Executive Order 13526 Explained

Executive Order 13526, “Classified National Security Information,” issued in 2009, is the current framework for how the U.S. government classifies, safeguards, and declassifies national security information. It is overseen by the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) at the National Archives.

What it governs

EO 13526 sets the rules for the entire lifecycle of classified information:

• Classification — who may classify, at what level (Confidential, Secret, Top Secret), and on what basis. Only officials with original classification authority may classify, and only for information that falls within defined categories and warrants protection.
• Marking — how classified records must be marked, including the level, the classifying authority, the reason, and declassification instructions.
• Safeguarding — how classified information must be handled, stored, and accessed.
• Declassification — how and when classification is removed.

Limits on classification

A recurring theme of the order is restraint. It prohibits classifying information to conceal violations of law, prevent embarrassment, or delay the release of information that doesn’t need protection. It also sets duration limits — information is generally classified for no more than 10 years unless a longer period is justified, up to the 25-year point at which automatic declassification applies. Over-classification is recognized as a problem the system actively discourages.

Declassification pathways

EO 13526 establishes the three routes by which classified information is released:

• Automatic declassification at 25 years for most permanently valuable records.
• Mandatory declassification review (MDR) on request.
• Systematic review by agencies of their classified holdings.

It also created the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) to decide appeals.

Why recordkeeping matters

The order’s rules only work if classified records are well managed for the decades between classification and review — accurately marked, safeguarded, and findable, with equities tracked so the right agencies review the right information. Sound recordkeeping is the quiet foundation that makes both protection and eventual release possible. See the declassification hub for the pathways in detail.