail, sent to me by a DIA contactor and reproduced below, bears the FOUO stamp since it contains no sensitive information -- except maybe an insight into how freaked out the intelligence community is over the Post series.

Here's the full text of the DIA e-mail:

Subject: DIA SITE Teammates: Industry Notice: Washington Post Article - FOUO

The following memo was issued by KAREN BLUM, Head of the Contracting Activity, Defense Intelligence Agency

Notice to Industry Partners

Subject: Potential Disclosure of Contract Information

Early next week, the Washington Post is expected to publish articles and an interactive website that will likely contain a compendium of government agencies and contractors allegedly conducting Top Secret work. The website is expected to show the relationships between the federal government and its contractors, describe the type of work the contractors perform, and may identify the locations of many government and contractor facilities.

Should your management or public affairs offices be contacted by the media, any response must be consistent with your contract. If appropriate, you may also refer media inquiries to DIA' s Office for Public Affairs at (703) 695-0071 or e-mail DIA-PAO@dia.mil.

Since the DIA has more than 300 Top Secret contractors, as the Post reported, and probably thousands doing unclassified or secret work, did the agency really think this e-mail would not get leaked? That's not intelligent.