Patent Secrecy Orders // Intelligence Dossier

01 Executive_Summary

USPTO Invention Secrecy Act statistics show a MASSIVE SPIKE in classified patent secrecy orders in FY2024. Total secrecy orders in effect: FY21=5,976, FY22=6,057, FY23=6,155, FY24=6,471, FY25=6,543. New secrecy orders by sponsoring agency (FY23): Navy 55 (44%), Air Force 43 (34.4%), Army 17 (13.6%), DOE 7 (5.6%). CRITICAL: Type 2 (classified/classifiable) secrecy orders spiked from 8 in FY23 to 94 in FY24 — an 11.75x increase. Type 2 is the most restrictive type — the invention itself is classified. This spike is consistent with a program going classified around FY2024. Navy and Air Force dominate (78% of all orders) — the same organizations that fund CFR (Air Force/Lockheed) and Pais patents (Navy). McGuire's patent filings stopped in 2019 — consistent with either genuine cancellation or a secrecy order. If a secrecy order was imposed on post-2019 applications, the patents would not appear in public records.

03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence

Overview

Entity Type: Program — Patent Secrecy Orders is a government or defense program/initiative.

Network Relationships

Patent Secrecy Orders connects to 3 entities in the intelligence network:

Assessments (1):

← McGuire 2026 Status: Patent filings stopped 2019 — secrecy order?

Events (1):

→ Skunk Works® CFR Program: Air Force sponsors 34% — CFR patents?

Persons (1):

→ Dr. Salvatore Pais: Navy sponsors 44% of secrecy orders — Pais patents?

Source Documents

Intelligence derived from 4 source documents:

FAS — Invention Secrecy Statistics (sgp.fas.org/othergov/invention/stats.html)
governmentattic.org — USPTO Statistics on Patent Secrecy Orders 2024
USPTO — MPEP Chapter 120 (Secrecy Orders)
35 USC 181 — Secrecy of certain inventions

07 Key_Findings

▸ Entity Type: Program — Patent Secrecy Orders is a government or defense program/initiative.

▸ ← McGuire 2026 Status: Patent filings stopped 2019 — secrecy order?

▸ → Skunk Works® CFR Program: Air Force sponsors 34% — CFR patents?

▸ → Dr. Salvatore Pais: Navy sponsors 44% of secrecy orders — Pais patents?

▸ FAS — Invention Secrecy Statistics (sgp.fas.org/othergov/invention/stats.html)

10 FAQ

What is Patent Secrecy Orders? ▾

What is Patent Secrecy Orders connected to? ▾

Patent Secrecy Orders is connected to 3 related entities in the intelligence network, including McGuire 2026 Status, Dr. Salvatore Pais, Skunk Works® CFR Program. These connections are documented through shared source documents, co-occurrence in research findings, and network graph relationships.

What source documents are available for Patent Secrecy Orders? ▾

4 source documents are available in the research archive, including primary source PDFs from defense research collections. These documents provide the evidentiary basis for the intelligence assessment.

What does the deep dive analysis reveal about Patent Secrecy Orders? ▾

The deep dive intelligence assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of Patent Secrecy Orders, covering strategic role, network connections, and operational significance. The analysis is derived from 4 primary source documents and cross-referenced with the network graph.

Patent Secrecy Orders