Security Clearance Insecurity

Reducing stigma around mental health issues has been a major push across the defense industry and cleared community. Changes to the SF-86 have made the form less stressful and more straightforward for many applicants, but for those new to the intelligence community or seasoned professionals, stigma remains a battle worth fighting.

The Mission for the Mind is a multi-year campaign launched by Leidos in an effort to address issues of mental health and wellbeing across their workforce and the broader national security community. Cynthia Strand, Vice President, Customer Excellence Central Intelligence Agency, Leidos, joined Security Clearance Insecurity to discuss the campaign, the importance of addressing mental health issues within the national security community, and this is a multi-year effort to get broader progress across the workforce. Strand shares resources that are available and emphasizes how Continuous Vetting helps to support the workforce and has prompted the government to be more proactive about all issues affecting the workforce. Mental health is also not an issue that's unique to government or to those working in national security, and different groups are coming together to address mental health topics and make sure professionals get the help and resources they need without concerns for their careers.

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If you work in national security, you need to stay in the know on the changing government contracting landscape. Enter GovBrew, a free newsletter written by those in the know, to give you the news you need to know. Lindy Kyzer with ClearanceJobs chats with Shane Prosser, co-founder of GovBrew and co-founder and CEO of FalconTek. Prosser is a U.S. Army veteran who leveraged his security clearance to land a job working in national security, and then went on to co-found a company with his brother, Chad Prosser. The GovBrew newsletter was born out of their own efforts to gather the critical business intelligence they needed to be successful.

In the second half of the program Sean Bigley and Lindy Kyzer discuss the never ending saga of the poppyseed who stole my security clearance. Is it fact - or fiction - that a little too much poppy can make you pop hot on a drug test? And if it happens, what can you do about it?

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Security clearance topics remain in the news - but who are Special Security Officers (SSOs), and what role do they play in keeping classified programs safe? ClearanceJobs is joined by Mitch Lawrence, founder of Lawrence Solutions, and Peter Lapp, owner of PJ Lapp Consulting, to discuss their upcoming Special Security Officer Survival Course, why the role of SSO is important, and why it's critical for both government and industry to invest in the professionalization and advancement of the SSO.

They offer a variety of tips for better understanding the role of SSO, from how it got its start in the Oppenheimer era, to why it remains a critical function today. Behind every cleared or classified program is a need for competent security professionals. With ongoing insider threats, data breaches, and an expanding catalog of counterintelligence issues affecting every company, big and small, investing in the people of security has perhaps never been more important.

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ClearanceJobs chatted with Vince Virga, chairman and co-founder of Skillstorm. Skillstorm trains and deploys developers and tech talent to help assist companies and government agencies with their workforce needs. Skillstorm also works directly with talent to help them upskill or reskill into the most in-demand tech jobs, including working with service members through the Army and Air Force COOL programs, along with the Veterans Administration with the VET TEC program. Rather than simply focusing on certifications, Skillstorm focuses on outcomes, making sure veterans are matched into the right opportunity and that companies have the talent they need.

In the second half of the program, ClearanceJobs' Lindy Kyzer and legal correspondent Sean Bigley discuss the always complicated world of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). What is it, why is it so confusing, and how can CUI trip up - or cause clearance issues?

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A new book by Danny Olmes, President at Xcelerate Solutions, spotlights how ordinary moments can be pivotal ones. Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy details many seemingly ordinary moments that led to extraordinary shifts - in mindset, career path, or spiritual journey. Olmes discusses his book, including how a chance encounter in a parking garage led him down a writing path, and how living and working in the DC metro influenced his experience as an author.

In the second half of the program, ClearanceJobs' Lindy Kyzer and security clearance legal correspondent Sean Bigley discuss how youthful indiscretions can lead to security clearance problems.

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Insider threat topics are in the news today - but the idea of insider threat is nothing new. Policies for insider threat training and how to conform to the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) are well established, but today is a good time to refresh your program and ensure compliance. Jeffrey Bennett, security and risk management consultant and author of a recently released book about how to build an insider risk program under the NISPOM, discusses insider risk and what it means for cleared defense contractors.

In the second half of the program, Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs, and Sean Bigley, legal correspondent, discuss the reason why a $10,000 deposit could raise red flags in the security clearance process.

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Alisha Jordan, education director at the National Cryptologic Foundation chats with ClearanceJobs about the role of the Foundation and their current efforts to help attract young people into cybersecurity and codebreaking careers. Cyber Saturday is taking place June 10, and will bring together young people, mentors, and cybersecurity pros to help inspire the next generation. Learn more about the foundation and the history of cryptology.

In the second half of the program, Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs, and Sean Bigley, security clearance legal consultant, discuss the push for return to office and the trend in the federal government encouraging workers to return to the office.

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Congress began looking into security clearance procedures after classified documents were found in former president Donald Trump's Mar a Lago residence, with new legislation released following the latest alleged leak by Airman Jack Teixeira. Critics argue there are too many people with clearances, and congress is asking agencies to draw their numbers down. ClearanceJobs sat down with Charles Phalen, former acting director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and current principal of CS Phalen & Associates. They discuss why personnel vetting is scrutinized following every major leak, why cutting the number of security clearances seems like a plausible solution (but isn't), and eApp and possible changes to the security clearance application process.

In the second half of the program security clearance legal correspondent Sean Bigley and ClearanceJobs' Lindy Kyzer discuss domestic violence in security clearance applicants or holders. Like all issues, the government will consider domestic violence within the whole person concept. But for significant others worried that reporting an issue of domestic violence or getting help would be an issue, it's worth noting that not reporting issues won't protect the security clearance holder or their career. Withholding information or excluding negative issues are more often an eligibility issue than reporting them.

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Lynn Burns, president of NCMS and Sarah Turner, member of the board of directors, NCMS, discuss the upcoming NCMS 2023 Annual Seminar on this episode of Security Clearance Insecurity. NCMS is a professional security organization that has existed for more than 50 years, helping to train, certify, and advance the security profession. Burns and Turner discussed what can be expected at this year's training seminar, along with why mentorship is important to the security field today.

In the second half of the program Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs, and Sean Bigley, security clearance legal correspondent, discuss the state of the suitability in the government today and into tomorrow. All federal employees and contractors are already subject to some form of suitability determination. But under security clearance reforms today, suitability is getting more scrutiny. Public trust positions will be moving into a CV scenario. Lindy and Sean discuss what candidates should know about suitability, public trust, and due process rights.

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The security clearance process is in the spotlight. But the reality is the transformative effort to improve the security clearance process has been underway for the past several years, with significant new benchmarks announced just this month at the recent U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill.

Jason Miller, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and chair of the Performance Accountability Council Program Management Office discussed the recently announced metrics and reforms within the security clearance process, and how PAC-PMO is providing accountability and a management framework for the government to achieve its aggressive timeline goals.

In the second half of the program, Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs, and Sean Bigley, legal counsel, discuss the Airman Teixeira case and what security cleared professionals and security officers should expect in the aftermath of the latest major breach.

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