SAPPC - Personnel Security Questions and Answers Rated A

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SAPPC - Personnel Security Questions and Answers Rated A personnel security program ✔✔seeks to ensure that only loyal, trustworthy, and reliable people are granted access to classified informat... ion or assigned to sensitive duties. documents that mandate the personnel security program. ✔✔• DoD Instruction 5200.02 (March 2014) establishes the policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes procedures for the DoD Personnel Security Program. • DoD Regulation 5200.2-R which has had three updates since 1987 covers policy for the major elements of the personnel security program. Use of this regulation is mandatory for all DoD components. It implements the personnel security program within the Department of Defense. • Executive Order 12968 was the most recent executive order that required several regulatory changes to the DoD 5200.2-R. It standardizes the personnel security program for the executive branch. As a security professional you will become familiar with this document. Personnel Security: Designation ✔✔Each position in the Federal service is evaluated for a position designation. The designation is based on how the responsibilities and assignments of the position could impact the national security. Positions designated as sensitive involve job duties that can have a great impact on national security, as the individual assigned to the position could bring about, by virtue of the nature of the position, a material adverse effect on the national security. Positions with job duties which have no potential for material adverse effect on national security are designated as non-sensitive. If a position is designated as having sensitive duties, the remaining four elements will apply. Investigation ✔✔Once an individual has been selected for a sensitive position and/or requires access to classified information (military, civilian, or contractor) a personnel security investigation (PSI) is conducted. The PSI report contains background information about the person. Adjudication ✔✔This is an evaluation of the information contained in reports of personnel security investigations (PSIs) and other source documents. A judgment concerning security clearance eligibility is made by evaluating the reported information against the national security adjudication adjudicative guidelines. Final clearance eligibility determinations decisions are made by the DoD Consolidated Adjudications Facility (CAF) Reinvestigation ✔✔Individuals are reinvestigated at certain intervals based on their duties or access. Reinvestigation may also be initiated when unfavorable information arises that raises a concern under the national security adjudicative guidelines. Reinvestigation is considered part of the Continuous Evaluation Program Continuous Evaluation ✔✔Once security clearance eligibility has been granted, the Continuous Evaluation Program (CEP) monitors employees for new information or changes since the last investigation or reinvestigation that could affect their eligibility status Sensitive Duties: Access ✔✔Access Sensitive duties are designated based on their impact on national security. Sensitive duties often involve access to classified information. Access is described as the ability and opportunity to gain knowledge of classified information. This can involve seeing, hearing, or touching classified information, material, or equipment. Access is always controlled by the holder of the information. The holder of the classified information must determine that the person seeking access has the proper security clearance eligibility and a valid need to know the information in order to carry out official duties. A security clearance is a favorable determination of eligibility for access to classified information prior to access being granted. Component and local command procedures will provide guidance on how to verify clearance eligibility and need-to-know. Sensitive Duties: Requirements ✔✔First, if an individual is a U.S. citizen, he or she may be granted a security clearance. Next, non-U.S. citizens may be granted a Limited Access Authorization, also known as an LAA. These two authorizations may be granted to civilian, military, and contractor personnel; however, their requirements for access will vary. It is important to understand that although a non-U.S. citizen may be granted an LAA, they are not granted security clearance eligibility. Personnel Designations ✔✔• Special-sensitive • Critical-sensitive • Noncritical-sensitive • Non-sensitive Special-Sensitive ✔✔• Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) • Positions that require access to unique or uniquely productive intelligence sources or methods vital to the national security • Positions that could cause grave damage and/or compromise technologies, plans, or procedures vital to the strategic advantage of the United States • Other positions related to national security, regardless of duties, that require the same degree of trust Critical-Sensitive ✔✔Top Secret duties o Top Secret access o Development of plans that affect the overall operations of DoD or the Component o Development of war plans, special operations, or critical and extremely important items of war o Investigative and support duties, issuing interim and final security clearances or access determinations, or making other personnel security eligibility determinations • Fiduciary duties requiring the highest degree of public trust o Comptroller (responsible for handling the base's finances) o Procurement Officer (responsible for letting contracts with public money) • Special Programs o Nuclear Command and Control - Extremely Sensitive Information (NC2ESI) o Special Access Programs (SAP) o Presidential Support Activities • Information Technology Position -1 (IT-1) o Manager of a base automated data processing center • The commander has the authority to designate other duties, as necessary, if they have a critical impact on the mission Noncritical-Sensitive ✔✔• Duties that require Confidential or Secret access • Security, law enforcement, and safety duties such as firefighting • Information Technology Position-2 (IT-2) • Developing or delivering instruction to DoD personnel • Designing, operating, or maintaining intrusion detection systems (IDS), which protect some of our most sensitive information and material • The local commander has flexibility to designate duties that have a direct impact on the mission (one of the most common is locksmith) Non-Sensitive ✔✔All remaining civilian employee positions are designated as Non-sensitive. This means that there are no sensitive job duties and/or need for access to classified information Limited Access Authorization (LAA) ✔✔When non-U.S. citizens require classified access to perform official duties, they can be granted a Limited Access Authorization (LAA). The LAA is used when it is not possible or not practical to use U.S. citizens for certain duties, and in the interest of the U.S. Government to allow the non-U.S. citizen to have access. A non-U.S. citizen may be granted an LAA, but they are not granted security clearance eligibility. With LAA access: ✔✔• Access is limited to the approved program or project • Access outside of the approved program or project is a compromise and must be handled as one • Information must be releasable to the applicant's home country under the U.S. National Disclosure Policy • Access is limited to Secret information or lower The Nuclear Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) ✔✔functions to ensure that each person performing duties associated with nuclear weapons or nuclear command and control systems and equipment is not only emotionally stable and physically capable, but also has demonstrated reliability and professional competence. Restricted Data and CNWDI ✔✔In addition to the specific categories of information covered by Special Access Restricted Data and Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information, or CNWDI, also have special requirements for access and dissemination. Restricted Data includes all information concerning the design, manufacture, or use of atomic weapons, the production of special nuclear material, or the use of special nuclear material in the production of energy. Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information is Restricted Data that is classified as Top Secret or Secret. It includes information about the theory of operation or design of the components of a thermo-nuclear or implosion-type fission bomb, warhead, demolition munition, or test devices Restricted Data ✔✔Restricted Data Within and between DoD components, access to and dissemination of Restricted Data are governed by the same basic requirements that govern access to and dissemination of other classified information. access is granted only if it is required for performance of official duties and only to individuals who hold a valid DoD security clearance at a level commensurate with the information. information is disseminated only after the holder of the information has verified the identity of recipient, clearance, and need to know. Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information (CNWDI) ✔✔Controlling access to and dissemination of CNWDI is particularly important to the DoD. Access must be limited to the absolute minimum number of people who need it to accomplish their job duties. Like other types of classified information and Restricted Data, access is limited to individuals who have a security clearance for that level of information and an official need-to-know. However, the requirements for access to CNWDI are much more stringent than for other types of classified information. *minimum required security clearance for access to CNWDI is Top Secret or Secret. *U.S. citizenship is required for access to CNWDI. Personnel Security Investigation ✔✔A personnel security investigation, also known as a PSI, is an inquiry into an individual's background, activities, and personal behavior for the purpose of making a personnel security determination. A PSI allows adjudicators to look closely at important information about an individual's honesty, reliability, character, loyalty, and trustworthiness Need-to-Know ✔✔Another term you will see and use often as a security professional is need-toknow. Even when an individual holds a security clearance, he or she is not automatically given access to all material that is classified. The only access that is authorized is for what the individual has an official need-to-know in order to conduct his or her duties. Privacy Act ✔✔The Privacy Act of 1974 is a public law that regulates the federal government's authority to collect personal information on an individual. This act limits the use of information collected for specific purposes. When the federal government collects personal information from an individual, it is required that the individual be informed of four things: 1. Under what authority is the government agent or representative collecting the information? 2. The purpose for collecting the information. 3. The routine uses of the information. 