Mobile SCIF Solutions: When Your Secure Facility Needs to Move
Physically moving a mobile SCIF? That’s easy. The tricky part is planning ahead to make sure the facility’s security is not compromised while it’s on the move.
Some SCIFs are made to be mobile. For example, UMI’s JAMS facilities can be easily moved with a forklift.
One of the benefits of having a mobile SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) is that when a client’s project or program relocates, their secure facility can tag along. Practically speaking, it is easy to move a mobile SCIF—it’s the preparation for the move that can be time consuming.
The mobile SCIF’s new site must be ready before it arrives, and transportation needs to be arranged in advance to physically move it. Security cannot be compromised during the move, as any blip in security could present bad actors with an opportunity to compromise the facility.
Though this may sound like a lot to keep track of, planning ahead can save clients time and stress—and Universal Modular Inc. (UMI) can help.
When Do Mobile SCIFs Need to Move?
Both commercial and government clients may encounter circumstances in which their mobile SCIF needs to move. For commercial clients, an expiring building lease could be the motivating factor driving a mobile SCIF’s relocation. For government clients, a move might be necessary when the program using the SCIF moves from one military installation to another, or expands in a way that requires the entire operation to relocate.
As an example, U.S. military pilots who carry out classified flights need to conduct their mission planning, briefing, and debriefing inside a SCIF for security purposes. Because they often travel around the country completing exercises in different locations, they need a SCIF that can travel with them so that they are never lacking a secure space in which to conduct mission-related business.
While a typical mobile SCIF can meet these needs, UMI’s Joint Airlift Micro SCIF (JAMS) is best equipped to do so, as the facility is fully ICD 705 compliant, easily transportable, and can be operational in about 10 minutes.
Preparing to Move a Mobile SCIF
The same preparation is required whether a client is moving their mobile SCIF down the street or across the country. The very first thing a client must do is notify their accrediting official of the anticipated move. The accrediting official will need to review and approve a client-submitted transportation security plan, which should explain who will be moving the facility, how it is being transported, and exactly how the SCIF will be controlled over the course of the move.
It is essential that the client knows and clearly communicates to their accrediting official what the mobile SCIF’s chain of custody will be as it travels from its original location to its final destination. Any individual involved with transporting a mobile SCIF must be a U.S. citizen, and, in some cases, may need to pass a background check.
A client should create their transportation security plan and send it to their accrediting official several months before they need their mobile SCIF moved. The amount of time it takes to get a plan approved depends upon the accrediting official’s workload and availability.
The U.S. Department of Defense tends to have more flexibility when it comes to the planning process, as some mobile SCIFs used by the military have an onsite security officer who can quickly review and approve a transportation security plan. These onsite security officers understand what the chain of custody needs to be and can even send an armed guard to accompany a SCIF on its journey.
While the planning process can be more regimented for nonmilitary clients, everyone who needs to move a mobile SCIF should be following procedure to ensure that their facility’s security is not compromised as it travels to its new destination.
What the Move Will Involve
Regulations aside, physically moving a mobile SCIF is fairly simple. After the power and communications systems have been disconnected, a forklift can pick up the mobile SCIF and place it on a truck, which will drive the facility to its new location. Upon arrival, the SCIF will once again be picked up with a forklift and set into place, after which the power and communications systems can be reconnected. The accrediting official will need to re-accredit the facility once it is fully operational.
Moving a traditional mobile SCIF is easy—but moving a JAMS facility is even easier. Due to its small size (each unit is 108” by 88” by 90”, with about 40 usable square feet), a JAMS unit weighs under 4,400 pounds and can be easily moved with a small forklift. Every JAMS facility meets or exceeds all ICD 705 requirements, and it can be deployed within about 10 minutes of arriving at a new location.
Why Does Moving a Mobile SCIF Require so Much Preparation?
Before a mobile SCIF is relocated, it is vital to ensure that its new location is ready to receive it. Does the new location need a new foundation poured? Will the mobile SCIF be moving into a warehouse, or will it need wood blocking so that it can be dropped off in the middle of a desert for training exercises?
This is why preparing for the move is so important: The relocation plan needs to be established well before transport so that those getting the new site ready have everything they need to get the mobile SCIF operational as quickly as possible once it arrives. Though any client in need of moving a typical mobile SCIF faces these concerns, the situation is different with JAMS facilities because the units can be simply dropped off at a new location—no site preparation necessary.
To learn more or to get started on a quote, reach out to us.