Reform
Postings in this Category
In July, the Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) issued an important directive. The directive said that all Intelligence Community analysts “should leverage outside expertise as part of their work” to “explore ideas and alternative perspectives, gain new insights, generate new knowledge, or obtain new information.”
The directive is important because security officials and security clearance adjudicators have previously been known to suspend or revoke clearances of analysts who interacted with some outside, non-governmental groups such as those identified in the directive. In their defense, clearance-holders accused of wrong-doing because of such activity may now draw upon the authority allowed under this new directive.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 13, 2008 at 10:44PM |
Comments (0)
The Director for National Intelligence (DNI) has approved issuing the most sensitive, SCI clearances to US citizens some of whose immediate family members may be foreign nationals. The goal is to attract and recruit into intelligence and other positions within government persons with critical language abilities.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 28, 2008 at 03:17PM |
Comments (0)
U.S. Senator George Voinovich of Ohio, member a subcommittee involved in streamlining and modernizing the security clearance process says measured improvements have been made. The number of pending security clearance investigations is way down, but too many federal agencies still do not handle clearance applications electronically.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 17, 2008 at 04:42PM |
Comments (0)
In order for the incoming President to better focus on economic and national security matters, the White House has jump-started processing security clearances for some 100 potential senior advisors to Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal reported on October 10.
The White House has been working since the summer to faciliate the security clearances, with a newly-created working group focused on the issue. Some Bush administration national security advisors reportedly were still awaiting clearances when the September 11, 2001, attacks occurred.
The Washington Post also ran the story.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 17, 2008 at 09:57AM |
Comments (0)
The Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) reportedly will launch on September 22 what is being called a social networking website serving the Intelligence Community and requiring a security clearance to access.
Unlike venues such as Facebook, however, “A-Space” will facilitate the sharing of ideas on terrorist threats rather than serve mostly as a social forum.
ClearedCommunity.com is pleased to have been the first online networking site catering to the security clearance community when it was launched two years ago August and is thrilled to see the idea catching on in government circles.
News of “A-Space” was also available here.
Posted by The Editors on Sep 07, 2008 at 08:31PM |
Comments (0)
The Associated Press reported recently that the Department of Defense’s Defense Intelligence Agency will step up its use of polygraph exams to screen new and current employees, while others maintain that polygraphs are an unreliable fix to a broken security clearance process. One problem: personnel are rarely allowed an opportunity to challenge a polygraph exam’s findings.
The AP story was also available here.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 28, 2008 at 12:18PM |
Comments (0)
An indication of increased public attention to the need for reforms in the security clearance process, an upcoming security industry conference in Atlanta will include a first-ever session. titled, “Transforming the U.S. Government Security Clearance Process.”
Another session will cover Office of Personnel Management background investigations.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 26, 2008 at 10:42PM |
Comments (0)
Ronald Sanders, Associate Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital, reportedly plans to help Arab, Chinese, and other ethnic Americans “manage the security clearance process” in order to bring into the Intelligence Community more people with a native understanding of foreign cultures and languages.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 20, 2008 at 02:03PM |
Comments (0)
To avoid newly-hired personnel from changing their minds about taking Federal jobs because of lengthy security clearance processing delays, some Federal agencies reportedly have created interim job centers where employees begin work without their full clearances.
While intelligence agencies still are blessed with tens of thousands of applications each year, the lengthy security clearance process associated with bringing in new hires is still a major obstacle. As a result, agencies have established interim job centers to allow employees awaiting security clearance to perform unclassified work until their background investigation is complete….
Posted by The Editors on Aug 10, 2008 at 05:03PM |
Comments (1)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released its most recent testimony to Congress on multi-agency security clearance reform efforts. The report number is GAO-08-1050T, to help locate the report on the GAO’s website if the link above expires. A copy was also available here.
At least cne Democratic House member expressed disappointment about reform efforts.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 31, 2008 at 04:33PM |
Comments (0)
The appointment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) of an ombudsman to handle and report on complaints involving security clearance investigations is one improvement included in H.R. 5959, the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2009, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 16.
The bill now awaits passage of and reconciliation with its Senate companion, S. 2996.
Though creation of an ombudsman is an important positive development, the House bill would limit his or her jurisdiction only to matters involving applications for new clearances, and not include reinvestigations or readjudications of existing clearances or adverse actions taken against holders of current clearances. Additional procedural protections are needed for these individuals as well.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 27, 2008 at 05:40PM |
Comments (0)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has gotten back to a Senate committee with answers to questions posed during a recent hearing on security clearance reform. Read the GAO’s supplemental information here. The report’s ID# is GAO-08-965R.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 20, 2008 at 09:37PM |
Comments (0)
The White House has issued a new Executive Order putting into place new officials and entities to better manage security clearance reform.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 01, 2008 at 01:57PM |
Comments (0)
In a recent story, a newspaper for Army service members advised when it is best to say “no” on the SF-86 federal security clearance application question regarding mental health counseling. The Department of Defense had recently amended its policy about issuing new or renewed clearances to service members known to have sought mental health counseling.
Posted by The Editors on Jun 30, 2008 at 03:55PM |
Comments (0)
Intelligence Community Inspectors General conferred at the Central Intelligence Agency on May 8. The Deputy Director for National Intelligence (DDNI) spoke about security clearance reform.
Posted by The Editors on Jun 08, 2008 at 12:33AM |
Comments (0)
At a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing last week, Senators said the eagerly anticipated, nine-page report to the President on security clearance reform, though appreciated, was nonetheless “skimpy.”
Posted by The Editors on May 29, 2008 at 08:51AM |
Comments (0)
In testimony Thursday before a House subcommittee, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) official delivered her agency’s most recent assessment of coordinated government efforts to reform the security clearance process. She said that those efforts have focused too much on reducing the time necessary to issue new or renewed clearanced and too little on ensuring the quality of the clearance process. She also said that commiting funds specifically for security clearance reforms could ensure better Congressional oversight.
ClearedCommunity.com wishes to point out, however, that many Congressional panels recently, as we have previously noted, have taken up the issue of security clearance reform, and it is unclear whether additional funding intended specifically to boost Congressional interest is necessary. Those with opinions are invited to share them here.
Posted by The Editors on May 24, 2008 at 10:03AM |
Comments (1)
An industry group on May 7 held a half-day seminar near Washington on security clearance reform, timed to the release of a federal report to President Bush on security clearance reform efforts. View the seminar agenda and bios of speakers here. A summary and assessment of the federal report from ClearedCommunity.com is forthcoming.
Posted by The Editors on May 15, 2008 at 11:10AM |
Comments (0)
Lexis/Nexis co-sponsored a half-day seminar near Washington last week on security clearance reform. In a press statement, the company, which is marketing its screening and identity verification solutions, identified several issues on the seminar agenda, including:
- the electronic collection and validation of information early in the clearance process;
- the deployment of automated processes to reduce manual work and accelerate clearances;
- the deployment of modern analytic technologies; and
- continuous ongoing evaluations leveraging automated database checks.
