Are EKMS managers' duties considered primary duties or collateral duties?

Are EKMS managers' duties considered primary duties or collateral duties?

• A. Primary
• B. Collateral
• C. Both
• D. Depends

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is whether EKMS manager duties align with the core, ongoing responsibilities of the job rather than being extra tasks. EKMS management involves safeguarding and accounting for cryptographic keys, maintaining the COMSEC program, conducting inventories and audits, following NSA/DoD COMSEC policies, and ensuring secure communications for the unit. These functions are essential to mission success and directly tied to the person’s position and the unit’s ability to operate securely. That direct linkage to the unit’s primary mission makes EKMS management a primary duty, not a secondary or add-on task. Collateral duties are those secondary responsibilities assigned in addition to the main job, usually not central to the unit’s primary mission. While someone in this role might perform other tasks, the EKMS manager’s duties themselves are considered a core, mission-critical responsibility.

The main idea being tested is whether EKMS manager duties align with the core, ongoing responsibilities of the job rather than being extra tasks. EKMS management involves safeguarding and accounting for cryptographic keys, maintaining the COMSEC program, conducting inventories and audits, following NSA/DoD COMSEC policies, and ensuring secure communications for the unit. These functions are essential to mission success and directly tied to the person’s position and the unit’s ability to operate securely. That direct linkage to the unit’s primary mission makes EKMS management a primary duty, not a secondary or add-on task.

Collateral duties are those secondary responsibilities assigned in addition to the main job, usually not central to the unit’s primary mission. While someone in this role might perform other tasks, the EKMS manager’s duties themselves are considered a core, mission-critical responsibility.