Fedweek

The Defense Department says it has started new efforts to clear out its pending backlog of security clearance investigations and reinvestigations by identifying cases for priority attention and adding help from contractors and military reservists. The issue is an important one for employees who need such clearances in order to hold their jobs. Recently the General Accounting Office found that more than 600,000 files are backlogged, including civilian, military and contractor personnel. Problems with a computer system and effects of “reinventing”—that is, shrinking, by almost 40 percent—the responsible DoD agency are cited as main reasons for the backlog. DoD says it will have the logjam cleared out by the end of 2001, possibly by calling in help from contractors.