DOE Director, Office of Classification

The DOE Director, Office of Classification operates as the sole authority governing Restricted Data (RD) and Formerly Restricted Data (FRD) determinations under the Atomic Energy Act. Positioned within the broader structure of the Department of Energy (DOE), this office administers the federal government's classification policies regarding nuclear weapons design, special nuclear material production, and sensitive nuclear energy research. Unlike standard national security information governed by Executive Orders, RD classification mandates that information is born classified until an explicit evaluation and formal Declassification action is executed by the Director. This statutory framework ensures strict compartmentalization of energy-related defense research, high-energy physics, and advanced materials engineering. The office coordinates closely with interagency defense bodies, such as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, to delineate boundaries between conventional military advancements and restricted energy technologies. By establishing binding classification guides, the Director maintains decisive control over intellectual property, experimental datasets, and defense-related scientific publications across national laboratories and affiliated aerospace contractors.