Following the massive data breach involving the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) which compromised approximately 22 million security clearance records of federal employees and contractors, the Obama administration has tasked the Department of Defense (“DOD”) with overhauling the background investigation process, Nextgov reported. This move shifts the responsibility to protect security clearance information from the OPM, the agency that spearheaded the effort at the time of the beach, to the DOD, the article continued.
According to the article, the DOD will implement new IT systems that store background investigation information of federal employees and contractors. Unlike OPM’s IT system, the article reported, the DOD’s new systems will use encryption to protect sensitive data. Further, DOD software engineers will develop the systems using a “modular approach” which will allow them to better adapt to evolving cyber threats, the article explained. Nextgov also revealed that parts of the system may be disconnected from the internet.
In addition, the article reported that the administration plans to establish a new entity within the OPM called the National Background Investigations Bureau which will be responsible for conducting background checks. The DOD will also be responsible for the security of the IT systems used by this new office, according to the article. The Defense Information Systems Agency, a combat support agency of the DOD, will be charged with the execution of the project, the article further stated.
The administration has requested $95 million to implement this project, however, even if Congress approves it, the budget would not be available until September 2016 when the next fiscal year begins, according to article. For now, the article added, the project will be funded by the current OPM budget which includes $21 million approved by Congress in December 2015 for IT upgrades.
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