DA-Notice
Encyclopedia
A DA-Notice or Defence Advisory Notice (called a Defence Notice or D-Notice until 1993) is an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security. The system is still in use in the United Kingdom
.
.
Any D-Notices or DA-notices are advisory requests so are not legally enforceable and hence news editors can, in theory, choose not to abide by them. However, they are generally complied with by the media.
In 1971, all existing D-Notices were cancelled and replaced by standing D-Notices that gave general guidance on what could be published and what could not, and what would require further advice from the secretary of the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee
(DPBAC). In 1993, the notices were renamed DA-Notices.
, there are five standing DA-Notices:
On 8 April 2009, the Committee issued a DA-Notice in relation to sensitive anti-terror documents photographed when Assistant-Commissioner Bob Quick
arrived at Downing Street for talks about current intelligence.
On 25 November 2010, the Committee issued a DA-Notice (types 1 and 5) in relation to sensitive documents expected to be imminently released on the website WikiLeaks
.
starting in 1952 during the Cold War
period and were issued by the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Committee. At the first meeting of the Committee, eight D-Notices were issued covering atomic tests in Australia, aspects of naval shipbuilding, official ciphering, the number and deployment of Centurion tank
s, troop movements in the Korean War
, weapons and equipment information not officially released, aspects of air defence and certain aerial photographs.
In 1974 the number of D-Notices was reduced to four, covering:
A fifth D-Notice relating to the Australian Secret Intelligence Service
(ASIS) was issued in 1977.
In 1982 D-Notices were again revised to four.
The Defence, Press and Broadcasting Committee has not met since 1982 although the D-Notice system remains the administrative responsibility of the Minister for Defence
.
The D-Notice system fell out of common use at the end of the Cold War but remained in force. The 1995 Commission of Inquiry into the Australian Secret Intelligence Service reported that newspapers confessed ignorance that the D-Notice system was still operating when it was drawn to their attention in 1993 and 1994.
On 26 November 2010, Australian Attorney-General
Robert McClelland
sent a letter to heads of Australian media and other organisations proposing the creation of a new system similar to the D-Notice system.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
United Kingdom
In the UK the original D-Notice system was introduced in 1912 and run as a voluntary system by a joint committee headed by an Assistant Secretary of the War Office and a representative of the Press AssociationPress Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
.
Any D-Notices or DA-notices are advisory requests so are not legally enforceable and hence news editors can, in theory, choose not to abide by them. However, they are generally complied with by the media.
In 1971, all existing D-Notices were cancelled and replaced by standing D-Notices that gave general guidance on what could be published and what could not, and what would require further advice from the secretary of the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee
Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee
The Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee is the British advisory body which issues DA-Notices. The secretary is a former two-star military officer employed from a Ministry of Defence budget and is housed by them and the committee is made up of senior civil servants and...
(DPBAC). In 1993, the notices were renamed DA-Notices.
, there are five standing DA-Notices:
- DA-Notice 01: Military Operations, Plans & Capabilities
- DA-Notice 02: Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Weapons and Equipment
- DA-Notice 03: Ciphers and Secure Communications
- DA-Notice 04: Sensitive Installations and Home Addresses
- DA-Notice 05: United Kingdom Security & Intelligence Special Services
On 8 April 2009, the Committee issued a DA-Notice in relation to sensitive anti-terror documents photographed when Assistant-Commissioner Bob Quick
Bob Quick (police officer)
Robert Quick, QPM is a former Assistant Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Service responsible for counter terrorism within the United Kingdom.-Police career:Quick joined the police service in 1978, first serving in Lambeth....
arrived at Downing Street for talks about current intelligence.
On 25 November 2010, the Committee issued a DA-Notice (types 1 and 5) in relation to sensitive documents expected to be imminently released on the website WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
.
Australia
A voluntary system of D-Notices was also used in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
starting in 1952 during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
period and were issued by the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Committee. At the first meeting of the Committee, eight D-Notices were issued covering atomic tests in Australia, aspects of naval shipbuilding, official ciphering, the number and deployment of Centurion tank
Centurion tank
The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
s, troop movements in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, weapons and equipment information not officially released, aspects of air defence and certain aerial photographs.
In 1974 the number of D-Notices was reduced to four, covering:
- Technical information regarding navy, army and air force weapons, weapons systems, equipment and communications systems;
- Air operational capability and air defences;
- Whereabouts of Mr and Mrs Vladimir PetrovVladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov (diplomat)Vladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov was a member of the Soviet Union's clandestine services who became famous in 1954 for his defection to Australia.-Early life:...
; and - Ciphering and monitoring activities.
A fifth D-Notice relating to the Australian Secret Intelligence Service
Australian Secret Intelligence Service
The Australian Secret Intelligence Service is the Australian government intelligence agency responsible for collecting foreign intelligence, undertaking counter-intelligence activities and cooperation with other intelligence agencies overseas...
(ASIS) was issued in 1977.
In 1982 D-Notices were again revised to four.
- D Notice 1: Capabilities of the Australian Defence Force, Including Aircraft, Ships, Weapons, and Other Equipment;
- D Notice 2: Whereabouts of Mr and Mrs Vladimir PetrovVladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov (diplomat)Vladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov was a member of the Soviet Union's clandestine services who became famous in 1954 for his defection to Australia.-Early life:...
; - D Notice 3: Signals Intelligence and Communications Security; and
- D Notice 4: Australian Secret Intelligence ServiceAustralian Secret Intelligence ServiceThe Australian Secret Intelligence Service is the Australian government intelligence agency responsible for collecting foreign intelligence, undertaking counter-intelligence activities and cooperation with other intelligence agencies overseas...
(ASIS).
The Defence, Press and Broadcasting Committee has not met since 1982 although the D-Notice system remains the administrative responsibility of the Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
.
The D-Notice system fell out of common use at the end of the Cold War but remained in force. The 1995 Commission of Inquiry into the Australian Secret Intelligence Service reported that newspapers confessed ignorance that the D-Notice system was still operating when it was drawn to their attention in 1993 and 1994.
On 26 November 2010, Australian Attorney-General
Attorney-General of Australia
The Attorney-General of Australia is the first law officer of the Crown, chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Australia and a minister of the Crown. The Attorney-General is usually a member of the Federal Cabinet, but there is no constitutional requirement that this be the case since the...
Robert McClelland
Robert McClelland (Australian politician)
Robert Bruce McClelland is the Attorney-General of Australia. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of theAustralian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Barton, New South Wales...
sent a letter to heads of Australian media and other organisations proposing the creation of a new system similar to the D-Notice system.
Further reading
- Christopher Moran, Classified: Secrecy and the State in Modern Britain (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012).
- Nicholas Wilkinson, Secrecy and the Media. The Official History of the United Kingdom's D-Notice System, (London: Routledge, 2009).