In defense-industry and aviation circles, workers refer to the existence of two “worlds”: one of which they call the “white” world, and another called the “black” world. The distinction between these two terms is that the “white” world involves unclassified research, development and spending. It is out the open. The “black” world, on the other hand, signifies all the work that is being done in secret.

It’s not an overstatement to describe the black world as a “world.” It is indeed a whole “world,” created by tens of billions of dollars in Pentagon spending on secret programs -- the exact number is, of course, classified, but current estimates put the figure at around 30 billion dollars for fiscal year 2006.

The "black world" is a world with its own massive landscapes, its own corporations and privately-held firms, its own workers sworn to lifelong secrecy, its own engineers, pilots, accountants, mail deliverers, garbage collectors, and truck drivers. It is a landscape produced through secrecy and compartmentalization.

Components of this project include:

Expeditions
Restricted Area
Code Names
Limit-Telephotography