Defense Security Service (DSS) Glossary of Security Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms

This is an up-to-date and comprehensive glossary of important security terms from the Defense Security Service's Center for Development of Security Excellence. The Defense Security Service (DSS) Security Education, Training and Awareness (SETA) directorate oversees the missions of Education, Training, Security Professionalization, Technology-Enhanced Learning, and Security Analysis and Innovation. The Education Division develops education courses and workshops for DoD security professionals who are advancing their professional growth. This division is responsible for the development of education courses for advanced security studies in support of the Security Profession Education and Development Certification Program. The Education Division is also responsible for facilitating the evaluation of SETA training and education courses for college credit equivalencies. The Training Division provides security training to Department of Defense (DoD) and other U.S. Government personnel, employees of U.S. Government contractors, and when sponsored by authorized DoD Components, employees of foreign governments. The Training Division creates, collaborates and facilitates delivery of quality training across the Industrial, Information, Personnel, and Physical security disciplines, as well as other security related areas such as Special Access Programs. Training is delivered through a variety of formats to include resident courses conducted at the DSS facility in Linthicum, MD, mobile courses delivered at activities located within or outside of the United States, and distance learning courses, audio podcasts and performance support tools accessed online via the CDSE website and Learning Management System, STEPP. The training division also operates the Defense Security Service Academy (DSSA); the DSSA provides security training for industrial security professionals within the Defense Security Service.

Every day, foreign entities attempt to break through our collective defenses to illegally acquire U.S. technological secrets. Our national security rests on our collective success at thwarting these persistent attacks. The stakes are high in the battle against foreign collection and espionage targeting U.S. technology, trade secrets, and proprietary information. Not only is our national security at risk but also our technological edge, which is closely tied to the health of our economy and the economic success of the cleared contractor community. Most importantly, every time our adversaries gain access to restricted information it jeopardizes the lives of our warfighters, since those adversaries can use the information to develop more lethal weapons or countermeasures to our systems.

Preventing such loss is a team effort. The Defense Security Service (DSS) supports national security by overseeing the protection of the nation's technological base and both U.S. and foreign classified information in the hands of cleared industry. The DSS Counterintelligence Directorate seeks to identify and stop those who would unlawfully penetrate our defenses. In this mission, DSS relies on the support of cleared contractor employees and the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities.