How does DoD 5200.48 align with NIST or other standards?

• A. It aligns with ISO-9001.
• B. It directs safeguarding aligned with government-wide policies and commonly aligns with NIST guidance for information security.
• C. It aligns with internal DoD standards only.
• D. It conflicts with NIST standards.

Answer: (B)

DoD 5200.48 is designed to safeguard DoD information by aligning its requirements with government-wide policies and commonly mirroring NIST guidance for information security. In practice, this means the directive structures protections—such as access controls, labeling, handling, incident reporting, physical security, and personnel security—around established federal standards, often mapping to NIST Special Publications and the NIST Risk Management Framework. This alignment ensures DoD practices are consistent with civilian federal security expectations, supports compliance with policy drivers like FISMA, and promotes interoperability across agencies. It’s not about ISO-9001, which covers quality management rather than information security, and it isn’t limited to internal DoD standards; the intent is to harmonize with widely used standards to maintain a coherent security posture. Consequently, DoD 5200.48 complements and follows NIST guidance rather than conflicting with it, providing DoD-specific safeguards that still fit within the broader federal security framework.