Posted by The Editors on May 15, 2008 at 11:00AM |
Comments (0)
The case of a Lebanese national who acquired US citizenship through a fake marriage highlights flaws in security clearance processing at the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, where she worked for more than a decade, according to an article in Federal Computer Week.
Posted by The Editors on May 08, 2008 at 01:33PM |
Comments (0)
John Brennan, former Deputy Director of the CIA, reportedly is head of the Intelligence and Security Alliance (INSA), a consortium of companies with Intelligence Community contracts that includes security clearance reform among its priorities.
Posted by The Editors on May 05, 2008 at 07:34PM |
Comments (0)
The chief human capital officer at the National Intelligence Directorate said in late March that delays in processing security clearances are making it difficult to recruit enough new workers into the Intelligence Community (IC). Procedures are now in place to allow new recruits to begin work on unclassified projects until their full clearances are approved.
Posted by The Editors on May 05, 2008 at 07:24PM |
Comments (0)
In an article on the security clearance process published this week by Federal Computer Week, U.S. Representative Rush Holt added his name to the list of Members of Congress supporting security clearance reform. He said the system “lacks sufficient oversight.” Meanwhile, a White House official called for “transforming the system.”
Posted by The Editors on May 05, 2008 at 07:11PM |
Comments (0)
The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that, effective April 18, military personnel do not need to disclose mental health counseling issues unless the treatment was court-ordered or the result of a violent incident.
Posted by The Editors on May 02, 2008 at 11:29AM |
Comments (0)
A news article in the Federal Times discussed how reciprocity remains a key concern with regard to improving security clearance processes, particularly at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 26, 2008 at 07:41PM |
Comments (0)
The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) recently completed a survey of 100 contractors to identify concerns regarding security clearances. A common complaint: While the government’s need for cleared private-sector labor has grown, the government’s ability to process clearances has not kept pace.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 26, 2008 at 07:17PM |
Comments (0)
A House subcommittee in February held a hearing on faults in security clearance processing at the Department of Defense (DoD). The subcommittee chairwoman’s opening remarks can be read here. Testimony was taken from a handful of government officials and industry experts, copies of which can be found here (search for “clearance” to locate the February 13 hearing details).
Posted by The Editors on Apr 13, 2008 at 01:55PM |
Comments (0)
At a Senate hearing in late February, Senator Daniel Akaka expressed concern about the security clearance process, adding his name to the growing list of Federal legislators informed about and interested in the issue.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 13, 2008 at 01:41PM |
Comments (0)
In testimony before a House subcommittee in mid-March, Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director Wayne Murphy said that among issues being considered by an Interagency Threat Assessment Coordinating Group (ITACG) is how to equip in a more timely manner state and local law enforcement officers with security clearances. Wayne testimony is available here, on the subcommittee’s website.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 13, 2008 at 01:24PM |
Comments (0)
In March, leaders of a key House panel called upon the Government Accountability Office to evaulate security clearance processes in the Intelligence Community, including the Director of National Intelligence’s pilot program on security clearance reform.
The move is especially significant because GAO reports thus far on security clearance processing have been limited mostly to the Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense, while sensitive agencies in the Intelligence Community (i.e. CIA, FBI, NSA) have enjoyed relative independence and little oversight of their security clearance procedures and policies.
(Hat tip: Secrecy News)
Posted by The Editors on Apr 13, 2008 at 12:02AM |
Comments (0)
Congressman J. Randy Forbes of Virginia issued this statement at a hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness at which security clearance reforms were discussed. Forbes criticized the speed and quality of clearance processsing and suggested that additional funding would lead to improvements.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 12, 2008 at 11:56PM |
Comments (0)
Further demonstrating the increased interest in Congress about problems affecting the security clearance process, yet another House panel, an Intelligence subcommittee, on February 27, held a hearing on the issue. Read the chairwoman’s opening statement here. No other documents pertaining to the hearing were found on the committee’s website.
Read media coverage of the hearing here.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 11, 2008 at 12:51PM |
Comments (0)
On April 1, a House Judiciary subcommittee discussed the problem of members of the U.S. armed forces losing their security clearances due to financial distress, often the result of popular, high interest, payday loans. A video webcast and copies of testimony are available on the subcommittee’s website.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 11, 2008 at 12:38PM |
Comments (0)
On April 9, an industry representative testified before a House subcommittee about security clearance reform efforts. He said an industry group called the Security Clearance Reform Coalition has 17 specific recommendations to improve security clearance processing. Find a summary of his remarks here. Full copies of witness testimony can be found on the subcommittee’s website.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 11, 2008 at 12:24PM |
Comments (0)
On May 7, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), which participates in the Security Clearance Reform Coalition, will host a half-day conference on security clearance reform near Washington, DC. Click here for more info.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 11, 2008 at 12:19PM |
Comments (0)
On April 2, Congressman Jerry Lewis of California questioned Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda Springer about security clearance reforms during a hearing of a House Appropriations subcommittee. OPM processes most lower-level federal security clearances and participates in a multi-agency federal group charged with reforming the security clearance process.
Unfortunately, no transcript of the hearing is available on the subcommittee’s website, but Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Transcriptions covered the session and a transcript should be available through your local library.
Click “Read More” (below) for highlights:
Posted by The Editors on Apr 11, 2008 at 11:53AM |
Comments (0)
The GAO has issued a report summarizing recent testimony before Congress on the status of security clearance reforms and Department of Defense clearance procedures, in particular.
There is not much new here, but what’s written is a helpful reminder of some of the ongoing challenges and initial attempts at reform, such as a multi-agency federal coordinating body, whose initial report is due to the President on April 30.
The GAO’s testimony highlighted that security clearance delays continue to add to costs and risks, as industry personnel often cannot begin work promptly or work on classified matters with outdated clearances.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 10, 2008 at 11:44AM |
Comments (0)
The Government Accountability Office has issued a letter
responding to several questions asked during a recent hearing before a congressional subcommittee. Among the letter’s highlights:
- The GAO emphasizes the need to build more quality and quality monitoring into the clearance process, relating to the thoroughness of clearance investigations;
- Calls for a long-term commitment, across five areas, to improve the security clearance process;
- Government agency statistics on clearance processing timeliness are unreliable;
- The Government needs, but does not currently have, a database that records statistics on the reciprocity of clearances across Federal agencies.
