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New Entity Responsible for Security Clearance Investigations

Posted by Rob Riggins

White House Blog Post on Security Clearance InvestigationsA new federal entity titled the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) will process security clearance investigations. This change was driven both by concerns in the wake of Snowden’s document release and Aaron Alexis’ shooting at the Navy Yard, as well as the OPM data hack that compromised over 20 million personnel files last year.

The NBIB will be located in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and have the same responsibilities as the Federal Investigative Service (FIS). FIS currently has responsibility for about 95 percent of all security clearance investigations.

To leverage the Pentagon’s superior data handling and cybersecurity skills, the Defense Department will be responsible for developing, running and housing the new NBIB’s information technology systems.

The White House blog post announcing the changes noted:

“This approach will leverage DOD’s significant national security, IT and cybersecurity expertise, incorporating security into the fundamental design of the systems, strengthening the security of the data environment, and providing robust privacy protections.”

The Performance Accountability Council created in 2013 after the Aaron Alexis shooting at the Navy Yard will monitor NBIB’s performance.

This is intended to be a seamless transition, although no timeline was provided for when the changes will actually take place. In the announcement, the administration noted several of the efforts to improve security clearance determinations including the five-year reinvestigation requirement and reducing the number of cleared individuals by 17 percent in recent years, among others.

The impact these changes will have on you as a cleared professional remains to be seen. But let’s hope that a new entity, combined with DoD developing and running the IT systems, means a more efficient and a more secure security clearance process.

For full details, check out the White House blog post:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/22/modernizing-strengthening-security-effectiveness-federal-background-investigations

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 25, 2016 8:12 am

4 thoughts on “New Entity Responsible for Security Clearance Investigations”

  1. Maybe this is good news, but for those of us that had clearances expire due to the backlog caused by Snowden, the OPM hacks, and a generally broken system, we’re still out of luck and out of work.

  2. Hopefully, investigations will improve as well as information security on people’s clearance files. Also, I recently received notification that my security clearance file was compromised. I have to do some follow up. Ideas helpful.

    I was an information security specialist, who worked in classification. I trained others how to be authorized derivative classifiers and how to protect government information & assets. I did inspections and performed audits. I provided the best security possible & got excellent marks for the classification program. I worked for Government contractors 1964-1995. 1987-1995 in national security positions. After I identified security problems in 1995, my employment was terminated and so was my security clearance. I was only able to get extremely low paying jobs for investigative companies on contract, without a security clearance to work in my career field of security. I am still a lifetime member of the classification society & a member of OPSEC (paid dues up to last year). I was very disappointed as to how my career ended.

    Additionally, I have made several request thru a FOIA for my DOD file over the years and have not received it yet. Any information you can provide would be appreciated.

    1. With respect to FOIA contact your Senator or Congressman. Even better if they are members of the Armed Services Committees. I carried a TS at DOD. Thanks to OPM incompetence the Chinese now have my personnel file. You should have been given a free three year subscription to a security monitoring company such as LifeLock or My ID. You might as well take advantage of that.

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