[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 108 (Tuesday, July 19, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL SECURITY CLEARANCE OFFICE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 19, 2011

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the men and women who 
have served the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO) 
located in Columbus, Ohio, since 1965 when the office opened. As a 
result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision, 
DISCO must relocate to Ft. Meade, Maryland, in September 2011.
  The majority of the 160 employees and contractors plan to remain in 
Ohio and not relocate to Maryland, seeking either retirement or 
employment elsewhere. On Wednesday July 20, 2011, at 11:00 a.m., there 
will be a ceremony in Columbus to recognize their, and their 
predecessors', achievements over the last 46 years.
  Located in Columbus, Ohio, DISCO processes requests for personnel and 
facility security clearances for industry contractors under the 
National Industrial Security Program (NISP). The NISP is a partnership 
between the federal government and private industry to safeguard 
classified information. It was established through an Executive Order 
signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1993 and affects all executive 
branch agencies. The major signatories to the program are the 
Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department 
of Defense, and the Central Intelligence Agency. There are over one 
million cleared personnel and approximately 13,000 cleared facilities 
under the NISP.
  DISCO is a Central Adjudication Facility responsible, on behalf of 
the Department of Defense and 23 other departments and agencies, for 
determining the facility and personnel clearance eligibility of 
contractors and their employees for access to classified information, 
foreign or domestic. It is responsible for maintenance of facility and 
personnel clearance records and processing security assurances, 
clearances and visits involving the United States and foreign 
countries.
  To demonstrate the volume of work processed by each employee at DISCO 
on a daily basis, the 160 employees and contractors at DISCO rendered 
nearly 250,000 clearance decisions in Fiscal Year 2010. The men and 
women who do this work have a major impact on individuals who seek 
clearances, the private companies who employ them, and the government 
agencies which contract for the work. All of this has a major and 
lasting impact on our national security.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing and 
appreciating the important work which has been done in Ohio since 1965 
to help ensure national security through the issuance of security 
clearances for those working with some of the most sensitive 
information in the nation. We thank these individuals for their service 
and wish them much success as this important agency makes its 
transition.

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