Posted by The Editors on Mar 29, 2008 at 10:41AM |
Comments (0)
On February 13, the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness held a hearing on Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance processing. Testifying were officials from DoD, the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Personnel Management, and Lockheed Martin Corporation. An audio transcript of the hearing is available on the committee’s website.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 23, 2008 at 04:12PM |
Comments (0)
A February 15 article (subscription required) in the Wall Street Journal reports some of the steps companies are taking to avoid the long wait times required for employees to acquire security clearances necessary for some government and military contracting work. Some large companies are acquiring smaller ones who already employee persons with security clearance. Expensive government programs are being delayed while employees sit idle or are assigned other duties.
According to a government report, in the first quarter of 2008, it took 118 days to process 80 percent of security clearances, compared to 106 days in the previous year.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 23, 2008 at 04:00PM |
Comments (0)
A February 19 article in the Washington Post addressing progress in speeding processing for new and renewed security clearances identifies how long it’s currently taking to complete some investigations.
Most clearances currently require 118 days, but according to a 2004 law passed by Congress, must require as few as 74 days by 2009.
Defense contractors wait, on average, 151 days for a new security clearance and 274 days for renewal of a top-secret clearance.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 23, 2008 at 03:52PM |
Comments (0)
United Press International has published a short analysis of President Bush’s recent memo requiring federal agencies to produce a plan for security clearance reform within 90 days.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 12, 2008 at 11:15PM |
Comments (0)
According to a February 7 Washington Post article (registration required), Congressional panels are to hear testimony this coming week on security clearance reform, a topic recently addressed in a memo from President Bush. The Post article adds details about who was behind the release of the memo and why it was issued.
For a list of witnesses scheduled to testify, click here.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 09, 2008 at 11:04PM |
Comments (0)
On February 5, President Bush issued a memorandum to federal agencies requiring that they present to him, by April 30, their plans for reforms of the security clearance process to increase speed and efficiency.
According to testimony given to Congress in May, security clearances continue to be processed at a pace much slower than mandated under current reform guidelines.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 07, 2008 at 12:49PM |
Comments (0)
An article in the January 16 edition of The Washington Independent reviews instances of alleged poor security clearance procedures at the Department of State.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 31, 2008 at 10:55AM |
Comments (0)
According to a Knight Ridder article (subscription required) published on October 23, 2007, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is now requiring that new screeners successfully complete a criminal background check and a terrorist database search prior to receiving a federal security clearance necessary for employment.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 29, 2008 at 05:07PM |
Comments (0)
The U.S. Senate has approved the Federal Employees Protection of Disclosures Act), legislation protecting the security clearance of Federal employees who reveal government waste, fraud, and abuse.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 29, 2008 at 04:40PM |
Comments (0)
In an interview published in the January 21 edition of the New Yorker, summarized here and in this column on page B5 of the January 14 Wall Street Journal, Mike McConnell is reported to have suggested that closer monitoring of Intelligence Community employees’ activities could shorten background checks.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 15, 2008 at 10:21AM |
Comments (0)
A new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report examines the use of the polygraph (lie detector) test by the Department of Energy (DOE). CRS discusses DOE use of the exam for both counterintelligence and employment screening purposes and reviews scientific evidence in support of and against the use of polygraphs.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 29, 2007 at 11:57AM |
Comments (0)
A closer look at the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) latest report on security clearance reform is especially notable for recommending ways to quantify reforms beyond simply measuring wait-times for clearance approvals. GAO says that greater confidence in the “quality” of the clearance process is necessary, in part to “achieve fuller reciprocity” – that is, mutual acceptance of clearances across federal agencies. This is welcome news to those who support a more accountable and transparent security clearance process.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 24, 2007 at 12:33PM |
Comments (0)
At least two major defense/IT contractors to the Federal government feel that there has been no significant improvement in security clearance processing times, according to a November 12 report in Washington Technology.
‘I don’t think that it’s easing up much,’ said a representative of government contractor SRA, ‘but I don’t think it’s any worse. It’s something that we live with and work with.’
Another contractor, CSC says it is “not experiencing major delays in the clearance pipeline because the company understands the process and the time involved.”
Posted by The Editors on Dec 20, 2007 at 04:51PM |
Comments (1)
In testimony scheduled to be heard by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence this week but delayed by other House business, Kathy Dillaman, Associate Director of the Office of Personnel Maanagement’s Federal Investigative Services Divison, planned to release new figures on delays in processing federal security clearances.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 20, 2007 at 03:21PM |
Comments (0)
In a fresh report to the House Select Committee on Intelligence, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends additional steps to consider that may short wait-times for initial and renewed security clearances. Among its recommendations: first determining whether a clearance is necessary for one to do his/her job and, if so, what level of clearance is sufficient. The report notes that Top Secret clearances require ten times as much time and money to process as Confidential- or Secret-level clearances.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 20, 2007 at 03:06PM |
Comments (0)
The U.S. Senate has passed S. 274, the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosure Act, which ClearedCommunity.com first reported on here in July.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 20, 2007 at 01:00PM |
Comments (0)
Following up on a story ClearedCommunity.com first posted last April, the Department of Energy (DOE) will expand drug testing of federal and contract employees with clearances, according to an October 22 article in Inside Energy.
In a September 14 memorandum to senior DOE officials, [DOE Secretary] Bodman required drug tests when employees apply for security clearances, as well as random tests and for-cause checks once employees have received their clearances. In addition, he prohibited DOE from issuing security clearances to applicants whom the department determines have used illegal drugs during the previous year.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 09, 2007 at 11:21AM |
Comments (0)
Shortening the amount of time it takes to process new security clearances remains a priority for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), according to an article in Government Executive. One quick fix is for newly-hired employees to be assigned unclassified work until clearance investigations are completed.
The new plan also seeks to reform the hiring and security clearance process by allowing job candidates to work temporary unclassified jobs while they’re waiting for clearances and investigations to be completed. “That way, we’re not losing candidates due to the extensive processing time,” one intelligence official said.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 27, 2007 at 10:47PM |
Comments (0)
Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), reportedly has boosted staff to process more efficiently security clearances for its employees.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 25, 2007 at 01:36PM |
Comments (0)
An industry professional tells Federal Computer Week that security clearance restrictions hinder the government’s ability to grow a more ethnically-diverse workforce.
“Right now, getting someone cleared who is a first-generation American is really hard. If you are going to improve the representation of various employees, they need to change security clearance requirements.”
This month, the National Academic of Sciences said that a “significant and steady infusion of foreign nationals” was necessary to maintain U.S. scientific research and development talent.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 25, 2007 at 01:06PM |
Comments (0)
The minutes of the May meeting of the National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee in Washington reveal useful metrics of progress made in security clearance processing. The minutes also restate mandated federal guidelines for clearance processing times.
Other sections of the minutes address reciprocity issues affecting a cleared employees ability to efficiently move across agencies.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 25, 2007 at 12:30PM |
Comments (0)
A recent article in the Federal Times reveals disputes among government and industry experts over progress the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has made in reducing processing times for security clearances. OPM claims delays will be virtually eliminated by 2009 while industry experts assert that OPM is neglecting to include in its calculations thousands of clearance reinvestigations that remain incomplete.
