This Is A Rare Shot Of POTUS Inside A Sensitive Compartmented Info Facility

Updated Jul 3, 2020 3:50 AM EDT

An incredibly unique photo was snapped by White House photographer Pete Souza while President Obama was making his historic trip to Cuba last March . The shot shows Obama and National Security Advisor Susan Rice on the phone inside what appears to be an armored shipping container of sorts with padded walls. The photo was shot as the two discussed the terror attack is Brussels with Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco via secure teleconference. Their location at the time of the photo was the Havana residence of the U.S. Chief of Mission in Cuba. What you are actually seeing in this photo is a glimpse inside of one of an unknown number of operational Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, often referred to as “SCIFs” or “vaults,” that belong to the US government around the globe.

SCIF’s are reminiscent of the famous “Cone of Silence” that was a recurring gag on Get Smart:

SCIFs are basically office areas built to certain government standards so that sensitive information can be disseminated and discussed inside without being heard, seen or intercepted electronically. One contractor who builds these facilities describes them as such: “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (pronounced “skiff”), a U.S. Department of Defense term for a secure room. It can be a secure room or data center that guards against electronic surveillance and suppresses data leakage of sensitive security and military information. SCIFs are used to deny unau­tho­rized per­son­nel, such as for­eign intel­li­gence ser­vices or corporate spies, the oppor­tu­nity for unde­tected entry into facil­i­ties for the exploita­tion of sen­si­tive activ­i­ties.” These facilities are built up to TEMPEST specifications, which are designed to keep sounds, electronic emissions, and vibrations from escaping, and thus potentially compromising what is happening inside.

The White House, embassies, intelligence installations, military bases, defense contractors, and even some non-defense or state related corporations have a need for SCIFs. As such, there is a cottage industry of contractors that build them in all types of configurations and scales.

In recent years, containerized SCIFs have become popular, as they can be transported anywhere in the world and are as close to a plug-and-play affordable option as any. Such a system is what Obama and Rice are using in the photo above. Yet SCIFs also include much larger or even smaller areas, that are custom built or retrofitted as part of a new or existing structure.

For instance, an entire group of rooms, or even a floor of a building—in fact even an entire large building itself—could be a SCIF or could contain a network of SCIFs. At American air bases around the world, large SCIFs allow pilots and aircrews to examine classified intelligence on enemy weapons systems, talk openly with other personnel about classified tactics and capabilities, and even brief and debrief entire missions. On a larger scale, entire intelligence centers and secure server farms can be built as giant SCIFs. Even vehicles can be designed to SCIF standards and containerized war rooms that can be quickly re-deployed around a theatre of combat exist so that commanders can plan battles under high-security . When heads of state travel abroad, tiny modular SCIFs are erected inside hotel rooms to keep spying governments from obtaining critical information.

Another rare shot showing Obama and his advisors in a tiny makeshift SCIF in a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro:

This rare look of a President inside one of these facilities, which is a far cry in terms of austerity from the accouterments of the White House Situation Room or the confines of Air Force One, is a reminder of the steps that are taken to keep sensitive information and command decisions secure. Yet these contraptions can only do their job if the materials and the principals that read those materials, or make command decisions, are inside them when these things happen.

Famously Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had her issues with using a non-government, unsecure server for email, which some classified information, or at least communications of a classified nature, moved through. It was an absurdly stupid and damning choice that could have resulted in severe consequences. Today, the Trump administration is under fire for possibly using private email accounts of their own, and also for the President’s use of an non-secure mobile phone , which is is becoming a major issue on Capitol Hill.

The issue of how the Trump administration handles classified information exploded further into the media spotlight today following photos taken and accounts given of how Trump and his team handled the aftermath of North Korea’s missile launch , which you can read about in detail here . During the incident, aids and cabinet members used cell phones to read supposedly very sensitive documents in the packed and dimly-lit dining room of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Trump himself was said to have read vey sensitive information at the table in full view of the wait staff. Photos were also taken by guests of White House documents. The irony could not be more clear, as the same issue Trump made such a big deal about during the campaign in regards to Hillary Clinton, and rightfully so, is now infesting his own young administration.

Even if a SCIF was not present at the club to accommodate Trump’s national security team, which is highly unlikely considering how long the White House had to plan for being at the location frequently, an empty room with a closed door and decent lighting would have been a far better choice for looking at sensitive documents and for discussing major foreign policy decisions. If these allegations prove true, it marks an extreme lapse in security protocol not just by neophytes into the classified world, but by experienced professionals, that could damage Trump’s credibility when it comes to “being smart” about national security.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2020年7月3日凌晨3:50

