Top Secret – SCIF Tents

President Obama using a SCIF tent from a hotel room in Brazil.

Ever wish you had more privacy to make a personal phone call on the run? We’ve all been there.

Imagine what kind of privacy would be needed if you were talking to foreign dignitaries or military personnel about top secret military operations, like the recent one in Pakistan? For moments like that, President Obama, like presidents before him, relies on a special enclosure called a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities) tent. Made from a top secret material, this otherwise humble looking fabric prevents electronic transmissions from entering or exiting the area, and can be erected anywhere the president and his advisors need it.

The tent is surrounded by a ring of electronic waves, designed to scramble communications inside the tent from being heard outside by a listening device or an eavesdropper. All communication is secure, encrypted, and relayed from fiber optics in the tent to secure satellites. Though the specifications are classified, SCIFs are mandated to be totally soundproof and possess an “Intrusion Detection System” to detect break-ins.

The president’s SCIF is guarded at all times, and can require a combination of pin numbers, access badges, and biometric data to gain entry. For more information, click here. [BBC via Gizmodo]