PROCEDURES FOR STRATEGIC WARNING NOTICES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91M00696R000200030010-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 3, 2004
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: January 2, 1976
• Content Type: NOTES

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2 January 1976
NOTE FOR: NIO/SA
NIO/SP
NIO/USSR
NIO/CF
NIO/CH
NIO/JP
SUBJECT : Procedures for Strategic Warning Notices
Attached for your consideration is a draft procedure
prepared by the Strategic Warning Staff following
guidance provided by the Strategic Warning Review Group.
You will note that it follows very closely the wording
used in the recently revised "Procedures for Intelligence
Alert Memoranda." Generals 0 and Wilson have
indicated their approval but have asked for our review
since this is a matter of direct interest to the NIOs.
It then will be submitted to the Strategic Warning Review
Group and thence to the USIB for concurrence. Please
forward your comments on this draft to the front office
by COB, Tuesday, 6 January.
Executive Assistant
Deputy for National Intelligence Officers
O/D/DCI/NIO mee
1@ - Addressees
Orig - Strategic Warning Staff Working Group file w/basic
1 - DOC Chrono
25X1
25X1
25X1
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MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy to the DCI for National Intelligence
Officers
SUBJECT: "Procedures for Strategic Warning Notices"
1. The attached draft was prepared by the Strategic
Warning Staff and coordinated with us. Since this is a
matter of direct interest to several NIOs, we would welcome
your comments before we submit the paper to the Strategic
Warning Review Group for review and before we ask for USIB
concurrence.
2. Please forward comments or suggested revisions to
I y ROB, 9 January 1976.
25X1
Chief, Product eview Division
Intelligence Community Staff
25X1
SECRET
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Distribution:
Orig - D/DCI/NIO
(w/att.)
1 -
Mr.
Shryock
(w/att.)
1 -
PRD
Chrono
1 -
IC
Registry
1 -
SWS
file
1 -
RJA
Chrono
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AB
Subject
DCI/IC/PRD 1 Dec 75
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PROCEDURES FOR STRATEGIC WARNING NOTICES
1. The Strategic Warning Notice (SWN) is a special report prepared
by the Special Assistant for Strategic Warning (SA) and issued by the
DCI when, in his judgment, there appears to be evidence that the Soviet
Union, the Warsaw Pact, the Peoples Republic of China or North Korea
is considering military action by its armed forces beyond its borders
or is employing its military capabilities beyond its borders in ways
that might threaten military confrontation with the US.
2. The DCI will notify the President and the National Security
Council of the warning notice and take such other action as he deems
necessary. The DCI will also transmit the Strategic Warning Notices to
the USIB Principals for further dissemination within their departments
and agencies. When time is of the essence, the SA may issue such
notices directly to the President and NSC with concurrent dissemination
to the DCI and USIB Principals.
3. An SWN will normally be initiated by the SA or, in his absence,
the Director of the Strategic Warning Staff (SWS). It may also be
proposed to the SA by a USIB Principal, a National Intelligence Officer,
or by any other senior officer of the intelligence or foreign affairs
communities. A proposal for an SWN will be addressed to the SA but
the decision to issue an SWN will rest with the DCI.
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4. Responsibility for preparing an SWN will rest with the SWS,
and it may call on any element of the Intelligence Community for support.
Whenever possible the SWS will coordinate a draft of the SWN with the USIB
agencies and the appropriate National Intelligence Officer (NIO). Any
dissenting views will be described in the SWN. The SA is authorized
to limit or forego coordination when time is of the essence. All
SWNs will note the extent of coordination within the Community.
5. At the earliest possible time, the SWS should notify appropriate
USIB agencies of the decision to draft a Strategic Warning Notice.
When time permits, the SWS should also indicate the source of information
that led to the decision, the extent of coordination being sought, the
amount of assistance desired, and the likely time of issuance. When
feasible, appropriate US embassies and field commands should also be
notified that an SWN is being prepared and their views should be
solicited. An SWN will in most circumstances be a paper which provides
the basic rationale for the issuance of a warning. Occasionally, however,
an SWN may consist simply of a covering memorandum attached to an existing
intelligence document, suggesting in essence that the policy maker should
focus on the situation reported in the basic document.
6. An SWN will also clearly indicate what special actions are
being taken to ensure effective coverage of the situation, e.g., the
initiation of special collection efforts.
7. A supplementary SWN should be issued whenever, in the view
of the SA, the situation has greatly intensified or changed in some
especially significant way. An appropriate advisory should be issued
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by the DCI whenever, in his judgment, events indicate that the crisis
at hand has abated or terminated. Collection efforts arising from the
issuance of the SWN should also be modified or canceled as appropriate.
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