A report published on Performance.gov says the Obama administration implemented several measures in 2016 as part of efforts to update the security clearance process, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday.Nicole Ogrysko writes such measures include the Office of Personnel Management’s launch of the National Background Investigations Bureau and approval of the Enterprise Information Technology strategy by stakeholders at the Performance Accountability Council in October.
The Security Executive Agent and Suitability Agent also established new business rules that seek to describe how the new IT system will help facilitate the decision-making process for secret and top-secret level cases through a September memo, Ogrysko reports.
OPMÂ completed the recruitment of 400 new background investigators in September and began its contract for additional investigators with four companies on Dec. 1, according to the progress report on Performance.gov.
Ogrysko notes that the security clearance investigation process in the fourth quarter of 2016 failed to meet the administration’s target goals and was longer than the three previous quarters of the year amid the changes implemented by the administration.
Initial investigation for secret cases took an average of 166 days to finish, while initial top-secret level investigation and periodic investigations required 246 and 222 days to complete, according to a report on Performance.gov obtained by Federal News Radio.
