The office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security has directed the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to handle the due process and appeals on security review proceedings for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, or SCI, from the Department of Defense. The agency’s SCI adjudication process, effective starting Dec. 8, will cover contractor personnel, military service members and DOD civilians, DSCA said Wednesday.
Cleared contractor personnel already verified for confidential, secret and top secret collateral access eligibility are not covered by the new process, the agency added.
Transparency & Courtesy Goals
The DSCA’s security review implements the DOD reforms for the protection of classified national security information. The changes are based on an ongoing transformation of the department’s personnel security review protocols on determining access eligibility to classified information or holding a national security position. The efforts are designed with an eye toward transparency, personal focus and courtesy in the adjudication process.
With the reforms’ effectivity, recipients of letters of intent to reject or revoke their SCI access eligibility will retain the opportunity to submit a written response and appeal personally before DCSA takes action.
In April 2023, Lloyd Austin, defense secretary and Wash100 awardee, issued a memorandum directing DOD component agencies to immediately assess their compliance with the department’s procedures and standards for protecting classified national security information and report their findings to the office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security for appropriate action.