Federal Daily News
DoD touts improved security clearance process
DoD has dramatically streamlined its personnel security clearance
process over the past several years, reducing the average clearance
time from 165 days in 2006 to the current 47 days, according to a Feb.
25 department Web posting.
To streamline the clearance process, DoD said it worked with the
Director of National Intelligence, the Office of Management and Budget
and the Office of Personnel Management to change policies, introduce
extensive information technology improvements, and eliminate a backlog
of about 100,000 pending cases. Resulting improvements led to a 72
percent reduction in the time it takes to process an individual’s
security clearance, DoD said.
“The substantive changes that we have made to our personnel security
clearance process significantly enhance our safeguarding of classified
materials and the quality of life of our servicemembers and civilian
employees,” said Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn.
The improvements also led the Government Accountability Office to
recently remove DoD’s personnel security clearance process from its
“high risk list.” Originally added to the list in 2005, deletion of
the process marks the first time GAO has removed a DoD area from the
list since its 1990 inception, the department said.
To see more, go to: www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=14294