NIS will advise you of any further action to take and will coordinate other actions with members of the U.S. intelligence community. In remote locations where you cannot contact NIS quickly enough, you may contact field represent- atives of other U.S. intelligence agencies. Contacts With Citizens of Hostile Countries Report to NIS any form of contact, intentional or otherwise, with any citizen of a Communist- controlled country or country hostile to the United States. The term  contact means  any  form  of encounter, association, or communication with any citizen of a Communist-controlled or hostile country. That includes cent acts in person or by radio,  telephone,    letter,  or  other  forms  of communication for social, official, private, or any other reasons. Report to NIS any visits you make to embassies, consulates, trade or press offices, or other official establishments of these countries. Contacts and other associations with citizens of Communist-controlled or hostile countries are not, in themselves, wrong, against regulations, or illegal. However, report the contact immediately so that NIS may evaluate the contacts to protect the Department of the Navy from hostile in- telligence activities. This policy applies to all Department of the Navy personnel, military and civilian, including active-duty Reserve personnel. Suicide or Attempted Suicide If a Department of the Navy member who had access to classified information commits suicide or attempts suicide, the commanding officer immediately reports the incident to the nearest NIS office. The commanding officer forwards all available information about the incident by the quickest means possible. COMNAVSECINVCOM receives an information copy of the report. The report explains the nature and extent of the classified information to which the individual had access. The NIS office receiving the report coordinates the investigation with the commanding officer. If NIS assumes immediate investigative respon- sibility, command investigative efforts are subor- dinate to those of the NIS. Unauthorized Absence When a Department of the Navy member who had access to classified information is in an unauthorized absence status, the commanding officer conducts an inquiry. The purpose of the inquiry is to determine if the member’s activities, behavior, or associations may be detrimental to the interest of national security. If such indica- tions exist, the commanding officer reports all available information by the quickest means to the nearest NIS office. COMNAVSECINVCOM also receives a report of the information. Foreign Travel Persons with a security clearance should report to their security office before performing any foreign travel. Failure to report trips abroad or frequent foreign travel should be investigated. Any  unusual  circumstances  involving  foreign travel should be referred to the nearest NIS office and to COMNAVSECINVVOM. CLASSIFIED MATERIAL Classified material is any product containing information  that  could  adversely  affect  the national security if disclosed without authoriza- tion. Although the Department of the Navy must prevent the release of classified material to the public, it releases as much information about its activities as possible. Therefore, commands only assign security classifications to information as needed to protect national security. When assigning security classifications, avoid classifying information unnecessarily or giving it a higher than necessary classification. If you have reasonable doubt about the need to classify information, safeguard it as if it were classified at least Confidential. You may then request that the original classification authority (OCA) deter- mine if the classification should be changed. The same logic applies to the appropriate level of classification. Safeguard the information as if it were classified at the higher level until the OCA can make a determination. The OCA should make a determination within 30 days. CLASSIFICATION DESIGNATIONS Information that requires protection against unauthorized disclosure in the interest of national security  receives  one  of  three  classification designations: Top Secret, Secret, or Confidential. Do not use the markings For Official Use Only and Limited Official Use to identify classified information. Neither use modifying terms, such 9-14