“We’re finally seeing the results of years’ worth of work,” said Kathy Dillaman, associate director of OPM’s Federal Investigative Services.
“OPM is painting a rosier picture than reality demands,” said Trey Hodgkins, vice president for federal government programs at the Information Technology Association of America. OPM’s statistics on the length of investigations are meaningless if they do not include reinvestigation figures, he said. OPM is boosting its results by finishing only the easy cases.
Apparently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which audited security clearance processing for Congress, agrees notable progress has been made and has asked Congress to request that GAO follow up.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 25, 2007 at 12:19PM |
Comments (0)
According to a June article in National Defense, there is concern in academic and government circles that universities are graduating too few scientists and engineers who have the qualifications necessary to acquire federal security clearances, putting at risk our nation’s technological advantage in sectors such as national defense.
“There is a long-term downward trend in defense-relevant science and engineering degrees at all levels awarded to personnel who could qualify for the security clearances,” says William S. Rees, Jr., deputy undersecretary of defense for laboratories and basic sciences.
A new Department of Defense program awaiting approval by Congress would fund university faculty who pursue military-related research, with participants cleared at the Secret level.
(If the above link to the article does not work, try here.)
Posted by The Editors on Oct 25, 2007 at 11:33AM |
Comments (0)
In statistics recently reported to Congress by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Department acknowledged issuing thousands of security clearances despite indications of past drug use, including 95 where such use occurred within the last 12 months. Read more here. ClearedCommunity.com first reported on the story last April.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 24, 2007 at 11:57PM |
Comments (0)
A September article in National Defense cites a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report that said that state and local law enforcement officers (LEOs) are receiving federal security clearances more expeditiously but that a lack of trust still exists. ClearedCommunity.com most recently reported on delay or denial of security clearances for state and local officials here and here.
The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (H.R. 1), which President Bush signed into law in August, contained a provision allowing for expedited processing of security clearance for individuals assigned to new intelligence fusion centers staffed jointly by federal, state, and local officials.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 24, 2007 at 11:43PM |
Comments (0)
In a recent editorial, an executive at LexisNexis argues that employing risk management tactics could speed security clearance processing.
The security clearance backlog can be addressed immediately by leveraging commercial technology, analytics and data in four pivotal areas:
Electronic verification of information on applicants’ Standard Form 86;
Risk segmentation and pre-investigation of applicants for more effective allocation of investigative resources;
Case management software to enhance the monitoring and visibility of investigations;
A persistent reinvestigation process that can be triggered by automatically flagging high-risk or derogatory information contained in public and government records.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 24, 2007 at 11:32PM |
Comments (0)
The Military Lending Act, which reportedly took effect October 1, protects military personnel who hold security clearances from losing those clearances as a result of taking on debt from high-interest loans. The law limits interest charged on such loans. ClearedCommunity.com first noted last June that military personnel who had accumulated too much debt were losing their clearances. Under Adjudication Guidelines, security clearance-granting authorities may question whether persons with unreasonable amounts of debt are more susceptible to bribes and more likely to compromise classified information, and may deny clearance.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 24, 2007 at 11:06PM |
Comments (0)
In October, the security firm Kroll announced it won a contract to expand its role in conducting security clearance investigations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Kroll already performs such a function for DHS’s Transportation Security Agency, where clearance processing is facing long delays, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Kroll’s exact role in security clearance processing was not specified. Outsourcing clearance investigations is part of efforts to expedite the clearance process. Other contractors have won similar DHS work.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 24, 2007 at 10:22PM |
Comments (0)
A section of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (H.R. 2082) would allow the Secretary of Defense to permit the Director of the National Geospacial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to use contractor personnel in investigations and adjudications of security clearances.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 24, 2007 at 09:31PM |
Comments (0)
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reportedly will try electronic transfer as a means to speed security clearance processing. In a pilot program to begin before October 1, OPM will electronically submit completed investigations to the Army security office for adjudication. The measure is expected to cut up to two weeks off security clearance processing time, helping facilitate meeting deadlines set by Congress.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 22, 2007 at 08:42AM |
Comments (0)
The Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies which conduct security clearance investigations often rely upon Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) field offices in some 60 U.S. cities to conduct parts of those investigations in local communities where security clearance applicants report to have lived or worked.
A U.S. House of Representatives budget bill reportedly calls for the FBI to receive millions of dollars to “boost field resources dedicated to security investigations.” The additional funds, and the new positions they will create, may help to expedite security clearance investigations.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 21, 2007 at 02:19PM |
Comments (1)
The new director of the National Clandestine Service says that the current security clearance process makes it more difficult to hire minorities into the US Intelligence Community.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 17, 2007 at 11:37PM |
Comments (0)
The US Government has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to industry soliciting solutions to help speed security clearance processing.
According to Federal Computer Week:
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Department and the Office of Management and Budget are seeking ways to meet Congress’ December 2009 deadline for improving the security clearance process.
The RFI reportedly asks vendors to submit strategies for completing 90 percent of security clearance investigations in 40 days and adjudications in 20 days.
Read more here or here.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 15, 2007 at 10:51PM |
Comments (1)
The August 10, 2007, edition of National Journal contains a lengthy assessment of the troubles plaguing the security clearance process. Access the article here or here. Leave a comment about the article below or on ClearedCommunity.com’s ClearanceWatch Message Board.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 15, 2007 at 10:49AM |
Comments (0)
To ease the hiring of special agents and analysts to fill remaining job vacancies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly has amended its policies, for security clearance and polygraph purposes, relating to the use of marijuana.
The change may already or soon apply to other federal agencies as well.
The FBI is only the latest law enforcement agency to amend its policies on past marijuana use. Increasing numbers of departments are reporting problems with applicants being excluded over past pot-smoking, and [are] loosening their standards. Even the drug czar’s office understands…
“Increasingly, the goal for the screening of security clearance applicants is whether you are a current drug user, rather than whether you used in the past,” said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. “It’s not whether you have smoked pot four times or 16 times 20 years ago. It’s about whether you smoked last week and lied about it.”
See also this USA Today report.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 05, 2007 at 07:33AM |
Comments (1)
After criticism in Congress and the media of its request to lift restrictions on granting security clearances to persons who served prison time, use drugs, or suffer from mental illness, the Department of Defense (DoD) is pressing ahead with its case that the restrictions are too prohibitive. Read here for more.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 15, 2007 at 11:05AM |
Comments (0)
In reference to a Defense Department request of Congress for greater flexibility in granting security clearance to individuals with criminal records and other less than ideal personal histories, a blogger recommends allowing federal agencies discretion to grant probationary clearances to persons who may have lost or been denied one previously.
