because of the complex nature (legal and moral)
of the privileged communication statute. An ex-
ample in which the privileged communication
statute would NOT apply will show the complexity
of this issue. If a service member discusses a per-
sonal problem with a Religious Program Specialist
in the barracks because of the RPs judgment as
a petty officer and not as a chaplains assistant,
then the conversation would not be protected by
the privileged communication statute.
Obviously, RPs must exercise caution and
restraint when an individual seeks advice from
them on a personal problem. Guiding troubled
personnel to seek advice from a chaplain is the
best course of action that the RP can take. The
RP MUST be polite and understanding but should
inform these individuals that assigned chaplains
are more qualified and have the responsibility for
pastoral counseling functions aboard the
command.
SECURITY OF
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
In order to become a Religious Program
Specialist, an individual must be eligible for
access to classified information and materials. The
following sections will be devoted to explaining
the basic aspects of the information security pro-
gram within the Navy Department, and the RPs
responsibility in regard to this program.
INFORMATION
SECURITY PROGRAM
National defense policies and procedures for
safeguarding classified information are set forth
in the Information Security Program Regulation
Manual (DOD 5200.1-R). The Department of the
Navy Information Security Program Regulation
Manual (OPNAVINST 5510.1) is used in the
Navy Department to implement DOD 5200.1-R.
As outlined in OPNAVINST5510.1, the specific
responsibilities for the Secretary of the Navy,
Chief of Naval Operations, Director of Naval In-
telligence (OP-009), commanding officers, and
those personnel who are granted access to
classified material are shown in figure 2-6.
The commanding officer has overall respon-
sibility aboard the command for ensuring
compliance with security regulations as outlined
in DOD 5200.1-R and OPNAVINST 5510.1.
Also, each command in the Department of the
Navy which is eligible to receive classified material
must designate an individual as the commands
security manager. This individual must be an
officer or U.S. civilian employee (GS-11 or above)
and will be responsible for administration of the
information security program for the command.
Office of the chaplain personnel (chaplains
and RPs) should maintain a copy of DOD
5200.1-R and OPNAVINST 5510.1 for use in the
Command Religious Program. There may be
occasions when access to classified information
is necessary for the chaplain and/or RP to per-
form certain tasks. These two unclassified security
manuals provide a ready reference to help clear
up problem areas when questions arise concern-
ing security matters.
Purpose of Program
The purpose of the security program is to
ensure that official information of the Department
of the Navy relating to national security is pro-
tected to the maximum extent possible and for a
specified period of time as may be necessary. The
Department of the Navy Information Security
Program Regulation Manual (OPNAVINST
5510.1) establishes the procedures for identifying
information to be protected; prescribes a system
of classifying, downgrading, and declassifying in-
formation; prescribes policies and procedures for
safeguarding classified information; and
establishes a monitoring system to ensure effec-
tiveness of the program throughout the Navy.
Basically, the security program deals with the
safeguarding of information that should not be
allowed to fall into the hands of foreign govern-
ments because of the danger that such informa-
tion might be used to the detriment of the United
States. Information may be compromised through
careless talk, through actual subversion by enemy
agents, by careless handling of classified material,
and in various other ways. In order to help en-
sure that the office of the chaplain does its part
in protecting classified material, the RP needs to
develop sound security habits as a matter of
routine.
Security Definitions
There are many terms which are used in regard
to classified material. The following list was ex-
tracted from OPNAVINST 5510.1. RPs should
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