The White House has announced it will create a new government organization to perform background checks on federal employees and contractors as part of its push to reform the security clearance and investigation process.Jamal Brown, press secretary for the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a White House blog entry posted Friday that the National Background Investigations Bureau will be established to replace the Office of Personnel Management‘s Federal Investigative Services organization.
He noted the Obama administration plans to enlist a team of interagency personnel to help FIS transition its functions, personnel and infrastructure to NBIB.
The White House has chosen the Defense Department to design, build, operate and secure the future bureau’s information technology systems, according to Brown.
Brown added the administration will also require re-examination of all government security clearance holders every five years as well as encourage federal, state and local enforcement agencies to exchange data when they conduct background checks.
These initiatives came after the Performance Accountability Council reviewed OPM’s federal background investigations process following cybersecurity breaches at the agency last year and identified strategies for the government to bolster security of personnel data systems.