The blogger also address expected wait-times for new clearances.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 12, 2007 at 10:45AM |
Comments (0)
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has announced its opposition to repealing a law prohibiting the Department of Defense from issuing security clearances to former convicts who have served a year or more in jail, individuals who are mentally incompetent, are drug addicts, or have been dishonorably discharged from the military. We first reported the issue here, upon introduction of a House bill seeking the repeal.
The controversy was reported, July 10, in The Hill, where statements by various Senators suggested interest in intervening in security clearance issues.
(Hat tip to Secrecy News)
Posted by The Editors on Jul 11, 2007 at 02:34PM |
Comments (0)
In this blog discussion about staffing problems at the Department of Homeland Security, a participant comments that delays in clearance processing make those already possessing high-level clearances more valuable as contractors and less likely to advance as quickly were they to remain in government.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 11, 2007 at 10:39AM |
Comments (0)
A bill (S.274) under consideration in the U.S. Senate would extend whistleblower protections to selected federal workers holding security clearances, at an estimated annual cost of $2 million, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office.
...there generally are between 400 and 500 whistleblower
cases per year. S. 274 would expand the definition of protected whistleblowing, [and] create new
avenues of appeal for employees who lose their security clearances in retaliation for
whistleblowing….
Posted by The Editors on Jul 06, 2007 at 05:17PM |
Comments (0)
Secretary of Defense Gates
reportedly supports a Department of Defense (DoD) Task Force on Mental Health recommendation that applicants for security clearance no longer be asked whether they ever have sought help for a mental health issue.
Too many DOD employees do not seek mental health care specifically because they fear losing their security clearances, Gates said.
The story is also available here and a similar story is here.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 01, 2007 at 09:17PM |
Comments (0)
Critics of the Bush White House say a senior aide should not have had his security clearance renewed while suspected of having leaked classified information.
A more detailed account of alleged careless White House security procedures can be found here, as well as in a letter from Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 01, 2007 at 09:02PM |
Comments (0)
A recent article in the Maryland Gazette discussed obstacles small construction and other companies face to winning government contracts requiring security clearances. The process of obtaining clearance is reviewed, including issues that might delay granting clearance.
Posted by The Editors on Jul 01, 2007 at 08:37PM |
Comments (0)
The Department of Defense (DoD) reportedly is considering omitting from security clearance questionaires queries relating to mental health after finding that service members avoid needed counseling because they believe that getting it – and acknowledging it – could cost them their clearance as well as do other harm to their careers.
However, DoD notes that, last year, less than .05 percent of some 800,000 people investigated for clearances were rejected on the sole issue of their mental health profile.
The story is also accessible here or here.
Posted by The Editors on Jun 18, 2007 at 04:33PM |
Comments (0)
H.R. 2615
, a bill introduced by U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) seeks to revoke U.S. law prohibiting the Department of Defense from granting or renewing the security clearance of any individual who: 1) has been found guilt of a crime and served more than one year in prison, 2) unlawfully uses a controlled substance, 3) suffers from mental incompetence, or 4) was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. military. The existing law allows for a waiver based upon mitigating circumstances.
The Hill, a newspaper covering Congress, reported on the bill here.
Posted by The Editors on Jun 13, 2007 at 09:40AM |
Comments (2)
While it does not discuss security clearances directly, an article in the June 11 Washington Post discusses the reasons for and impact of the Intelligence Community’s over-reliance on hiring contractors. CIA has put in place measures to curtail the revolving door of retirees returning as contractors.
Posted by The Editors on Jun 11, 2007 at 04:43PM |
Comments (0)
In a recent interview published in Signal magazine, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) says that adjudicating security clearances is a roadblock to effective recruitment but not one which cannot be overcome.
Posted by The Editors on May 30, 2007 at 09:27PM |
Comments (1)
The Defense Security Service (DSS), the Department of Defense agency responsible for processing security clearances, reportedly needs millions in new money to continue operations.
The U.S. Government must have new security clearance processing procedures in place by 2009 in order to comply with a new law. A federal committee is examining ways to facilitate electonic transmission of information necessary to complete clearance processing more expeditiously.
Posted by The Editors on May 24, 2007 at 10:20PM |
Comments (0)
A U.S. Congressman has written to the U.S. Secretary of Defense expressing concern about the slow pace of reforms at the Defense Security Service (DSS), responsible for processing DoD contractor clearances. Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) says DoD has not reported to Congress, as required, budget and investigation information needed to help alleviate difficulties at DSS.
Posted by The Editors on May 18, 2007 at 12:15PM |
Comments (0)
On May 17, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee heard testimony from U.S. Government experts on the progress of reforms affecting security clearance processing. Much of the testimony focused on the Department of Defense, where antiquated computer systems are said responsible for delays in completing clearance investigations.
Read news reports about the hearing here and here.
Access transcripts of witness testimony here.
Posted by The Editors on May 18, 2007 at 12:09PM |
Comments (0)
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concludes that an inexperienced investigative workforce not fully utilizing technology mostly accounts for continued delays in processing of clearances for industry personnel at the Department of Defense (DoD). DoD clearance-processing rates fall far below government guidelines and the rates of other government agencies and the Office of Personnel Management, in particular.
GAO reports that “statistics that [the Office of Management and Budget] and OPM report to Congress on the timeliness of the clearance process do not portray the full length of time it takes many applicants to receive a clearance,” hindering congressional oversight of efforts to address delays.
DoD has issued clearances despite missing information—in some cases, pertaining to unexplained affluence or potential foreign influence.
Report highlights are here, and the full report may be accessed here.
Posted by The Editors on May 17, 2007 at 04:50PM |
Comments (0)
Two former Federal Bureau of Investigation employees appealed to Congress not to exclude employees of Intelligence Community (IC) agencies from new protections for Federal whistle-blowers.
National security whistle-blowers often find themselves sidelined, without a security clearance and without a job, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a report.
Posted by The Editors on May 16, 2007 at 12:43AM |
Comments (0)
This student blogs about how government has become a means to acquire clearance and then lucrative employment in the private sector.
Posted by The Editors on May 13, 2007 at 05:48AM |
Comments (0)
Following up on a story first reported on here in April, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) plans to ease barriers to entry for first- and second-generation Americans with critical foreign language skills by taking on additional risk in granting clearances.
How will it happen? Agencies will have to lower their threshold for risk. When a security officer goes out to interview an applicant’s family members, many experts argue that it can’t be an automatic black ball if that applicant’s cousin once worked for a foreign intelligence service…. At the very least, more questions should be asked.
There’s always a fear that “you might let in the wrong person. That’s just a risk you’re going to have to take.”
Posted by The Editors on May 08, 2007 at 02:15PM |
Comments (0)
A veteran Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) officer has won an award for his innovative solutions to streamline background investigations and security clearance processes at the Department, according to a Department announcement.
