EKMS 1B AMD 8 a. Watch Station Defined: An occupied area which operates on a 24-hour, 7-day a week basis in which responsibility for all COMSEC material is transferred from the off-going to the oncoming supervisor is defined as a watch station. NOTE: (1) For the purposes of this article, submarines in port are not considered watch station environments and will adhere to the inventory guidance outlined in Article 778.c.4. (2) The provisions of 778.c.4 are NOT applicable to surface ships in port not undergoing maintenance/upkeep or where material remains issued to LEs, is accessible to duty personnel and responsibility is transferred through a daily turnover. These units will follow Article 775. (3) To negate the need to perform watch-to-watch inventories, page checks or destruction of COMSEC material when in port for extended periods, it is recommended that Internal LEs (e.g. CIC) not maintaining communications circuits in port or at home base requiring COMSEC material turn the material in to the EKMS Manager when feasible. b. Custody: All COMSEC material held or used to a watch station must be reflected on and accounted for on a watch-towatch inventory. The LE will maintain a local custody file containing the local custody document(s) for all material issued to the LE for the duration set forth in Annex T. c. Responsibility: While on duty, each watch supervisor is responsible for all COMSEC material reflected on the watch-to-watch inventory, regardless of which watch supervisor signed the local custody document for the material. d. Inventory Requirements: (1) A watch station must maintain a watch-to-watch inventory which lists all COMSEC material held (including accountability of resealed segments/material). (2) All COMSEC material will be listed and inventoried by sighting the short title, edition, accounting number, and quantity. Equipment, which does not have an edition may be listed and inventoried by quantity only. If an equipment requiring key is operating properly the keycard/segment may be verified as present in the equipment on that basis. 7-83 EKMS 1B AMD 8 (3) The inventory must be designed to provide a means of the recording dates and initials or signatures of the individuals who conducted the inventory. (4) A complete inventory of all COMSEC material held by a watch station must be conducted whenever watch personnel change. (5) The inventory will be conducted by appropriately cleared and authorized personnel. Watch-to-watch inventories will be signed by both the person conducting the inventory, as well as the witness. (6) Items returned to the EKMS Manager prior to the end of the month reflected on the watch-to-watch inventory will be done using a SF-153 (Local Custody document) and lined out from the date of return on the watch-to-watch inventory and be initialed by two LE personnel. A copy of the Local Custody document signed for by the EKMS Manager and Alternate or Witness, if required will be retained by the LE turning in the material and the EKMS Manager in accordance with Annex T. (7) Although equipment may be listed and inventoried by quantity only, LE personnel must ensure the quantity reflected on the watch-to-watch inventory is accurate. Example: If a local element was issued (3) AN/CYZ-10(V3)s but one failed and was returned to the EKMS Manager, the LE personnel must lineout, correct and initial the quantity field on the watch-towatch inventory. The same principle applies when an increase occurs, if the watch station is issued and is accounting for (4) KG-84Cs but is issued one more, they must line-out, correct the quantity field to (5) and initial the change. Bottom line: All COMSEC material must be continuously accounted for! NOTE: Material not reflected on a watch-to-watch inventory, which includes incorrect Short titles, reg/serial numbers or quantities for material held must be documented as a Practice Dangerous to Security in accordance with Chapter 10. e. Page check Requirements: All unsealed (extracted) keying material, publications, and equipment held by the watch station must be page checked/verified in accordance with Article 757 and Annex W. Unsealed keying material includes: (1) Keytape segment(s) that may have been 7-84 EKMS 1B AMD 8 unintentionally removed from its canister before its effective period and not yet resealed in accordance with Article 772. (2) Keytape segment(s) that cannot be destroyed immediately after use because there is an operational requirement to retain the key until it is superseded. The still-effective segment must remain under TPI if TOP SECRET, be resealed, properly stored, and accounted for until it is superseded and destroyed. (3) Superseded extract(s) or segment(s) of keying material which is awaiting destruction, including extracts or segments which have been placed in a Special Access control container (SACC) securely welded to the interior of a GSA-approved security container. (4) The last copy of a multiple-copy key segment which was removed from its canister and is being held until superseded. If the material will not be destroyed within 24 hours, the material must be resealed in accordance with Article 772 and added to the watch-to-watch inventory. NOTE: Classified COMSEC related publications will be page checked and indicated as discussed in Article 757.e.4. (5) AKAC 874). Key in loose leaf manuals or booklet form (e.g., NOTE: Unsealed material does not include keying material packaged in canisters. f. Discrepancies: Any discrepancies noted (item(s) not accounted for) must immediately be brought to the attention of the chain of command and the EKMS Manager or Alternate, as applicable prior to the off-going section being relieved and may necessitate reporting such as a COMSEC Incident in accordance with Article 945. g. Status Information: Effective and supersession dates for all keying material held by the watch station must be clearly marked on the material in accordance with Article 760. h. Destruction: (1) Destruction of superseded material must be conducted in accordance with Article 790 within the timeframes set forth in Article 540. 7-85