All DoD security clearance holders are now subject to continuous vetting to keep them – By Meghann Myers (Federal Times) / Oct 5 2021
Traditionally, the agency that bestows security clearances on government employees re-investigates those candidates on a cyclical basis, checking on their credit reports, criminal histories and so on, once every several years. But a new vetting process means the Defense Department, and employees of dozens of other government agencies, will continuously scan background check databases and have any new events sent straight to investigators.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency announced Tuesday that all DoD clearance holders are now part of its continuous vetting program. This means that if an employee comes under criminal investigation, or forecloses on a home, multiple agencies will ping DCSA with the news immediately. At the same time, DCSA software will automatically scan those databases for new information.
Previously, the agency did background checks every five to 10 years on roughly 4 million DoD clearance-holders, which meant that it could be years before an event that would disqualify someone from holding a security clearance was caught.
For instance, DCSA direct William K. Lietzau told reporters Tuesday, continuous vetting recently picked up an employee with a fugitive arrest warrant for attempted murder and assault.