Some of his achievements: A new program employing family members of Foreign Service Officers abroad to conduct background investigations, and a reduction in the time required to process new clearances from as much as two years to as little as 77 days.
Posted by The Editors on May 08, 2007 at 02:04PM |
Comments (0)
The Federal Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday published in the Federal Register proposed amendments to “clarify adverse action rules regarding employee coverage.” The amendments follow Federal court rulings, first highlighted by ClearedCommunity.com in January, granting probationary employees certain procedural and appeal rights. The issue is important to holders of security clearances because Federal agencies can and do exploit probationary periods to suspend or revoke clearances without challenge.
Posted by The Editors on May 02, 2007 at 02:35AM |
Comments (0)
An article published Tuesday, May 1, by Government Executive discusses some of the human resource challenges facing Intelligence Community (IC) managers, including the need for security clearance reforms.
Today’s competitive job market is defined not by the institution, but by the free agent. The [IC] has become a place where the millennials learn spying tradecraft, obtain a coveted top-level security clearance and then bolt to contractors for heftier paychecks….[I]t could become the career path of choice – break into the private sector via the government.
Posted by The Editors on May 02, 2007 at 02:16AM |
Comments (0)
In a press release, a U.S. Government contractor responsible for investigating new applications for security clearances explains the workings of Catalyst, a new case management system it says will help to eliminate current clearance backlogs.
The release is also accessible here.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 23, 2007 at 10:45PM |
Comments (0)
A blogger with first-hand experience identifies some of the bureaucratic challenges that threaten innovation in the U.S. Intelligence Community. He points out, for instance, that because new clearances can take so long to approve, mid-career professionals experienced in more efficient and effective private-sector ways of getting things done, often tend not to enter government service. Among other changes, he suggests declassifying some work would help.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 22, 2007 at 02:47PM |
Comments (0)
An internal Department of Energy (DOE) investigation, prompted by a recent case where a DOE employee with a drug problem was caught with classified material in her home, has identified nearly three dozen cases of clearances issued despite recent drug use. The DOE plans “sweeping changes…in the issuance of clearances,” according to a Time magazine report. Recent drug use will be cause for termination of a security clearance application.
The Danger Room blog also covered the story.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 21, 2007 at 11:32AM |
Comments (0)
An April 5 report in the Baltimore Sun, also carried elsewhere, discusses the Intelligence Community’s interest in hiring more first- and second-generation Americans with critical skills in language and cultural fluency. At the National Security Agency, some applicants are brought onboard and given unclassified work until clearances are approved.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 14, 2007 at 12:32PM |
Comments (0)
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released the text of a “100-Day Plan for Integration and Collaboration” in the Intelligence Community. Planned reforms focus on expediting security clearance processing and issuing clearance to first-generation Americans with valuable foreign language skills.
GovExec.com reported on the Plan here.
ClearedCommunity.com first reported on the anticipated reforms here, after a speech by DNI Mike McConnell.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 12, 2007 at 10:54AM |
Comments (0)
The Office of the Director for National Intelligence has released the results of the 2007 survey of job satisfaction of Intelligence Community employees. A news report about the survey says that reforms in security clearance procedures include facilitating clearance for first- or second-generation Americans skilled in foreign languages.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 09, 2007 at 10:50AM |
Comments (0)
Margins of support in the U.S. Congress for legislation recently approved by the House that would better protect the security clearances of some Intelligence Community employees who disclose wrong-doing reportedly may be sufficent to override a threatened White House veto. ClearedCommunity.com’s latest Posting on the issue appeared here.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 08, 2007 at 12:14PM |
Comments (0)
Mike McConnell, the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI) reportedly believes security clearance reform, modeled on commercial-sector practices, could save the government time and money, allowing new workers to be hired more quickly and reducing employee dishonesty through better “auditing.” It is not clear from the news report what is meant by “dishonesty” – for example, whether it relates to the clearance application process or post-hire work-related activities – or what “auditing” might entail. McConnell made the references to clearance reform in an April 4 speech, which has been posted to the DNI website.
Posted by The Editors on Apr 05, 2007 at 09:25AM |
Comments (0)
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is responsible for processing the vast majority of security clearances for federal employees, says it is “leading by example” and completing clearance investigations and adjudications for its own employees in record time.
The following is a top-five ranking of agencies in fiscal year 2007, to date, showing the average number of days taken to adjudicate completed background investigations:
National Science Foundation: 15 days;
U.S. Office of Personnel Management : 18 days;
Department of Commerce: 19 days;
General Services Administration: 25 days;
(tie) Department of Health and Human Services: 39 days;
Department of Education: 39 days
Posted by The Editors on Mar 18, 2007 at 03:31PM |
Comments (0)
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has announced its opposition to H.R. 985, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would protect some federal “whistleblowers” from adverse security clearance action for disclosing classified information. ClearedCommunity.com first reported on H.R. 985 here. OMB says the measure would compromise national security, violate the Constitution, and prove burdensome and unnecessary, generating additional “frivolous complaints and wasted resources.”
The advocacy group Concerned Foreign Service Officers supports
the bill. (For a more detailed explanation of the group’s position, visit this section of their website.)
Posted by The Editors on Mar 14, 2007 at 03:11PM |
Comments (2)
A new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reviews changes in the use of polygraph exams at the Department of Energy (DOE). The report, “examines how the DOE’s new polygraph screening policy [which limits instances in which the exam may be utilized] evolved and reviews scientific findings with regard to the polygraph’s accuracy.”
(hat tip to SecrecyNews).
Posted by The Editors on Mar 05, 2007 at 04:43PM |
Comments (0)
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is responsible for processing the vast majority of federal security clearances, has begun to electronically transmit completed investigation paperwork back to requesting agencies, which should alleviate delays in bringing aboard newly-cleared personnel. Read about it here.
Kathy Dillaman, associate director of OPM’s Federal Investigative Services Division, said OPM plans to offer the new service to every federal agency by the end of fiscal 2007.
The article also discusses ongoing Congressional oversight of reforms in security clearance procedures.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 28, 2007 at 11:33AM |
Comments (0)
The Security Clearance Oversight Group, created by the President to study and recommend reforms in the security clearance process, issued its report in February 2007. The report is extremely comprehensive and tracks progress in expediting clearance processing and improving reciprocity across several government entities.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 18, 2007 at 04:46PM |
Comments (0)
The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee has approved for consideration on the House floor the Whistleblower Enhancement Protection Act, H.R. 985. The measure:
- Extends to certain government employees and contractors, including intelligence personnel, protections against reprisal for disclosures of government waste, fraud, and abuse;
- Requires the Government Accountability Office investigate and produce a report of security clearance revocations linked to such disclosures;
- Imposes limits on government agencies’ abilities to invoke the “state-secrets privilege” when denying employees reinstatement of work, clearance, or pay.
