Changes Forthcoming in Clearance Reciprocity

July 17, 2006: According to the Secrecy Project of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), “reciprocity” refers to “the acceptance by one agency of a security clearance granted by another agency, and vice versa”. Read more from FAS on this here.

The White House has issued a Checklist of Permitted Exceptions to Reciprocity.

The Strategy Page opines that denying reciprocity may enhance national security by allowing more detailed investigations that may identify persons of risk.

The White House-issued Checklist is to be “used whenever an agency makes an eligibility determination for access to classified information for an individual who has a current access eligibility based upon the requisite investigation.” Unless specific criteria are met in the affirmative, additional investigative measures must not be employed before reciprocity is honored.

Share with us your horror stories about reciprocity. How long did you wait for a clearance to transfer, and which agencies were involved? Post your comments below.

Filed Under: Reform, Laws & Regulations, Procedures, Reference