United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-10-27 monographic deposited born digital 67 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-00-12 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12 P0b002ee18037d055 f:ns00012 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12 NSIAD-00-12 Federal employees Internal controls Security clearances Contractor personnel Classified information Strategic planning Quality assurance National Performance Review DOD Quadrennial Defense Review SSA Case Management Control System Letter Report NSIAD Y1991

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) personnel security investigative functions, focusing on; (1) the completeness and timeliness of DOD personnel security investigations; (2) what factors, if any, might be hindering the completeness and timeliness of the investigations; and (3) what actions DOD has taken to address any program weaknesses.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) DOD personnel security investigations are incomplete and not conducted in a timely manner; (2) as a result, they pose a risk to national security by making DOD vulnerable to espionage; (3) in the 530 cases GAO reviewed, DOD granted clearances notwithstanding that: (a) 92 percent of the 530 investigations were deficient in that they did not contain the information in at least one of the nine investigative areas required by the federal standards for granting clearances; (b) 77 percent of the investigations were deficient in meeting federal standards in two or more areas; and (c) 16 percent of the investigations identified issues that the Defense Security Service did not pursue pertaining to individuals' prior criminal history, alcohol and drug use, financial difficulties, and other problems that could be cause to deny a security clearance; (4) Defense Security Service clearance investigations are also not timely; (5) half of the 530 investigations GAO reviewed took 204 or more days to complete even though DOD components and contractors requesting the investigations want them completed in 90 days; (6) completeness and timeliness problems in DOD's personnel security program have resulted largely from a series of Defense Security Service management actions that weakened quality assurance and led to delays in processing cases; (7) DOD is taking steps to address these problems; however, it will take a significant amount of time and money to identify and implement all of the actions and steps needed; (8) DOD recently appointed a new acting Defense Security Service Director who has: (a) negotiated with the Office of Personnel Management and private contractors to assist in eliminating the large backlog of clearance reinvestigations; (b) directed a review of all investigative policies; (c) begun reinstating quality control mechanisms and established a new training organization; and (d) appointed a team to assess automation problems; (9) DOD has not developed a strategic plan for the program that includes measurable program goals and performance measures; (10) DOD has recognized the need for a strategic plan for the personnel security investigation program, but the plan is only in the early stages of development; and (11) moreover, despite the serious and widespread nature of the completeness and timeliness problems affecting the personnel security investigation program, DOD has not planned to report these problems as material weaknesses under the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act of 1982. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12.pdf GAO/NSIAD-00-12 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-12 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-00-12; DOD Personnel: Inadequate Personnel Security; Federal employees Internal controls Security clearances Contractor personnel Classified information Strategic planning Quality assurance National Performance Review DOD Quadrennial Defense Review SSA Case Management Control System Title 5 Section 306 5 U.S.C. 306 Title 31 Section 1115 Title 31 Section 3512 31 U.S.C. 1115 31 U.S.C. 3512 Public Law 103-236