TSSCI Clearance
Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) is a security clearance level in the United States that grants access to highly classified information beyond standard Top Secret clearance. The SCI designation indicates information is compartmented into specific programs or intelligence sources, with access granted only on a strict need-to-know basis. TS/SCI clearance requires extensive background investigations and represents one of the highest levels of security clearance granted to US government personnel and contractors.
Fast Walker Program Access
Bob Fish, who held TS/SCI clearance as a program manager for classified US government advanced communications systems, described having lunch with Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite operators in a cafeteria at a highly classified organization in El Segundo, California. Fish noted that no one could enter the cafeteria without TS/SCI clearance, emphasizing this was "not a lightweight group of gossipers."
The TS/SCI requirement for DSP personnel access indicates that Fast Walker detection data and satellite operations are among the most highly compartmented programs in the US military space enterprise. Standard Top Secret clearance is insufficient — personnel must have additional compartmented access to work with DSP detection records.
Compartmentation and Need-to-Know
The SCI component means that even among those with Top Secret clearance, only individuals with specific program access and demonstrated need-to-know can view Fast Walker data. This compartmentation structure allows the government to maintain tight control over who can access satellite detection records of anomalous objects, limiting disclosure even within classified channels.
Significance for UAP Secrecy
The TS/SCI protection of DSP Fast Walker data explains why FOIA requests from John Greenewald, Barry J. Greenwood, and others have been categorically denied. The information is not just classified — it's compartmented into specific SCI programs that fall under the most restrictive disclosure protocols available under Executive Order 13526.
Fish's testimony that cleared DSP personnel openly discussed Fast Walker detections among themselves (within the TS/SCI-protected facility) suggests the phenomenon is well-known and regularly observed within these compartmented programs, even as public disclosure remains impossible through official channels.