RE: Pentagon Has Major Backlog Of Security Checks

["Scott Hedberg" <shedberg@ix.netcom.com>]

This is not a new problem!  I was stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA from 1995 to
1998 as a military intelligence officer - I started to prep my paperwork for
my security clearance update (which is suppose to happen every five years).
When I went to submit my update packet to my unit's security officer I was
told that DOD was backlogged with updates and all security clearance updates
would be performed on a case by case basis.

The DOD folks need some serious help!

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-cypherpunks@toad.com [mailto:owner-cypherpunks@toad.com]On
Behalf Of Anonymous
Sent: Monday, June 07, 1999 12:49 AM
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Pentagon Has Major Backlog Of Security Checks


Pentagon Has Major Backlog Of Security Checks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Defense Department, hampered by personnel cuts
and problems with a new computer system, said Thursday it had fallen far
behind in required annual security checks of thousands of military and
defense workers.

``We have had major problems for years, but it has gotten worse recently
with tightened security, personnel cuts, new computer bugs and software
problems,'' Glenn Flood, a Pentagon spokesman, told Reuters.

``We are trying to go from a paper-driven system to an electronic one with a
new computer and we're slowly working it out. But it will not be fixed
tomorrow or even next year,'' Flood added.

Officials responded to questions after USA Today Thursday reported that the
backlog of Pentagon security investigations was enormous at a time when
charges of Chinese theft of U.S. nuclear secrets was a reminder of what
could go wrong when spies aren't caught.

``There are significant problems. We have put in a new computer program and
the computer has not proven that it can automatically do the background
checks it was designed to do,'' said Army Col. Dick Bridges, another
Pentagon spokesman.

Officials said that Charles Cunningham, a retired Air Force General and
deputy assistant defense secretary for intelligence, was being named to head
the Defense Security Service and address its growing problems.

Each year, the security service handles more than 100,000 in-depth
investigations of military and civilian Defense Department employees and
contract personnel who require secret and top-secret clearances and nearly
500,000 less-stringent checks on personnel whose jobs are not highly
sensitive.

But USA Today reported that the work force at the agency has fallen from
more than 4,000 personnel a decade ago to 2,466 today due in large part to
post-Cold War budget cuts.

``There is a constant workload that will never go down,'' said Bridges.