OPM? DSS? NBIB? Pentagon?
It looks as though the federal government’s background investigation program is going through yet another change (if you’re keeping track, this is the third change in the last 18 months). During an Office of Management and Budget (OMD) meeting held last month, it was decided that they would move the entire federal government’s background investigations program to the Department of Defense (DoD).
“It is pretty remarkable that the federal government would give DoD the entire background investigations program despite the fact the program was taken away from DoD, for cause, through the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act,” says Merton Miller, a retired Colonel and Federal Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and former Senior Executive with the Federal Investigative Service and the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB). “DoD has not delivered a background investigation in the past 13 years. Even when it did manage its own program, DoD investigations were never timely and current.”
And there are more reasons to be concerned about this change. According to a ClearanceJobs.com article, the DoD lacks an IT system capable of processing investigative work, they do not have the staff to manage the workload, and we are not certain they have the framework in place to manage their own investigative work, let alone take on the responsibility of others. “The dependence every federal agency and department will have on DoD will have a devastating impact on their ability to influence policy, affect performance, and ensure program transparency,” adds Miller.
There is also concern that the DoD will not be able to attract and retain a robust investigator workforce. Although the NBIB currently employs more than 7,200 federal background investigators, it is not certain whether all of them will make the move. “Hiring, training, and retaining those background investigators has been a major cause of the current delays and backlogs,” writes Lindy Kyzer.
In addition to losing the NBIB, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may also be losing its HR Solutions program which could be headed over to General Services Administration. According to Federal News Radio, losing both NBIB and HR Solutions would have significant implications for OPM. Not only would the agency lose two of its highest earning activities, but the transfer could also create financial instability for OPM.
And, the move may not actually be solving the problem.
“Just moving the responsibility around isn’t going to fix the problem unless there’s a process improvement,” said a former government executive with knowledge of OPM in an interview with Federal News Radio.
How do you feel about this move?
Will DSS help with the backlog of Security clearances?
Do you agree that a new agency should be created for Background investigations?
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Security First & Associates
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