4. Whether providing this information is voluntary or mandatory, and what would be the impact of choosing not to provide the information? Reciprocity ✔✔Reciprocity refers to the mutual acceptance of a personnel security clearance by all government agencies, regardless of which agency issued the clearance. A personnel security clearance should be reciprocally accepted by all federal agencies as long as it meets or exceeds the level of clearance needed by an agency JPAS ✔✔Those individuals working in the personnel security field perform many of their personnel security actions using the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) Joint Clearance and Access Verification System (JCAVS) ✔✔JCAVS provides the ability to constantly update accesses and related information in real-time, along with the ability to constantly communicate with other Security Management Offices and CAFs. JCAVS also provides the ability to manage personnel actions, run reports, and receive notifications. JCAVS is used by security professionals throughout the DoD, including contractors. Joint Adjudication Management System (JAMS) ✔✔JAMS provides the DoD CAF a single information system to assist in the adjudication process, standardizes core DoD Adjudication processes, and is used by adjudicators to record eligibility determinations and recommend access decisions. JAMS promotes reciprocity between the DoD CAF and the security professional. Case Adjudication Tracking System (CATS) ✔✔In April 2009, USDI designated CATS as the DoD Case Adjudication Tracking System for all non-intelligence activities. CATS is used by the DoD CAF adjudicators to review electronic PSI completed by OPM. With CATS the adjudicator can record eligibility and can recommend access determinations. Tier 5 Background Investigation/Reinvestigations ✔✔Military, Contractors, and Civilians: • Special-Sensitive positions • Critical-Sensitive positions • Top Secret and SCI clearance eligibility every 5 yrs Tier 3 Background Investigation / Reinvestigations ✔✔Military, Contractors, and Civilians: • Noncritical-Sensitive positions • Confidential and Secret clearance eligibility • Military Accessions every 5 yrs OPM - Investigative Agency ✔✔The investigative agency that has responsibility for conducting background investigations for the Department of Defense is the Office of Personnel Management, also known as OPM. You will learn more about OPM in other training courses. One-Time Access ✔✔Like interim clearances, one-time access allows personnel to access information without a full security upgrade. One-time access may be granted to DoD personnel if they have an existing clearance eligibility but require short-term access to classified information at a higher level than currently authorized, and if the processing time required to upgrade the clearance would preclude timely access to the information. This happens most often when someone has Secret clearance eligibility and needs access to Top Secret information for a short period of time. Procedures, conditions, and authority for one-time access are contained in Chapter 3 of The DoD Personnel Security Regulation, DoD 5200.2-R. Interim Clearances ✔✔If an individual is needed to work on a specific project before his or her background investigation and adjudication has been completed, local commands or other authorities have the option of granting an interim clearance. Interim clearances allow employees to begin working on sensitive or classified projects until a final security clearance is granted or denied. Not all employees are eligible for an interim clearance. DoD CAF ✔✔DoD Consolidated Adjudications Facility Adjudicative Decisions ✔✔Ultimately, adjudicative decisions will result in a security clearance eligibility being either granted or denied. In cases in which an individual has already been granted a security clearance eligibility, the eligibility may be revoked or terminated based upon new information that arises during re-adjudication. The revocation or termination of a favorable eligibility security clearance determination could lead to the termination of DoD civilian employment if an individual's employment was based on their security clearance eligibility. In such cases, an individual may be restored to duty at the discretion of the head of the DoD component. Security clearance eligibility upgrades are requested when an individual has a need for a higher level of eligibility. Likewise, security clearance eligibility downgrades occur when an individual no longer has a need for a higher level eligibility but still requires a lower level eligibility. Adjudicative Guidelines ✔✔• Allegiance to the United States • Foreign influence • Foreign preference • Sexual behavior • Personal conduct • Financial considerations • Alcohol consumption • Drug involvement • Psychological conditions • Criminal conduct • Handling protected information • Outside activities • Use of information technology systems Continuous Evaluation Process ✔✔Continuous evaluation is the uninterrupted assessment of an individual for retention of a security clearance eligibility, or a continuing assignment to sensitive duties. It is the responsibility of all security personnel to continuously evaluate personnel assigned to their command or activity. Anyone who becomes aware of information that might make an individual ineligible for a security clearance must report this information to his or her supervisor or to a local security official. Supervisors, coworkers, and individuals themselves all have an obligation to report potentially disqualifying information. The ultimate responsibility for maintaining continued security clearance eligibility rests with the individual. Periodic reinvestigations are conducted as part of the process of continuous evaluation. Additionally, continuous evaluation will also incorporate an automated records check monitoring system which will cover the gap between initial and periodic reinvestigations in the near future. [Show More]

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