去年三月，奥巴马总统对古巴进行历史性访问期间，白宫摄影师皮特·苏扎拍摄了一张极其独特的照片。照片显示，奥巴马和国家安全顾问苏珊·赖斯正在一个类似装甲集装箱的场所内通话，该场所的墙壁内衬有软垫。当时，两人正通过安全电话会议与国土安全顾问丽莎·莫纳科讨论布鲁塞尔恐怖袭击事件。照片拍摄于美国驻古巴大使哈瓦那官邸。实际上，这张照片展现的是美国政府在全球各地众多正在运行的敏感信息隔离设施（SCIF，通常被称为“SCIF”或“金库”）之一的内部景象。

SCIF（敏感信息隔离设施）让人想起《糊涂侦探》中反复出现的著名笑料“寂静之锥”：

敏感信息隔离设施（SCIF）基本上是按照特定政府标准建造的办公区域，用于在内部传播和讨论敏感信息，避免被窃听、窥视或以电子方式拦截。一位建造这些设施的承包商这样描述它们：“敏感信息隔离设施（SCIF，发音为‘skiff’）是美国国防部对安全房间的称呼。它可以是安全房间或数据中心，用于防范电子监控并阻止敏感安全和军事信息的泄露。SCIF 的作用是阻止未经授权的人员（例如外国情报机构或商业间谍）潜入设施，从而防止他们利用敏感信息进行活动。” 这些设施的建造符合 TEMPEST 规范，旨在防止声音、电子辐射和振动泄漏，从而避免内部活动受到潜在威胁。

白宫、各国大使馆、情报机构、军事基地、国防承包商，甚至一些非国防或非政府相关企业都需要保密信息隔离设施（SCIF）。因此，涌现出一批承包商，专门建造各种类型和规模的保密信息隔离设施。

近年来，集装箱式保密信息隔离设施（SCIF）越来越受欢迎，因为它们可以运输到世界各地，而且几乎是即插即用、价格实惠的理想选择。奥巴马和赖斯在上图中使用的就是这种系统。然而，SCIF 也包括面积更大或更小的区域，这些区域可以根据需要定制建造，或作为新建或现有建筑的一部分进行改造。

例如，一组房间，甚至一栋楼的一层——实际上，甚至是一栋大型建筑本身——都可以是一个保密信息隔离设施（SCIF），或者包含一个SCIF网络。在世界各地的美国空军基地，大型SCIF允许飞行员和机组人员查阅有关敌方武器系统的机密情报，与其他人员公开讨论机密战术和能力，甚至可以对整个任务进行简报和汇报。规模更大一些，整个情报中心和安全服务器集群都可以建成巨型SCIF。甚至车辆也可以按照SCIF标准设计，而且已经存在可以快速重新部署到战区的集装箱式作战室，以便指挥官在高度安全的环境下制定作战计划。当国家元首出访时，会在酒店房间内搭建小型模块化SCIF，以防止其他国家获取关键信息。

另一张罕见的照片显示，奥巴马和他的顾问们在里约热内卢一家酒店房间里一个临时搭建的小型保密信息隔离设施（SCIF）内：

总统罕见地进入这些设施内部，这与白宫战情室的奢华或空军一号的封闭环境截然不同，也提醒我们，为了确保敏感信息和指挥决策的安全，必须采取哪些措施。然而，只有当相关材料以及阅读这些材料或做出指挥决策的人员在场时，这些设施才能真正发挥作用。

众所周知，国务卿希拉里·克林顿曾因使用非政府的、不安全的电子邮件服务器而陷入困境，一些机密信息，或者至少是具有机密性质的通信，都通过该服务器传输。这是一个极其愚蠢且后果严重的决定，本可能导致严重的后果。如今，特朗普政府也因可能使用私人电子邮件账户以及总统使用不安全的手机而受到抨击，后者已成为国会山的一个重大议题。

今天，特朗普政府如何处理机密信息的问题再次成为媒体关注的焦点。此前，有关特朗普及其团队如何处理朝鲜导弹发射事件的照片和描述被曝光，详情请点击此处阅读。事件发生时，在特朗普位于海湖庄园的俱乐部里，一群助手和内阁成员在光线昏暗、人头攒动的餐厅里，用手机阅读据称极其敏感的文件。据说，特朗普本人也在餐桌上当着服务员的面阅读了这些高度敏感的信息。一些宾客还拍摄了白宫文件的照片。讽刺的是，特朗普在竞选期间曾大肆抨击希拉里·克林顿的机密信息问题（而且他当时的抨击也无可厚非），如今这个问题却困扰着他自己的新政府。

即使俱乐部没有配备敏感信息隔离设施（SCIF）来容纳特朗普的国家安全团队（考虑到白宫有充足的时间筹划频繁使用该地点，这种情况极不可能发生），一个光线充足、门窗紧闭的空房间也远比这更适合查阅敏感文件和讨论重大外交政策决策。如果这些指控属实，这不仅意味着对机密领域一窍不通的新手，也意味着经验丰富的专业人士在安全规程方面出现了严重疏漏，这可能会损害特朗普在国家安全问题上的“明智”形象。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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