Question · DoW IL5 / IL6

Which DoD Impact Level do I need — IL4, IL5, or IL6 — for my AI workload?

IL5 covers higher-sensitivity CUI and unclassified National Security Systems data whose disclosure could seriously harm operations; IL6 covers classified information up to SECRET.

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AboutDoW IL5 / IL6

Legal forceBinding on DoD components; applies to cloud providers through DISA authorization and contracts

Checked21 Oct 2026

01 / The answer

The short answer

The Impact Level follows the data the AI workload handles, not the model. Under the DoD Cloud Computing SRG, IL4 covers Controlled Unclassified Information; IL5 covers higher-sensitivity CUI, mission-critical information and unclassified National Security Systems; and IL6 covers classified information up to SECRET. The contract or the mission owner's data categorization sets the level. A commercial service then needs a DISA Provisional Authorization at that level, plus the mission owner's ATO. IL4 and IL5 services also connect through a DoD Boundary Cloud Access Point.
DoW IL5 / IL6 · checked 21 Oct 2026

02 / The rule

What DoW IL5 / IL6 requires

IL5 covers higher-sensitivity CUI and unclassified National Security Systems data whose disclosure could seriously harm operations; IL6 covers classified information up to SECRET. Both build on the FedRAMP High baseline with DoD FedRAMP+ controls, and IL6 adds the CNSSI 1253 Classified Information Overlay and dedicated classified infrastructure.

01IL5: implement FedRAMP High controls, DISA parameters and SRG FedRAMP+ controls, plus NSS controls where applicable.
02IL5: separate DoD/federal tenants from non-federal tenants and restrict CSP personnel per the SRG.
03IL4/IL5: route traffic through a DoD-approved Boundary Cloud Access Point, not directly to the internet.
04IL6: apply the CNSSI 1253 Classified Information Overlay on dedicated infrastructure that processes classified data.

03 / Records

Records to keep

01DoD Provisional Authorization at IL5 or IL6
02Tenant separation and personnel screening documentation
03BCAP or SIPRNet connection approval
04Continuous monitoring and annual assessment reports

Optional evidence · where Planisphere fits

Keep a record anyone can check

When your team meets a duty, Planisphere can seal the event it reports as a receipt.

01 · Your teamRecord the event

A disclosure shown, a review signed, a model change approved: the event your system reports.

02 · PlanisphereSeal it

The event becomes a sealed receipt, dated and attributed to whoever is signed in.

03 · AnyoneCheck it

Paste the receipt into Verify. No account or key.

A record supports your compliance evidence process. It is not a legal finding or a certification. Systems that call Planisphere's gate API can also hold or refuse an action before it runs.

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