Government Executive reported on the legislation here.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 16, 2007 at 09:38AM |
Comments (0)
Yesterday’s USA Today reported that the White House is considering measures intended to hasten the time necessary to process new top-secret security clearances, including easing up on some aspects of background investigations. A committee is deciding whether to no longer require character references and checks with academic institutions for some clearance applicants.
The goal, says Clay Johnson III, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, is to speed up a process that, according to a series of government reports, wastes millions of dollars and endangers public safety by leaving thousands of defense, homeland security and intelligence jobs unfilled for more than a year.
The backlog of incomplete clearance investigations reportedly totals 350,000. Some three million Americans are said to hold varying levels of clearance.
Here is the story covered by UPI.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 15, 2007 at 04:58PM |
Comments (0)
The Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence includes security clearance reform among its top priorities for oversight in the 110th Congress:
The process of granting clearances to qualified professionals remains a slow, cumbersome, and overly bureaucratic process that hinders efforts to create a unified Intelligence Community workforce. The Subcommittee will review the policies and practices that make this system inefficient.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 14, 2007 at 08:31PM |
Comments (0)
H.R. 130, dubbed “The Smarter Funding for All of America’s Homeland Security Act of 2007, introduced by Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), imposes on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) several reporting requirements related to the issuance of security clearances to state and local homeland security officials. The initiative is likely the result of complaints of impediments to cooperation with DHS.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 06, 2007 at 11:42AM |
Comments (0)
According to press, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report highlighting deficiencies in security clearance processing as one of several high-risk areas most in need of reform.
Posted by The Editors on Feb 01, 2007 at 10:35AM |
Comments (0)
Late last year, “recognizing the pervasive role that administrative hearings play in sorting out disputes arising under federal law,” the American Bar Association (ABA) announced that it supported “a number of initiatives in Congress to improve the process of setting the procedural rules for agencies that conduct those hearings.” According to an ABA letter to Congress, those initiatives include allowing parties in “Type-B” hearings, which include cases involving security clearances, to present and contest evidence, require an independent decision-maker to state findings and reasons for decisions, and prohibit ex parte contacts.
The ABA initiative was discussed in an article titled, “Change the Rules” which appeared in the January 2007 edition of the ABA Journal.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 31, 2007 at 09:33PM |
Comments (0)
In an article in the February 5, 2007, Weekly Standard, an American Enterprise Institute scholar argues that “privatizing” the Central Intelligence Agency would improve the quality of intelligence analysis by promoting accountability while easing the shortage of professionals who hold the proper security clearances necessary for analysis work.
Expanding the pool of professionals who hold security clearances would have auxiliary benefit. Not only would it enable more opinion and debate without the costs of salary and pension; but, in the long term, it would also erode the clearance lag…
At present, the CIA spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to screen and train analysts who may leave government service after only a couple of years. Making it easier for the U.S. government to employ such people would increase return on investment.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 30, 2007 at 11:33AM |
Comments (0)
Sections of H.R. 1, a bill on Capitol Hill to implement recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (a.k.a. “the 9/11 Commission”), mandate that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provide for expedited security clearance processing for certain agents of DHS sub-entities, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and detailees to a new Information Sharing Fellowship Program.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 10, 2007 at 04:27PM |
Comments (0)
Citing a surge in new defense contract awards in late 2006, an online employment service for jobs requiring security clearance predicts a boom in demand for cleared personnel. A news article includes statistics on attitudes toward the clearance process and salaries for cleared personnel.
...more than three-fourths of government contractors agreed that the need for cleared employees to work on federal contracts had increased “greatly” (51 percent) or “somewhat” (26 percent) in the past five years…
...But more than half the respondents believed the security clearance process, run by the Defense Security Service and OPM, had worsened (31 percent) or not improved at all (24 percent) in the past year.
Posted by The Editors on Jan 08, 2007 at 04:14PM |
Comments (0)
A policy committee of the National Security Council has released a “program of instruction” intended to encourage security clearance reciprocity – that is, mutual recognition of security clearances issued by Intelligence Community components – by standardizing adjudicator training.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 21, 2006 at 02:50PM |
Comments (0)
A recent news article mentions demand in the marketplace for workers with security clearances and its impact on wages and government contracting costs.
The backlog of clearances waiting to be processed has been widely publicized, as has the recruiting of federal employees to go to the private sector because they already have their clearances.
But this problem increases costs in two ways….
Posted by The Editors on Dec 12, 2006 at 04:16PM |
Comments (0)
According to a November 2006 list of suggested areas for Congressional oversight prepared by the Government Accountability Office, security clearance processing at the Department of Defense warrants close attention.
Of the 26 areas on GAO’s 2005 [sic] high-risk list of federal programs or activities that are at risk for waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement…6 are government high-risk areas for which DOD shares some responsibility. These high-risk areas relate to DOD’s major business operations intended to support the warfighter, including DOD’s overall management approach to business transformation, including…the personnel security clearance process….
Posted by The Editors on Dec 10, 2006 at 05:07PM |
Comments (0)
In a November 8 editorial, the Washington Post addressed government delays in processing new security clearances and argued that it should be possible to speed approvals without sacrificing thoroughness.
...the government isn’t filling positions that require security background checks fast enough—and the delay is costing federal agencies money and talent….
...government contractors…are offering bonuses and perks to lure workers who already hold clearances away from direct government employment, significantly increasing the cost of hiring the same people. Long waits for security clearances also drive away talent.
Some of the best reforms the Office of Personnel Management could make would improve both efficiency and quality, such as retraining a crop of inexperienced new investigators….
Posted by The Editors on Dec 09, 2006 at 05:55PM |
Comments (0)
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and US Department of State have reached an agreement to expedite security clearance investigations abroad using qualified and specially-trained dependents of State personnel as investigators and Department of Defense facilities.
Posted by The Editors on Dec 07, 2006 at 12:57PM |
Comments (0)
With Democratic Representative Alcee Hastings most likely to assume the chairmanship of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, attention is being paid to his alleged ethical laspses and qualifications to hold security clearance, and to procedures used to grant clearances to Members of Congress generally.
Read a blog on the topic and about a law firm alleging a double-standard in issuing clearances on Capitol Hill.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 21, 2006 at 10:46AM |
Comments (0)
An amendment to the SAFE Post Security Act would bar persons convicted of certain serious felony offenses from acquiring clearance to work at US ports. The website of amendment sponsor US Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina has more information here.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 10, 2006 at 11:37AM |
Comments (0)
An article (purchase required) in the October 2006 edition of National Defense, a publication of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), highlights some impediments to a smoother security clearance process.
The NDIA is concerned about new requirements that the Office of Personnel Management process personal identify-verification (PFV) cards, saying this will further delay clearance processing.
