Personnel Security Clearances: Continuing Leadership and Attention Can Enhance Momentum Gained from Reform Effort
Abstract
As of October 2010, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that 3.9 million federal employees (military and civilians) and contractors hold security clearances. Department of Defense (DoD) personnel hold the vast majority of government security clearances. Long-standing backlogs and delays in the security clearance process led GAO to place the DoD's Personnel Security Clearance Program on its high-risk list in 2005. Delays in issuing clearances can result in millions of dollars of additional cost to the federal government and could pose a national security risk. DoD and others have taken steps to address these issues and additional concerns with clearance documentation used to determine eligibility for a clearance. As a result, in 2011, GAO removed the program from its high-risk list. This testimony addresses the following: (1) the key actions that led GAO to remove DoD's security clearance program from its high-risk list, and (2) the additional actions that can enhance the security clearance reform efforts. This statement is based on prior GAO reports and testimonies on DoD's personnel security clearance program and government-wide suitability and security clearance reform efforts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 21, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA562374
Entities
People
- Eugene Louis Dodaro
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office