Industry also has significant concerns about the impact that Homeland security Presidential Directive 12 could have upon the investigative process for security clearances once. In short, HSPD-12 requires that, by October 27, 2007, everybody needing access to a federal information system or a federally controlled facility must have a biometrically encrypted identification card. This directive applies to government, contractor and subcontractor employees alike. Recently, an interim Federal Acquisition Regulation was published, applying the directive to contracts and subcontracts…
This rule further requires that the procedures use the OPM Federal Investigative Services for the personal identity-verification investigation and the FBI records databases for the criminal background check.
It is the requirement for using OPM that is most disconcerting. Industry is concerned that since OPM, thus far, has had significant difficulty in processing the existing applications for security clearances in a timely fashion, the process will only degrade further once agencies begin to submit applications for PFV investigations.
See a recent ClearedCommunity.com item on the new ID cards here.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 10, 2006 at 11:23AM |
Comments (0)
McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, a Washington, DC law firm, has posted a synopsis of September 2006 revised Department of Defense Guidelines governing adjudication of security clearances.
It writes that the revisions provide increased guidance on the Guideline’s disqualifying and mitigating conditions for determining security clearance eligibility and, in particular, clarify and soften the criteria for evalutating foreign preference and influence.
Among the law firm’s findings:
- The revised Guidelines follow “a significant increase in the number of negative initial determinations for applicants with foreign backgrounds;”
- Disqualifications due to holding of foreign passports have been eased;
- Disqualifications due to foreign contacts have also been eased;
- DoD adjudicators should consider in their decisions “the identity of the country in which the foreign contact” is located and that country’s reputation for espionage or terrorism.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 10, 2006 at 11:05AM |
Comments (0)
Contract Management, in its October 2006 edition, summarized key elements of revised Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance adjudication guidelines. The new guidelines appear to provide some relief for clearance applicants concerned that the “whole person” approach is not employed in adjudication decisions.
Posted by The Editors on Nov 10, 2006 at 10:31AM |
Comments (0)
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has released a new report (highlights here) citing delays and quality concerns in security clearance processing at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Department of Defense (DoD).
Read news coverage on the GAO report here, here, and here. Readers may also find more information on the GAO report in a November 2 Defense Daily article.
US Representative Tom Davis (R-VA), a vocal advocate of security clearance reform, issued a press release on the GAO report. The release is also referenced here.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 30, 2006 at 02:13PM |
Comments (0)
A new, unclassified report issued by the Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) and approved for release via the Federation of American Scientists’ Secrecy Project highlights challenges ahead for Intelligence Community personnel management. The Report touches upon aspects of security clearance reform…
Posted by The Editors on Oct 19, 2006 at 02:52PM |
Comments (0)
Following complains first highlighted on these pages in September, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a report [registration required] in today’s Wall Street Journal, is planning to ease security clearance processing for state and local officials cooperating with DHS on counterterrorism.
We have heard the complaints and are working on fixing the problems, said Michael Jackson, deputy secretary of DHS. Among the changes…are plans to speed up security clearances for local police….
Trouble came to a head over the summer when DHS officials removed a Washington, D.C., police liaison officer from the department’s National Operations Center over a misunderstanding about her security clearance level….
Mr. Jackson said he is confident such issues will be resolved with his department’s hiring of a private company to accelerate security clearances for police officers working with DHS in Washington and elsewhere.
Posted by The Editors on Oct 16, 2006 at 04:09PM |
Comments (0)
The Office of the Director for National Intelligence plans to ease security clearance investigations for selected applicants with foreign contacts. The measure is intended to alleviate delays in security clearance processing.
Glenn Stampler, deputy director for oversight and liaison for the Director of National Intelligence’s Special Security Center, said the stringent background checks are backing up the security clearance process.
Only intelligence offices within the Defense and State departments, which have borne the brunt of these clearance requirements, would be affected by rule changes, he said:
“It’s driving the military crazy,” Stampler said. “They cannot get people cleared fast enough, because people who are stationed overseas marry foreign nationals.”
Also, Foreign Service officers at State have to make foreign contacts as part of their job, he said.
Posted by The Editors on Sep 27, 2006 at 04:25PM |
Comments (0)
A deal brokered between Senate Republicans and the White House on procedures in detainee trials reportedly will allow accused terrorists access to an unclassified summary of classified information used against them.
... while the administration wanted to keep classified information at military trials out of the hands of accused terrorists, senators say they have prevailed in insisting that the defendants have a right to see any government evidence that could lead to a conviction. The agreement guarantees defendants an unclassified summary of classified evidence.
However, the House may pursue a different arrangement that allows cleared officers of a military court access to classified information, thereby avoiding release of an unclassified summary or granting clearance to defendants’ counsel.
“We think on the House side we should be able to bring about convictions without classified evidence that is disclosed to the defendants,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Hunter is pursuing an arrangement permitting an officer of a military court with a security clearance to see classified information and cross-examine witnesses without a defendant seeing the evidence.
Posted by The Editors on Sep 22, 2006 at 05:09PM |
Comments (0)
In testimony before Congress in early September, state officials said delays in acquiring necessary clearances at the Department of Homeland Security are hampering counterterrorism cooperation with the federal agency.
...federal security clearances are not recognized between agencies, and the process for local, state and tribal officials to receive a clearance is cumbersome and frequently takes multiple months or years to complete.
Find more on the story here.
Posted by The Editors on Sep 12, 2006 at 07:47PM |
Comments (0)
The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in mid-July, issued a press release claiming a number of successes in streamlining the security clearance investigations process. Among the listed achievements were:
- Reductions in time required to complete clearance investigations;
- Upgrades to the online Clearance Verification System;
- Expanding the use of contractors to help expedite clearance investigations
OPM said it was “well on our way” to meeting requirements set forth in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
Posted by The Editors on Sep 02, 2006 at 11:28AM |
Comments (0)
In a May 2005 memorandum, the Office of Management and Budget, as directed by Executive Order 13381, allocated responsibilities to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) for strengthening processes relating to determining eligibility for access to classified information.
For more information on Executive Order 13381, visit the ClearedCommunity.com links page.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 24, 2006 at 12:01AM |
Comments (0)
In its Initial Assessment on the Implementation of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reviews initial reforms in security clearance processing and finds fault, on several counts, in the efforts of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The July 2006 Subcommittee report, relevant portions of which begin on page 30, also identifies key reforms mandated in legislation and Executive Orders.
Posted by The Editors on Aug 23, 2006 at 11:38PM |
Comments (0)
The Baltimore Business Journal reports (registration required) on a new Pentagon proposal that may slow issuing security clearances.
Two years ago, the chief executive of the super-secretive National Security Agency was downright chatty when addressing business groups across Maryland about the need to dramatically reduce the time it takes to issue security clearances for defense contractors.
Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden’s candor underscored the pressing need to have cleared professionals in the private sector available to handle a fast-growing workload. At that time, Hayden, now General Hayden, director of the CIA, was blunt about the pressing need to | 